Best gift to yourself is fitness

Along with the lights, the inflatable snow globes, the "Santa, Please Stop Here" signs on the lawns, here's another indicator that the holidays are upon us: The gyms are empty.

The period between Thanksgiving and New Year's is one of the slowest of the year for the fitness industry. Crowds thin out at health clubs. Classes are often half full. Clients cancel their personal training sessions.

"There's definitely a huge dip during the holidays," says Peter Lombardi, a Babylon-based personal trainer and former gym manager. "I have clients who just disappear."

The reason, he believes, is a cascade of bad decisions that starts on the fourth Thursday in November and continues unabated through New Year's Day.

"Thanksgiving is when people start going downhill," Lombardi said. "They eat so much, eat poorly and start feeling bad. They get into a downward spiral that lasts into the New Year."

Here are some ways to avoid falling off the fitness wagon during the holidays.

Of course, your new tradition doesn't have to be an organized event. "Take a walk around the neighborhood with the family to look at people's decorations," suggests Maria DiCroce, a personal trainer and youth fitness director at Sky Athletic Club in Rockville Centre. "Take a spin class with your friends on Christmas Eve morning."

It could also involve a reshuffle of something you already do: A new weight routine, for example; or switching to the treadmill instead of the elliptical for your cardio, for a change.

For more seasons fitness tips, see DiCroce's blog: mariadicroce.com/holiday-survival.