“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy!” ( By George Gershwin, sung in this clip by Jill Scott and George Benson)

What is it about summer that makes you feel like you’re on a constant staycation?

You know, when the rules we create for ourselves on a normal everyday basis no longer apply. When you do things that aren’t necessarily “good for you”, but you justify them because it’s summertime?

Quick question- Since when did the unspoken rule that a person would could say  “I’m on vacation”, and  get a free pass for indulging in a few guilty pleasures, also start applying to the justification–“it’s summer?”

You’ve heard the excuse; you may have even used it. Maybe you don’t use the term summer. You may like to be a wee bit more specific, like…  “It’s hot outside.” “It was a BBQ.”  “The ice cream truck came by. What was I supposed to do, ignore it? That’d be rude.”

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that summer should definitely be ENJOYED! I like all aspects of summer, the sunshine, the summer concerts, and the trips to the beach. I like all of these things, almost as much as I love summertime food!

Oh, how I  love summertime! It brings back some great childhood memories, like dancing to this song.

My concern is that while the summer can be filled with endless opportunities to get out and enjoy life, it can also be packed with dangerous and common pitfalls that cause your summer vacation or staycation to end on a not so sunny note.

In fact for many people, particularly kids, the summertime may be the source of some drastic weight gain.  So over the next several weeks we are going to give you our Skinny Gene Guide to Surviving the Summer. You’ll learn how to get out and enjoy all that summertime has to offer!

Afterall, what happens during the summer should stay in the summer, not on your hips , thighs, booty or your belly!

A few upcoming topics in our series on Surviving the Summer blog posts may include:

•  How to Indulge in Summertime splurges: Having fun without adding the weight
• Tips for Surviving the Summer: How to avoid the pitfalls that lead to summertime weight gain
•  Healthy Home:  Why kids could gain up to 3x more weight during the summer. Learn how to keep your keep your kids healthy
•  Cookin’ up Summer Fun: Feel Free to indulge in some of these healthier recipes

So, don’t miss out. Follow our blog and be notified when these new posts have been added.