Join the Los Angelista Holiday Fitness Challenge

You ever wake up on January 1st and feel like a blob? Like crap? Like the Pillsbury Dough Boy? Like Jabba the Hut?

The average person does the following on January 1st:

Option A: You get totally depressed because you were feeling so healthy and looking so good back before Satan's Day of Candy Halloween came around and demons force fed you tons of mini Snickers bars.

which leads to one of the following...

Option B: You pull your fat clothes out of the back of the closet and tell yourself you'll get back in tip top shape as soon as Valentine's Day (and all the fabulous chocolate that comes with it) is over.

or

Option C: You go on some insane crash diet where you consume so many baby carrots your friends and family decide to buy stock in a carrot farm.

However, if you're an average Hollywood type, you take...

Option D: You dial up a nefarious character for some "herbal remedies" that give you tons of energy and make you completely forget about food. That way when you tell everyone you just have a fast metabolism, it's kinda true. You have a real "speed"-y thing going on.

I propose we all band together to defeat getting fatter over the holidays once and for all!

Just think, we can unify in pursuit of our common anti-blubber cause! All of us, black and white, male and female, Depeche Mode fans and those who wish they were Depeche Mode fans - together we'll avoid turning into doughy blobs.

I'm not talking about going on a diet - oh noes! I'm merely talking about drawing a line in the sand and saying that on January 1, 2010 nobody's pants will feel tighter than they already do.

Here's what we're going to do to combat the evils of holiday weight gain!

1) On December 1st, step on a scale: Yes, get on a scale. Write the number down. This is the number I want to see no matter what when January 1st rolls around. I'll be checking in on this number at least once a week so I'm aware if things start to creep up. (Weigh yourself every day if you want to, but don't get all obsessed about it.)

2) Exercise at least 30 minutes every single day: Whatever it is - yoga, Wii Fit workouts, a good walk, running, doing a workout DVD (the dreaded Jillian Michaels), doing workouts through cable on-demand, or through YouTube (these are some of my faves)-- I'm committing to at least 30 minutes a day. If I can do more, fine. If not, I feel no guilt.

***Notice I did NOT say "go to the gym". Nobody has time to go to the gym at the holidays. Workout at home!

***Schedule it! I'm putting exercise into my schedule just like any other appointment or meeting so I know when and what I'm doing. No getting to 11:30 and realizing I haven't exercised all day!

3) Write down what I eat: There's no forgetting the fact that I scarfed down half a piece of cheesecake if I write it down. Again, there's no need to obsess about this, but I know I eat healthier when I write down what I've eaten. Makes it easier to see if I'm eating fruits, veggies and drinking water -- or am I just eating sweets (my downfall!)


***So far, that's it. I like to keep things simple and straightforward. I'll keep you posted on my progress once a week.

I'm doing this because I hate the whole "lose the Holiday weight" thing that goes on in January. Instead, I like waking up feeling amazing on New Year's Day.

Want to join me?