It’s that time of year again! Once again, Passover has gone through my house and my life like a whirlwind, and now it is gone.

Last year I wrote for the first time about the effects of eight days of living on matzah, with eggs, cheese and fish as my prime protein sources. I probably ate more gluten in these eight days than in the entire year beforehand. I also indulged in a favourite vice from my childhood – matzah with butter and pink salt. At least it’s better than the margarine and white salt I used back in those dark days.

There’s no question that it was a lot of fun making matzah crack and other such things with my kids. We had relatives visiting, and I cooked lots of wonderful food. In fact, I seem to have spent the entire time reading Torah, cooking and eating, or sleeping.

The result – this year I definitely gained some weight, and there’s no question that I feel puffy, soft, tired, uncomfortable and sore (my digestive issues were definitely not improved by free access to macaroons).

When we had cleared the Passover dishes from the kitchen so we could eat chametz (non-Passover food) there again, the first thing I did was make myself a shake. It was probably a good approximation of what the children of Israel experienced when they first encountered manna in the desert, after being liberated from slavery. I could practically feel my body welcoming the good nutrition again.

So now my challenge is to get myself back into shape – between the nasty upper respiratory issues I had in February, and now Passover, I have some work to do. I’m going to put myself on a full 30-day program to get my nutrition back where it belongs, and I’m going to become a familiar face at the gym again. I’ve got my program and I know what to do, now it’s just a matter of taking action.

How about you, will you join me? As Pooh says, it’s so much friendlier with two (or more).

Let me know!