Winter is officially over, Spring is here, and Summer is on the way.

If you're going to get in shape by the time it gets here, now is a good time to start.

Here's the problem: you want to look good on the beach, but you've spent the last six months covered up and shivering and eating more than usual. You've put on some winter fat, which is a good thing, because it kept you warm. But now you want to be rid of it so you look great in a swimsuit. So what's the solution?

- You could crash diet, and hit the beach looking like a famine victim and feeling like death warmed over.

- You could take some supplements that suppress your appetite and hit the beach looking like a speed freak.

- You could take some fat blockers and hit the beach looking for the nearest lavatory.

Or you could get a plan and work it.

As it so happens, I do have such a plan right here. Free. Gratis. And what's more, very effective, not in the least unhealthy, and guaranteed to get you in good shape in time to hit the beach. If you're interested, keep tuning in. There are no hidden costs, no sign-up, and no hard sell. Just great advice and sneaky tips that will help you get in good shape.

GET BEACH READY HERE.

Let's start with an honest assessment of the problem. Don't bother with the scales; I don't care how much you weigh, and neither should you.Take off your clothes and check yourself out in a full length mirror. Turn all the way around and take your time. Don't - and I can't stress this enough - don't get too critical of your body. It's done a great job of getting you around up until now. Anything you don't like about your body is never a reason to hate it or yourself.

You probably don't have a personal trainer or a dietician on staff, which is why you may not look like a movie star. You do have a job which means you don't have time to work out every day in the superbly equipped private gym that you also probably don't have. In short, you're just like the rest of us; maybe a little out of shape. That can be fixed.

A simple rule is this: if you can grab a handful of fat anywhere, you could probably lose a few pounds. The good news is, it's easier than you think. Whatever the extent of your excess fat, decide now exactly how you
want to look when you're shut of it. Don't worry about how you're going to do that - that's not your problem, it's mine. Just decide what constitutes success in the way you look, and then you'll have a target to aim for.

If it helps, find a photograph that will help you keep your aim in mind. It could be a photograph of you at your svelte best, or it could be a picture of someone you want to look like, but take note: if your target picture is of a statuesque six foot blonde goddess, and you're five foot two and chubby, you're setting yourself up to fail. Get real. Set a target you can hit.

That is part one of the process. Take your time, and take it seriously - you deserve that much. And when you've done that, part two is simply to decide how long you've got to get in shape. When are you going on holiday? June? July? Whenever it is, mark the date on your calendar and count how many weeks you've got until then, starting from today. Now divide that block of time into three equal parts. So for example, if your holiday date is 12 weeks from now, divide that twelve weeks into three equal blocks of four weeks.

With me so far? I'm keeping it simple. I have to, because I'm not very bright.

BLOCK ONE: Pre-game. You can start doing light cardio workouts, which sounds impressive but is in fact nothing more than making sure you go for a twenty minute walk every day. Get a little bit out of breath and sweaty, cool down with some stretches, job done. But you must do it every day. Rain or shine. Whether you feel like it or not.

And while you're doing that, think about your problem areas and plan your strategy around them. Flabby arms, the dreaded bingo wings? There are resistance exercises that can fix that, and I'll tell you all about them soon. Chunky thighs? Ditto. I don't want to give the impression that your body is just a bunch of problem areas, each one with its own exercise fix, but you'll find that some areas respond well to some exercises. It's better to concentrate on the whole body with a group of five whole body exercises I'll tell you about in the last section, but for now, let's concentrate on finding out exactly what your problems are.

Here and now is also a great time to identify non-fat related necessary fixes. Your skin has been under cover in dry, artificially heated rooms for six months. Time to fix the dry spots. Moisturize and sand down the rough spots. And now is when you decide - to tan, or not to tan?

Tans look great. Until you hit forty, when white women who tan regularly begin to resemble an orange leather handbag. Here's a one word reason why you should use sunblock and maybe not tan at all: melanoma. Spoilt your day? Sorry, but that's better than dying young while looking ironically radiant and healthy.

If you must look brown, consider a spray tan. Which requires that your skin be even and moisturized and cared for. So in addition to your light cardio and problem area finding, start an intensive skin care regime now. From the outside, using moisturizer. From the inside, making sure you eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and replace unhealthy fats in your diet with olive oil and oily fish. Start to cut back on alcohol too. It dries your skin out.

This is pretty much it for the first part of the plan.
To recap:
- Start doing some light cardio every day.
- Take the naked mirror of truth test and find out what needs fixing.
- Set a target. Don't make it a number, make it the way you want to look and feel.
- Start the skin care regime now. Today.

Tune in later for parts two and three.