It’s that time of year again – time to do our spring cleaning. I suggest that here we are talking about more than our house – though that’s nice to do as well. Spring is a time of renewal, a time to organize and order, a time to review everything from fitness goals and nutritional plans to budgets and vacations. It’s a time to pick and choose, eliminate and supplement, take stock and plan ahead, and perhaps most importantly, to embrace change, prioritize and balance.

         This is all personal stuff. Only we know what we want most out of our training and out of our lives. Somewhere deep inside of each of us is the flame of passion. That flame should be protected as carefully as a Faberge egg or the Olympic torch. It is both fragile and fierce. It is alive and must remain so or we will shrivel up and die.

         When we spring clean we must do so without disturbing that flame. As each year passes, we define our goals differently. We have more or less to assess. With practice we develop the skills necessary to review, reevaluate and reorganized. To these we add others: refuel, recover and regenerate. Can you apply these concepts to your training, to your fitness, to your recreation, to your passion?

         When planning our training and slotting it into our daily and weekly schedules, we often find we have limited time. Considering training options, intensity, duration, etc. (Don’t forget time to recover, regenerate and renew.) Take whatever time we can and MAKE THE MOST OF IT.

         Spring clean. Make a bucket list, if you will. Strategize. Allocate. Practice. Honor stillness as well as action. Embrace hopes, dreams and passions. Consider ways to grow, connect, thrive. Eliminate what does not work and try something new. Spring clean thoroughly and effectively, with head and heart.