What a great summer it’s been. You couldn’t ask for better weather. Wonderful, sunny beach days with great ocean waves just right for boogie-boarding or surfing. It did get what you would call HOT for a week or two but you have to admit, we lucked out. The weather was ideal—certainly better than other parts of the country for sure. No tropical storms or hurricanes to worry about (so far). And along with our upcoming change in temperatures will come changes to our diets, workouts and way of life. What do I mean? Let’s start with your diet—a good place to start.

It will require a lot more willpower in the next couple of months. Warm or hot weather does affect our diets. We tend to eat less food but drink more. As long as we eat and drink the proper items, we should be okay. But along with the change in the weather, the lower temperatures tend to make us eat more. Our appetites increase with the fewer hours of sunlight each day. We tend to stay at home more often during colder temperatures and that usually leads to eating more, too. We tend to bake more and eat things we normally wouldn’t touch in the summertime. Watch how many of those commercials on TV will inspire you to bake a pie, cake or cookies. Tempting as they are, you shouldn’t go hog-wild and over indulge. All that work you put into your diet over spring and summer can be blown away by "giving in." You will be tempted by the upcoming holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas and New Years. They all seem to be working against you but hang in there. Tempting as it may be, you should not deny yourself "everything." "Everything" isn’t bad. When eaten in moderation, you can still stick to your diet all season.

There are chocolate chip cookies out there waiting for you; there is a huge Thanksgiving feast waiting for you—and Hanukkah or Christmas. Then there is a New Year’s celebration tugging at you to drink, drink and drink some more. You know what’s good for you and you know what’s bad. Use your common sense and stick to your guns (diet). Memorial Day is just around the corner!

OK, so we have the diet under control. So what about our workouts? Well, believe it or

not, they should change too. Because cooler weather tends to increase our appetite, we should be devoting a bit more time to our workouts in order to burn off those extra calories. Whether lifting weights or doing cardio routines, you need to be aware that seasonal changes can affect the body. Since we are no longer spending much of our free time on the beach, we will be spending it mostly indoors. This will tend to slow down our metabolism. To keep it up, work out a little more intensely, or add a new exercise or two to your workout regimen. Doing cardio? Instead of your usual 20 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, do 30 minutes. Don’t blow all that hard work you put into yourself by cutting back or missing workouts. A missed workout can’t be made up.

So now we’ve taken care of the diet and the physical aspect. What’s left? Well, how about your mental outlook. We humans tend to hibernate during the cold months. Our activities are cut back; we eat more, and may suffer from depression. Holidays are times that may affect people’s state of mind. For those who have a difficult time coping, consider seeing a physician. Also, try to surround yourself with a good support system which may include family and friends. Keep yourself busy.

Enjoy the holidays and the change of seasons. Although we are entering Rehoboth’s "Second Season," we can make it just as much fun as we did in summer. Hey, Love and Sundance aren’t really that far away, are they?