teddy bear 2

Let me guess, you were probably not long out of high school when this one was taken .

Granted - no - no one can ever go back, but at the same time, many people reach a physical peak during their senior year of high school not just because they're young but because they have had gym class nearly every day for over a decade, and then they just stop. Maybe what you need is a return to gym class.

Whatever you do, be careful around the matter of dieting. We carry fat for a reason - especially those of us with a northern european heritage - it's a safety precaution against famine. Unlike southern europe where the growing season is much longer and food could be generated nearly year round, northern europe had to plan for a shortage of food every springtime and for a long time depended on the fat that could be gathered every autumn (hence halloween and thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, etc). Even though we now have more than enough food for everytime of the year, the old agricultural system is still with us, literally ingrained in the human subconscious. So - by my theory - if you try to lose weight by starving yourself at the wrong time of year (autumn as opposed to spring) you will set off a stress reaction which will send your appetite into overdrive and the diet will fail. Even at the right time of the year, it may still set off a stress reaction and even cause you to gain weight instead of lose it.

In the end (and wow, I have rambled a bit haven't I?) it's just a matter of eating right and exercise. And avoiding stress - not enough can be said about that.