Bea Loozer

This is my favorite time of the year — or at least it is as I write in early April. It’s time to party; to get together with friends before they start getting ready to leave for the summer. Or it’s time to start packing to leave. Personally, I love warm weather, so I prefer to stick around and use the pool to cool off.

How about you? What do you do in the fast-approaching summer to improve your health? I know lots of you walk your dogs in the wee hours of the morning; I see you out coaxing your dog to curtail the sniffing and actually walk around the lakes. I like to use a variety of lakes and am careful to pick up after my dog. I don’t want to give anyone a reason to say the people from Oakwood or Cottonwood or the snowbirds or whoever don’t pick up after their dogs.

Or do you play tennis or pickle ball? Lovely. And if you do, make that water bottle your best friend.

I’m also impressed with those who use local facilities to meet up and work out. Or maybe there’s a better term for work out. Anyway, they find ways to stretch and move together in a variety of ways.

Then there is the option of taking advantage of air conditioning. Let’s hear it for playing card games with friends or going to the movies. These activities might not lead to weight loss, but we all need a break. Besides, we need to support movies that appeal to seniors or the movie companies will stop making them. That’s my excuse for buying a movie ticket, and I’m sticking with it.

And don’t forget cooking. Using fresh ingredients to make a big pot of soup might heat the kitchen once, but leftovers can be good for days. We’re learning the benefits of avoiding processed foods and sugary sweeteners. So bring on the goodies from the farmer’s markets.

So have a good summer and jog, bike, or drive over to the Mirror Room of Sun Lakes Country Club on Saturday mornings for support, motivation, information and friendship. And remember, weigh-in is between 7:00-7:45 a.m. in the Mirror Room. The meeting starts after weigh-in next door in the Friendship Room. Contact Rita at 895-2559 for more information.