I have been a personal trainer for almost twenty years and I’m still amazed by the way people suddenly freak out about their bodies every year with the coming of spring.  It’s almost as if they just noticed that their arms jiggled a little here and their thighs wiggled a bit there.  I often ask my folks “Where was your head all winter?”.  The response differs from client to client, but for the most part, I’ll tell you where their heads were; face down in a plate full of bad decisions.  Too much holiday, not enough One-A-Day.  Balance is the key to everything.  Everyone knows that, right?  Yet for some reason it’s a huge surprise when, after all that partying (and you know that you had a good old time), that bathing suit that was breaking hearts on the vineyard last summer will pop a stitch if you try to put it on this weekend.  A little too much cake and pie.  Way too much of Miss Mattie’s macaroni & cheese.  Relax.  It’s not a huge deal to get yourself back to that beach-worthy bod and you can be well on your way by this summer if you start now.

1.)  Start by deciding exactly what personal fitness looks like to you.  Detail it as much as possible.  You may just want to drop a few inches or you may simply want to be able to play with your kids without having to go to the emergency room.  Your personal goals are perfect.  Just figure out clearly what you want to achieve.  Write it down in detail and memorize it.

2.)  Start moving and doing some kind of exercise.  Any activity that appeals to you from aerobics to tai-chi is fine.  The combination of your new resolution (see number 1) and the expertise and encouragement of a teacher will help keep your program on track.  Inline skating is one of my personal favorites because you burn a ton of calories while using large muscles and toning them.  Brisk walking for an extended period can have a powerful effect on your program.  Whatever you decide, it helps to have guidance, especially in the beginning of a fitness program.  Classes are good because they offer a group of encouragement dynamic.  One on one training is great because you can pay greater personal attention to your individual needs.  Of course, you should if you haven’t in a while, see your doctor for a routine check-up before beginning any fitness program.

3.)  Take advantage of ordinary everyday activities.  Right now, stand up and sit down five times.  Did you help yourself up with your hands?  Try not to.  Do you have to travel fewer than fifteen blocks?  Plan a little extra time and walk.  If you can, make a morning trip and an evening trip.  Standing burns more calories than sitting.

4.)  A diet of fruit, vegetables and grains with meat only as a compliment is a good place to start.  Substitute lightly sweetened herbal tea for late night or midday snacks.  Get over the “late night chewing” syndrome.  Drink at least a half gallon of water a day.  Cruciferous vegetables like kale and broccoli are higher in calcium per gram than milk and milk products.  Milk causes abdominal bloating in many adults and, in addition to that, milk is for baby cows to drink in order to grow up big, healthy cows.  Limit dairy.  Don’t go to sleep with a stomach full of food.  Separate your chewing and snoozing by at least two hours.

5.)  Avoid the scale at first because as you exercise you will start exchanging fat for muscles and muscle weighs more than fat.  It’s the way your suit fits that counts.  Your tailor never weighs you to make your choices.

Michael Sullivan, a local personal fitness trainer, owns Hudson Valley Muscles.  He can be reached at (845) 541-0371.