Are you an apple or a pear?

I suppose immediately after the holiday season isn't the best time to bring up the subject of waist and hip measurements.

Or maybe it's the ideal time, as those who have overindulged over the last month or so head to the gym in droves, at least until February or March. Most are probably going to be watching the numbers on a scale, but there are a couple of other numbers that are even more important to pay attention to.

You've probably heard that old saying that it's better to be pear-shaped than apple-shaped, but what does it really mean? It refers to the fact that excess body fat around the abdominal area has been shown to be a greater health risk than fat around the hips.

Studies have shown that people who carry a lot of excess abdominal fat (the apples) are at much greater risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other serious health problems than those who carry excess fat around the hips (the pears).

To perform a little reality check of your own, all you need is a tape measure, a mirror or an assistant to help you place the tape measure in the right places, and an online calculator, such as this one (it introduces yet another fruit analogy, the avocado, which is somewhere between pear and apple).

So go ahead, and don't be afraid. Calculating your waist-to-hip ratio is a useful tool to help you assess potential risks to your future health. There's no better time to do that than the present.

Happy New Year — every day!

I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions, although I have dabbled in them. I eventually swore them off after noticing an unsettling pattern involving both my resolutions and those of my friends.

Our resolutions always started off positively enough — we were going to get in better shape, eat better, do a better job of staying in touch with family and friends, etc. — and we for some reason saw the new year as the perfect time to commit ourselves to changing our ways.

Now don't get me wrong: I applaud anyone who is aware enough to realize that their life could probably be improved in some way. My problem with New Year's resolutions is not with the resolutions themselves, but with their timing.

I can remember sitting around in mid-December, contemplating the arrival of another new year, thinking about what I would like to change, starting when the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31. Why was I waiting? I could have just as easily started working on my resolutions on December 15 or 19, or even August 15. But I didn't. I waited for the new year.

Another thing I noticed was that once the new year had begun, should the effort to change whatever it was that I or my friends were working on falter, the resolution would be completely tossed aside. "Oh well, there's always next year," seemed to be the unspoken sentiment.

When it comes to bettering our lives, I don't see the relevance of the Gregorian calendar. If we instead regard a year as a period of 365 days, then every day is a new year, and a chance to accomplish our goals and realize our dreams.

So happy new year — today, tomorrow, and every day.

Trampling their fans' hopes

It's hard, as a New England Patriots fan, to express sympathy for Indianapolis Colts fans. After all, we haven't liked each other much over the years.

But after the Colts lost to the New York Jets on Sunday, I could understand the venom being spewed on the various Colts forums, although much of it was over the top, as it often is in such places.

The Colts were looking like they had a very good chance at tying the Patriots' record for an undefeated regular season (16-0) and then going on to win the Super Bowl, which the Patriots were unable to do after their stellar 2007 season.

Instead, on Sunday the Colts chose to pull some of their starters, including quarterback Peyton Manning, with 5:36 left to go in the third quarter, in what was up until then a close game. The Jets ended up winning, 29-15.

The coach's rationale was that he didn't want his key players to get injured before the playoffs in what was essentially a meaningless regular-season game. Try telling the Colts fans who had paid good money to watch a piece of history being made, or at least to watch a shot at history in the making, that the game was meaningless. I don't blame them for being angry. Now they are left to wonder what might have been, had Manning and the others who have made so many improbable comebacks before been left in the game.

At any elite level of sport, games and events should be played to win. Holding back goes against the spirit of sport.

Words to live by

Now that the gifts are opened and the stampede of store returns begins, perhaps it's time to put things in perspective.

I've always loved stories about people who triumph over the most impossible of odds, so the story of Helen Keller was one that always moved me. Sometimes the pressures and commercialism of this season overshadow the things that truly matter, like good health, family, friendships and love.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

Helen Keller

It's time to drink up!

No, I don't mean alcohol, even though it does seem to be the season for that sort of thing.

It's also the season for a friendly reminder about the importance of staying hydrated during winter activities.

Not surprisingly, it's much easier to keep proper hydration in mind when it's 90 degrees and we're sweating up a storm while playing tennis or going for a run than when we're skiing or snowshoeing in the subfreezing cold.

But body fluids can be lost during exercise in the cold just as easily as in the heat. You know those vaporous exhalations that are a trademark of winter breathing? That's water being lost. Cold weather also makes us urinate more frequently, promoting dehydration.

It's always a good idea to drink plenty of fluids, preferably water, before and during any vigorous cold-weather activity. Remember, if you wait until you feel thirsty to start drinking, it's too late — you're already dehydrated.

Cheers, and have a merry Christmas.

This snowwoman is not abominable

I know this puts me at odds with most of my friends and acquaintances, but I love snow. So I'm pretty excited that the National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for southern Rhode Island for late this afternoon and tonight.

Call me overly optimistic, but I'm dreaming of going out tomorrow and playing in the snow like a child again.

Now if I could just round up a few hundred friends, borrow some heavy equipment, and take a few days off from work, I might have a shot at challenging the residents of Bethel, Maine, who in 2008 built the world's tallest snowwoman. Olympia, as she was named, stood 122 feet, 1 inch tall and weighed an estimated 13 million pounds. She melted in July 2008, but her legacy lives on.

A treadmill tip

Now that the weather has turned cold, some of you regular walkers have probably resorted to using a treadmill, either at the gym or in your home.

That's all well and good, and you probably think it's pretty much the same thing as walking outdoors, minus the good scenery, right? But if that's the case, why do I see so many people at my gym grasping the bar at the front while walking on the treadmill?

When you walk naturally, your arms swing freely, right? And that's how it should be on the treadmill as well. Holding onto the bar at the front puts the body in a forward-leaning position that compromises proper body mechanics for walking.

Good posture and spinal alignment are important when walking, whether outdoors or on a treadmill. If you find you do not have the balance to walk on a treadmill without holding onto the bar, you might want to consider another vehicle for your aerobic exercise, such as a stationary bicycle.

As with all activities in the gym, good form is everything.