Eating Grandma's cookies and desserts almost becomes a second job. Add in a few X-mas parties and pretty soon you are saying to yourself that your favorite pair of jeans somehow shrunk.



But being overweight can lead to a lot more serious consequences besides a pair of jeans that somehow "shrunk." Adding a few extra pounds can lead to back pain and even more serious problems like heart and liver disease and diabetes just to name a few.

But how can you accurately tell if your are overweight? One of the ways to determine if you are overweight is by calculating your body mass index or (BMI). Your body mass index is a value indicative of your body's fat content. In order to calculate your BMI you need to divide your weight by the square of your height. If you google "BMI calculator" you should have no problem determining your Body Mass Index.

A BMI of anything greater than 25 might mean you are overweight. I say "might" because this calculator does not take into account bone or muscle mass which increases the BMI. For instance, I'm 6 feet tall and 192 pounds. My BMI is about 26 which seems to indicate that I'm overweight. Now, I admit I could probably lose a couple pounds but I'm not overweight.

Now, if you don't carry a lot of muscle mass or if you aren't big boned, then you can probably use the BMI calculator as a close to accurate indicator of being overweight or obese.

There was a time when I, myself, was overweight. I actually weighed over 200 pounds. I know for a fact that my back pain was the result of not exercising and eating a lot of junk food.

As I changed my lifestyle and began eating healthier and exercising regularly, I began to lose weight. Once this happened I noticed that my back pain diminished in frequency and intensity.

But what are some things you can do to lose weight especially during the festive holiday season? Or should the real question be...

How can YOU GET MOTIVATED to lose weight?

Motivation must come from inside you. One of the ways to stir up motivation inside you is to get a better understanding of all the benefits regular exercise and sound nutrition have to offer you.

For instance, you may already tell yourself to eat right and exercise to lose weight. But instead, what if you say to yourself "I have to eat right and exercise regularly to..."

1. Lose weight

2. End my back pain

3. Strengthen my heart

4. Reduce fat in my arteries

5. Keep my liver and kidneys healthy

6. Decrease my chances of Diabetes

7. Decrease my chances of getting Cancer

8. Live longer to enjoy my grandchildren

9. Feel physically and mentally stronger

10.Impress my friends and family

11.Feel great about myself

12.And on and on and on...

The more benefits you can think of for yourself personally, besides just "losing weight," the more motivated you can become to actually do something about it.

My main motivation for going to the gym is not losing weight or building muscle. It is ending my back pain and staying healthy. And you know what...I've gone to the gym now enough that I actually enjoy it. In fact, I love it. I bet you will too.

But being motivated is not enough. It does require a REAL SOLID commitment to take action. I'm talking about eating carrot sticks instead of potato chips and going to the gym instead of lying on the couch watching your favorite movie. Those aren't exactly huge sacrifices for a lot of us but they are sacrifices and they do involve change which most human beings naturally resist.

Once you change over to healthy lifestyle, you simply must fight the temptation to quit because it is new to you or uncomfortable at first. The more you live a health conscious lifestyle the easier it will get and the more lasting benefits (like the ones numbered above) you will see and experience in your life.

So this year enjoy yourself but make an effort not to overeat Grandma's cookies. Make some time for a workout or even just a walk on a treadmill. The important thing is to stay active. Get motivated and enjoy all the healthy benefits of trimming down this holiday season. Your back will appreciate it and so will your favorite pair of jeans.