by Laura Strebel

Created on: October 14, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2008

There is something in the human spirit that comes alive with spring. Maybe it's the earlier light of the day, maybe it's the sweet smell of new growth and maybe it's hormones. We get an urge to clean or walk or search for yard sales but there is a distinct difference in the air.

We go to the closet or the drawer and find that cute suit that we bought on the end-of-season sale last fall and decide to try it on. We notice, before the pants are half way up, that we don't remember this being so difficult last fall. Check the label, quick! Did someone switch size labels when we weren't looking? Or perhaps there's a warning tag that shrinkage may occur when it just sits, unused, in a drawer. The manufacturer does have to provide warning labels, don't they? Now, to do something that will reverse the ravages of winter...

Make a list of the things you would like to accomplish this spring like cleaning the rain gutters; fertilizing the lawn; tilling the garden spot; shrinking the butt. Find a picture of the body you would like yours to look like and stick it to the fridge, preferably with one of those cute pig magnets you bought at the last yard sale. And remember, none of us can go from where we are to that of a nineteen year old model without suffering serious health effects. The major one being the guilt at not having picked better looking parents to begin with and what your mother will do to you if you admit that thought.

Set a schedule that is comfortable and regular, maybe on a wall calendar, then staple a map to the gym in clear view. Knowing how close the gym really is will help you accept the fact that you're making an excuse that doesn't hold any more water than when you tried the diuretic diet. One meal and glass of water and you've undone all those trips to the bathroom. The only redeeming quality was that you got some exercise in taking those short walks.

Find a gym suit that fits your winter form so that you are comfortable until the one you want to wear fits properly, dig out the shoes and check for wear and fit. Yes, the shoes can shrink just like the cute exercise suit only not quite so dramatically. If you need new shoes, remember that a short walk is better than none. Park at the far side of the parking lot, pretend that you're going to walk to the gym. Breathe deeply as you're walking and take in the fresh spring air. By the time you get into the store, you will be able to think clearly and remember that you need socks, too.

When you get back to your car, carefully place the bag with your new purchase in a convenient place, like behind the drivers seat so that you are reminded each time you get into the car, what you must do. "I forgot my shoes!" will no longer be a part of your vocabulary.

I did say "necessary" exercise, didn't I? Remember the reading on the scale? How about the picture on the fridge? The map of how close it really is even if you get sidetracked at the yard sale down the street? And you're ready to meet this new challenge. The grass will grow, the trees will leaf and you too can blossom like the flowers. All you have to do is do it. The cute exercise suit will fit again, honest.

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