It is very hard to escape the news articles on the rising obesity problem throughout the world. Everywhere you turn there is new data about how many fat people we have in the world. It would seem everyone everywhere is trying to be healthier. Its been so front and center that I have had enough information to report on for the past three months at Fitness Village. I fully understand the dangers and problems that arise from obesity. However, does that mean that Santa Claus needs to thin down?

Recently Santa Claus has come under fire and pressure to thin down. I am not sure what diet or workout program Santa would use, but I am not sure I am buying the idea that we need a thinner Santa Claus.

As I drove my kids to school today, we heard on the radio that the new idea was to take away the cookies we would normally leave for Santa, and replace them with a carrot. My daughter who is in 7th grade said, "That is stupid. First Santa can't say Ho Ho Ho and now he is to fat." Then my son, in the same grade said, "I am sick of everyone trying to take everything away from us during the holidays."

Now I am all about loosing weight and getting fit. I am all about trying to live a healthy life. I mean that is why I started Fitness Village in the first place. But I am having a hard time with this attack on Santa Claus. Is it really necessary to make Santa Claus thin? Do we really need to embark on tradition for the sake of a fad or a fleeting idea?

I think this is a classic example of someone making a decision either under pressure or emotion. Could it be that this is something that has not been thought through? I mean after all we are Americans, creative and filled with inventive spirit. It would seem we would be creative enough to come up with better ways of promoting health and fitness during the Christmas Season, ugh excuse me, Holiday Season.

For example we could have the Elf Games or Holiday Olympics. We could create the reindeer race, or miss Claus breakfast bars. But no, the best idea we came up with was to take away the cookies, replace them with a carrot, and put Santa Claus on a treadmill.

I don't know about you, but if I worked my tail off to deliver toys all over the World and came into someone's house and found a carrot. I would be a little mad. Who knows, I might even leave you a clump of coal.

So I ask again, do we really need a thin Santa Claus?