When the heat is on, it’s time to come out and play

I think I’ve found a new favorite season.

Fifty-plus pounds ago, I cringed at the word summer. It meant sweating, activity and revealing clothing.

Antarctica sounded more like the place for me. The fuzzier and bulkier the clothing, the better.

I wasn’t always a fan of freezing. When I was in high school, I used to tell my family I was going to move to Arizona and play softball.

Softball, I told anyone who’d listen, was no fun unless it was played in the blazing heat under the Arizona sun.

Then that outdoor-loving athlete turned into a hibernating lump.

I didn’t hibernate only in the winter. Instead of coming out of the warm cave I hid in those cold Minnesota months, I would stay inside all summer long.

Friends would urge me to go tubing on the Apple River or in nearby Welch. No way, I protested. What about a nice day at the beach or the pool?

I got real good at making excuses.

“I have a cold,” I’d lamely say.

Even lamer excuses included: My foot hurts. Nobody wants to see me in a bathing suit. I’m too fat.

I would wear long-sleeved shirts and pants all summer and feel sorry for myself. Maybe I’d break out a pair of capri pants if it got over 90 degrees.

No wonder I was soaked from head to toe by 10 a.m. No wonder I was the only person in the state secretly hoping for that almost impossible June snowstorm.

I was always worried that someone would notice the sweat forming on my brow when I was just standing there.

Any physical activity — which I knew would help me and I longed to participate in — was basically out of the question.

Shorts and a tank top? Really? That’s funny.

Being unhealthy and overweight made summertime unbearable for me. I was convinced I was an eyesore.

But I must have drawn more attention to myself wearing pants and sweatshirts than I would have in shorts and a T-shirt.

I see that now.

I’ve never been a shorts type of gal. I probably never will be.

But I think I’ll leave the hibernating to the bears.

My next weigh-in is June 2. You can check out my battle with the bulge at www.kimwojcik.com. The site includes video, pictures, blogs, tips and comments from people following my journey.

Tags: li estyle, cullen