Beating the Post-Holiday Poundage!

Ok, we're well into the New Year, and the ink has barely dried on your newly formed list of New Year's resolutions. Before that list gets crumpled and disappears into the bowels of your couch, there's no time like the present to start putting plans into action. Number one on your list..Lose weight. Put down the Starbucks with extra cream, toss out the greasy bagged carbs in your cupboard, put down the game controller and put your sneakers time, it's time to move your over-sized behind.

There are millions of diets, weight-loss plans, exercise contraptions, specialist gyms, personal trainers and pills that all furiously fund the trillion dollar weight-loss industry. C'mon girls, you don't honestly think that "Shape-Up's" are going to give you a finer derriere do you? Some say yes, most say no. I know this may come as a shock to you, but the only thing that is going to re-shape your figure is you, sweating it out, moving your body in a way that burns a lot of calories, not a quick jaunt to the corner store in a pair of funny looking shoes!

We'd all like to take a magic potion and materialize into the size that we want, but genetics and general human biology requires us to put our bodies to work. What many of us forget, is the fundamentals! Without them, all of your hard efforts could be dashed by a series of bad habits. So before you drop oodles of cash on a personal trainer, or a fancy new Lululemon outfit, make sure you've got the basics down.

1) Drink Water. How many times do we have to tell you to drink water. Your mother says it. Your bestie says it. Your DOCTOR says. Trust me, there is some truth to this tale. Water helps oxygenate the body, it lubricates, it cleanses, and a lack of it causes a whole host of health problems.

2) SLEEP. Take a look at your cat, he's got the right idea. If only we could lounge around the house, snoozing 18 hours a day. Get your 8, uninterrupted hours, or forget getting exceptional results. If your muscles don't have sufficient time to heal and re-oxygenate, you risk injuring yourself, and you won't be burning calories at the highest possible rate.

3) Change your habits. Get up, off your butt, grab a trash bag and toss everything in your cupboards that A) has a list of ingredients that you can't pronounce and B) is high in sugar, fats or carbohydrates. This includes your secret chocolate stash. Purge it, your muffin top will thank you later, trust me! If you usually pass a McDonalds or a Wendy's on the way home from work, take a different route. Why torture yourself. Out of sight, out of mind, eventually.

4) Don't shop for a bigger size! This may sound a bit extreme, but going out to shop for clothes that are a size or two bigger just encourages you to stay the weight that you are. If your doctor has said to you it's time to lose some pounds, clearly it's time to get to work, not time to reward yourself with a shopping spree. We're not all meant to be a size 4, but c'mon ladies, you know when you're tipping the scales. Get yourself on a manageable diet and exercise regime and when the inches are gone, then reward yourself  with a sexy little something.

Rally the Troops. Look, you may have a bunch of size 0's running around your family, but unless they're Olympic athletes up at the crack of dawn pouring the heart out onto the pavement every morning, everyone can do with more exercise. So recruit them to work out with you. Good health is everyone's business. So make weight loss a family affair. No family close by? Approach your friends, colleagues even, and tell them your plan. You might be surprised at how willing people are to help someone lose weight who is committed and passionate about their health. Not only will you gain a support system, but you become an inspiration to those around you!