Swimsuit season looms - are you ready?

Have you looked at this year's swimsuits? Boy, are you in for a surprise! Not only do the suits come in two pieces, they cost the same amount for each piece as a one-piece.

The really big problem you'll face, not counting the cost of the suit, is the fact that your belly is going to show when you wear it. I'm convinced the swimsuit designers are teenagers.

I know a lot of great-looking waistlines are out there, but honestly, where are the suits for the ones who don't measure up? And I'm not only talking about women, either. Time has been just as unfair to the male sex.

Well, if you plan on showing your belly off this summer, you better get started on it right now. Just because it's snowing and the ski slopes are still open doesn't mean you can't work out the wrinkles in your middle while you wait for summer. Maybe you could work on a few of your fat-storage areas while you're at it.

There's no easy way out. It takes a lot fewer calories and a lot more exercise to get into a swimsuit than it does to get into your ski outfit.

I know, you'll say that you can't lose weight, but if you didn't eat for a week, you would lose, so cut those calories.

Take a quick look at yourself in the bedroom mirror and convince yourself that the time has come for renovation.

The big plus when you exercise and cut calories is the tightening up of all that loose skin and muscle around your middle.

You have time right now to work that waistline back into its original shape. It means lots of abdominal exercise, lots of water and a lot fewer calories.

You have three months before someone will demand your presence at a swimming pool, even if it's only to watch the kids while they swim.

You could wear a big T-shirt over everything, but how tacky is that?

Take the challenge and start those 50 to 100 abdominal crunches every day.

Take at least 200 calories out of your daily diet, and cut out the soda pop. Diet pills, diet drinks and diet meals won't work; you have to do your renovation the hard way. Sure, it's hard, and it cuts down on your daily pleasure trips to the refrigerator. But heck, you may end up with the best-looking belly on the beach - that is, if you can afford both the pieces of your new swimsuit.

n Jerry Vance is owner of The Sweat Shop/Wet Sweat. She offers classes through Carson City Recreation and Aquatics Center and is a fitness instructor for the Senior Center.