Surprising energy sapper #4: Christmas Shopping Sprees
Those mad rushes to the mall can leave you feeling exhausted -- and result in muscle soreness the next day. "Carrying loads of shopping bags with your arms bent or simply moving a heavy box of Christmas decorations can prompt tiny tears in muscles, and the swelling that results can make us feel achy and tired,” explains Heather Nettle, an exercise physiologist with the Department of Sports Health at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Feel-better Rx: Even if you don't do anything about it, muscle soreness usually subsides within a few days. But you can head off potential aches by taking a warm bath after a big shopping trip (or major tree-trimming day): The heat soothes sore muscles and increases circulation, which speeds healing. To avoid future snafus, make sure you tote heavy bags efficiently. Instead of carrying them in your hand with your arm bent (which is equivalent to doing biceps curls with weights), either extend your arm down, at your side, holding the handles in your hand, or hook the bags on your elbow.

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