The holidays have come and gone. This year, they felt exceptionally speedy - even though I could have sworn that I saw an in-store holiday promotion two days after Halloween. Which, effectively, makes it a holiday quarter versus a holiday season (not sure why I'm the only one who seems to notice this).

In my holiday quarter, I found myself stuffing my face with sweets - usually the kind that arrived by mail from a friend or colleague. And on top of that, December is holiday party time, where I had more of my share of obligatory toasts and drinking parties to celebrate the birth of Christ, the miracle of Jews shvitzing in the desert, and the end of a decade. Which all translates to gaining about 50 pounds in the last six weeks. Unbelievable.

So part of my problem now that the new year is here, is getting back into the healthy swing of things. I know most people's new year's resolution is about getting in shape, losing weight, eating healthier, blah blah blah. It feels cliche to say that about my resolution, so I figured I'd use the month of January to "ease back into things". My real problem is that when you have creaky joints like I do, jumping back onto the elliptical trainer after taking 5 or 6 (or 8) weeks off isn't as easy as it might be for someone who doesn't have arthritis.

So here I come to the very edge of reason (and my resolution): making excuses for myself. Arthritis isn't an acceptable excuse for not working out. It's the very reason to do just the opposite. Time to get myself in gear!