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On "Sugar, Sugar," and bathing suits
Senior Moments
RichDeLong

One of my favorite songs of all time is the 1969 hit “Sugar, Sugar” by the Archies.  The song rose to # 1 on the billboard hot 100 list – knocking off the Rolling Stones from the top of the chart – and stayed there for four weeks.  Not bad for Saturday morning cartoon characters that never performed a live tour…because they were a cartoon band.
The lead singer of the Archies, Ron Dante (his given name was Carmine Granito), went on to a stellar music career; becoming Barry Manilow’s first producer, and at different times produced for both Cher and Pat Benatar.  He is also the lead voice in the Yoplait commercial song “Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie, Yellow Polka-dot Bikini”.  I knew I liked that song for some reason.
Speaking of Bikini’s, bathing suit season is fast approaching with July 4th just around the corner.  Every summer we (relatives, friends and loved ones) travel to the beautiful beaches of the Florida Emerald Coast for a week of family fun and relaxation.  It is truly my favorite time of the summer season and has been a family tradition for almost 30 years.  And now we are expecting our first great-grandchild of the family sometime in early February of next year.
I usually start dieting for this summer event sometime around April.  Even though we are all in our mid-fifties, my brother-in-laws are of a very competitive nature.  If I’m not in top form I will hear it.  Nobody likes getting sand kicked in their face on the beach volleyball court!
So what’s my advice for the perfect bathing suit body?  This year I tried something quite novel that is proving to yield some decent results.  It’s called the “eat less sugar and get more exercise” program.  Ok, so maybe it’s not so novel, but I have discovered a few tricks that have been working for me – maybe they can help you too.
First, if you are eating something and it tastes good, spit it out.  Research shows that food that tastes good usually has more calories.  Seriously though, I made a slight change to the beverages I like by adding more water to my glass to dilute the overall drink.  The result is fewer calories per serving and a pleasant but less-sweeter taste.  Plus, most juices are full of concentrated sugars which wreak havoc on blood glucose levels.  Sweet iced tea is another drink that can be watered down to taste for fewer calories.
Second, go the extra 10!  If you are not setting aside at least 30 minutes for exercise and fitness per day…start now.  Congratulations if you already have a routine.  To get even more out of your regimen without adding a lot more time or effort, add an extra 10 minutes of movement at the end of your fitness session.  It should be something totally different from what you just performed.  But the final result will be about an extra hour of training over the course of the week.  That’s an additional 50-plus hours of calorie-burning time per year.  
Third, drink more fluids and eat less food.  We really do eat too much.  Remember that two thirds of your bodyweight is water.  That should tell us something right there.   
It’s never too late to start.  It may not get you into that itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka-dot bikini, but you’ll feel and look better.  Summer’s here, enjoy!

Rich DeLong is the Executive Director of The Suites at Station Exchange.
Contact him at 912-531-7867 or visit him on the web at www.thesuitesatstationexchange.com


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