Thanksgiving may be a time to catch up with family and loved ones, but it is also a notoriously unhealthy holiday.Huge meals, extra servings, and lounging around watching a game on the TV can lead to some serious artery-clogging issues for those that are not careful.

While those huge portions are tempting, here are some simple tips to consider that will keep you and your family healthy throughout the holiday season.

An AED scavenger hunt is essentially a scavenger hunt where participants locate an AED in their area.

Some organizations even give participants a list of other items that they need to find around town or around their camp. Kids get the chance to hunt down simple and ordinary every day objects and find specialized medical equipment that can help save lives.

The Automatic External Defibrillator, or AED, is a small, portable machine that can quickly analyze the condition of the heart and deliver a quick shock to re-start a heartbeat in people who have experienced a sudden collapse. They were designed to be easy to use, even for average people.

These devices are known to save lives, but many people are unfamiliar with the technology or otherwise have fears about using it in emergency situations.

Research from the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles has shown that deaths from heart attacks increased by 36 percent in the winter when compared to the summer.

Cold weather tends to exacerbate problems such as high blood pressure while physical exertion from activities like shoveling snow can cause trauma to coronary arteries. It is essential that you take steps to protect your heart in the winter months.