It doesn't seem possible but we are coming up to the final weigh in for our Use It and Lose It participants. That will be held on Wednesday, March 26 at 6 p.m. or Thursday, March 27 at 10 a.m. There are quite a few teams that are within pounds of each other as far as their weight loss so the winning team is up for grabs. The same goes for a couple of participants who have lost just about the same amount since they started. Can't wait to see who comes out ahead. We will be going right into a new session of Use It and Lose It starting April 2 and running until June 16. This particular program will have a bit of a spin to it as everyone who is a member and signs up will have to pay a fee of $3.

Each weigh in session after the first one, participants will have to pay $1 for each pound that they gain. Hopefully this will provide more incentive for people to lose weight. With the money that we charge, we will award the person who loses the most weight with a gift certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods. Each member of the team with the most weight loss will get a $25 credit toward future YMCA programs. Many people who took part in the first Use It and Lose It have told us that it really has helped them to stay focused on getting in shape and eating better. The last day to register for the next session of Use It and Lose It is Monday, March 31. The first weigh in and informational meeting will be on April 2 and teams will be made up by the following week. Sign up now and get yourself ready for summer and lots of acitivities.

The next super sports activity will be lacrosse and that begins on April 14. Mr. Jeff leads youngsters through a variety of training skills and makes it fun. This tends to be a very popular program, so be sure to sing your child up early.

Do you have a backyard pool? The Auburn YMCA is running a program for people who would like to have swim lessons in their own pool. Be sure to check with Nancy Wesselmann, our aquatics director about this. Nancy also has some great new ideas for swimming that will be coming up this spring and fall so be sure to check our website for all of the latest information on aquatics.

Now that spring is coming, the Auburn YMCA will be changing some of our hours. Effective April 6, our Sunday hours will be from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Right now, many of our youth are enjoying their days off from school and spending their time here at the Auburn YMCA. Lots of people are using the pool also and since swimming teams are winding down there is more free swimming available. If swimming isn't your thing, there are many other exercise opportunities to take advantage of. There is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament coming up in April. Check with Jeff Hanno to find our all of the details.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Don't eat too much and keep exercising!

Hansinger is the assistant fitness instructor for the YMCA