Winter holidays often mean eating big meals and sitting around watching TV with extended family.

These are fun, to be sure, and the laughter over shared memories and stories retold are part of what make family gatherings so special.

But we all want to try to stay healthy, and we all know that a day of overindulging and under-exercising probably isn’t our best bet.

So this year, take your large or small family out for a walk. It is free and not likely to get anyone hurt, unless they’re wearing nonsensible shoes.

If the weather is good, it’s even pleasant. And there are a number of health-related reasons to get everyone out there for an amble.

First, it regulates blood sugar. One study found that even just a 15-minute post-meal walk helped avoid blood sugar spikes for several hours afterward. This can mean fewer unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms later in the day, especially the post-meal “crash.”

It expends calories. Walking one mile, even at a leisurely pace, burns about 100 calories, depending on your size, age, and sex. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the walk will put much a dent in your large meal, but everything helps.

It’s likely to improve your mood. Holidays can be stressful. Walking makes your brain more sensitive to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which ease the feeling of depression. They also stimulate the release of endorphins, which make us happy.

Parent-child bonds improve and family members get along better when they spend time in nature.

And it’s even a fix for feeling stuffed. Walking eases heartburn. Getting some steps in will help your digestion far better than settling in for a nap.