By Allie DeLay

You hear it in songs, see it on commercial ads, and read it in almost every greeting card that is sent to your house (you know the ones that wind up piled up on your coffee table, with pictures of distant relatives and their dogs, who you don’t actually know, but you still get a card like clockwork once a year, and you always ask your mom, and she rolls her eyes and asks you why you don’t remember her “friend from the neighborhood” and then you start wondering what that even means and well you get my point): It’s the holiday season, the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a time of celebration, a time to enjoy the company of those you love most and a time to make your new years reso…wait. Hold that thought.

Let’s get this straight. The holiday season is a time to kick back, relax, and indulge. In my family’s case it’s the time we spend catching up with one another, listening to stories of the  “good ole days” as my grandfather puts it, and watching football with the Christmas tree shining bright. It’s a time I look forward to most; when I can finally spend time with the special people in my life, who I don’t get to see very often. And like most people, it’s a time I spend eating.

Yes, that’s right, I said it, I eat. I sit back with a handful of Tostitos (or multiple) and my favorite dip EVER and I savor every last bite. I do this because I can, because a weekly routine of physical exercise allows me to do this. I let the holidays be what they are: a special occasion. And I don’t feel guilty for it.

That brings me back to what I was saying earlier: New Year’s Resolutions. What are those? For most people it means that for the first few weeks of January we promise ourselves we are going to make a change. We will eat lettuce, just lettuce, and a 100-calorie pack of crackers and go to the gym every single day. And… this works, sort of. For January, we do this. Then we don’t loose the 15 lbs we set out to loose and we quit — it happens year after year to all of us. Not just you. Not just me. But everyone.

Let’s try something really quick: I want you to imagine a world where you don’t create a New Year’s Resolution. This is a world where you work out and eat right all year round. It is a world where you don’t set that 15 lb deadline for yourself and the scale becomes a distant thing of the past. It’s a world where you work hard, eat right, and are confident.

You hear it all the time after the holidays, “I’m gonna start going to the gym and eating healthy.” Well, why not start now? Why put it off? What’s the point when you can put in the work today, so you can indulge tomorrow? The holidays are a time to be grateful for all that you have in your life. Start today and be grateful that you CAN enjoy every last chip, cookie, and candy-cane this holiday season.

This world is not an unattainable dream. It is not a fantasy I have just created on a whim. It’s possible and I promise it is worth every bit of hard work.

So do me a favor this Holiday Season. Stop with the New Year’s Resolutions and the weight loss goals. Change your life for good. Don’t wait until a month from now. Start today. Get to the gym and do it for you. Be thankful for all that you have this holiday season and love the skin your in.