Plan to maintain rather than gain

With Christmas just a few days away, I have achieved a major accomplishment: I haven’t baked, created, or made a single Christmas candy or cookie.

The cookie cutters are still on the top shelf, untouched since last December. The peanuts are still waiting to be turned into peanut brittle. And the Hershey kisses are only unwrapped to be eaten immediately instead of topping the peanut butter cookie.

But that’s not to say I haven’t had my fair share of Christmas cookies and candies this holiday season already.

Despite not getting to the holiday baking yet this year, gift packages of fudge and frosted sugar cookies have arrived on a regular basis.

Trays of green, white and red confectionaries are available at every gathering for four weeks straight.

And who can pass up the plate of goodies in the break room at the office?

Which makes it all that much harder to stay competitive with my friends, who have placed a wager among ourselves to “maintain, not gain” over the holidays.

They each entrusted me with a small wager to see who could get through Christmas and New Year’s without the nearly-mandatory holiday weight gain.

We didn’t even try to fool ourselves that we would lose weight during December. Maybe some people have that willpower, but we just wanted to lessen the casualties of the season.

It’s pretty simple: We must weigh the same (give or take one pound) or less on Jan. 3.

Those who can achieve that goal get their money back.

Those who fail lose their money and it is divided among the winners.

I will admit that if I had to weigh in today, my friends would be splitting my contribution.

But there is still time to get back to the initial weight with a few more miles on the treadmill and a few less pieces of chocolate-covered toffee.

While I am trying to stave off the winter weight-gain, others are joyfully enjoying each and every Christmas cookie, knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the YMCA’ Lighten Up Team Challenge.

There is still time to sign up for the 2018 Lighten Up program. Registrations will be accepted through Saturday, Dec. 30.

You can sign up as a team, with up to 15 team members, or individually, where you will be placed on a team to do the weekly team workouts over the next three months.

The initial weigh-ins and fitness assessments will be the week of Jan. 2, 2018. The challenge kicks off Sunday, Jan. 7, with an all-team group workout.

The YMCA gym will be filled wall-to-wall with people moving and jumping and, for those who haven’t moved this much in a long time, grabbing the person next them to keep from passing out. It is a sight to behold - that many people doing burpees and planks in unison - as people begin what will hopefully become a lifestyle change and a lifelong journey.

The cost is $50 to join Lighten Up, which just coincidentally is the same cost as the YMCA’s joiner fee which is being waved during all of December for new members. So it is the perfect opportunity to join the YMCA without the joiner fee and apply those savings to joining the Lighten Up challenge.

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With the upcoming holidays, the YMCA will have a few changes to the facility’s schedule.

The YMCA will be open regular hours through Saturday, Dec. 23, but will be closed Sunday on Christmas Eve as well as Monday for Christmas. Regular hours will resume Tuesday, Jan. 26, opening at 5 a.m.

The entire YMCA wishes everyone a safe and Merry Christmas.