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I just came across an article that talks about Santa's "obesity problem." The health experts interviewed say that Santa needs to better use his public image to promote healthy living. They suggest that Santa should "lose his belly fat (the most dangerous kind), to eat carrots instead of energy-dense cookies and to don a helmet while participating in 'extreme sports such as roof surfing and chimney jumping.'" They even scoff at him for promoting "unsafe air travel."

Seriously? What has this world come to? I'm a huge advocate of being fit, obviously, but there comes a point when people need to take responsibility for their own health. I highly doubt that people are looking at Santa—who comes around just once a year, mind you!—and saying, "Well, if Santa's fat, then I can be too!"

This brings up the issue of celebrity role models as a whole. I agree that those in the spotlight should take care of themselves as best as they're able to, but so should the rest of us. It's one thing to view a celebrity as an example of what to do (or not do), but it's quite another to rely on them to dictate what we all know we should be doing in the first place.

I'm just tired of people making excuses for being unhealthy and unfit, and health experts like the ones in this article are only encouraging that blame-it-on-the-other-guy mentality.

Lastly, Santa's bowl-full-of-jelly belly signifies more than the fact that he's had too many candy canes. It's what identifies him at this nostalgic time of year. When children see an image of Santa, it brings them feelings of joy, not the urge to overeat. If we're going to pick on a celebrity for being a bad example, let's look to the likes of Tiger Woods, and leave poor Santa alone.

Putting together a health magazine is fun but challenging. Not only do we have to stay up-to-date on the latest health trends, but we also need to be aware of what our readers—right here in Northwest Indiana—want from a local health mag.

My art director and I are in a constant debate about the photos in Get Healthy. If we're doing a story about, say, arm jiggle, the art director (AD) will run a photo of a woman with arm jiggle. That makes sense, but I would rather run a photo of a woman with a toned, muscular arm, so that the reader has something to aspire to. AD says that the arm-jiggle photo is more realistic, and therefore something the reader can relate to.

I see his point, but I personally don't want to see arm jiggle. I want to see some amazing triceps. Such a photo might make me feel bad about myself at first because my arms don't even come close to looking like that, but I guarantee I'm going to read the article to find out how to GET arms like that. The beauty of health magazines—as opposed to fashion mags—is they tell you HOW to look like the model in the photo (and without having to spend $700 on a Fendi bag). There is a possibility of hope that comes with a health article.

AD says that using photos of pretty people is just as bad as photoshopping a model on the cover. It's unrealistic and therefore unfair to the reader. He makes a good point, and I honestly don't know which one of us is accurately representing our readers.

What do you think? When reading an article about fitness or weight loss, would you rather see a photo of a person who looks like you, or one who looks like the person you aspire to be? It's okay if you don't agree with me; I'm looking for your honest-to-goodness opinion!