This is the summer I want to ... what? Name your heart's desire. Learn Spanish? (Good for the brain.) Run a 5k? (Great for the body.) Meditate for 15 minutes a day? (Marvelous for equanimity and everything else.)

You know my theory: When the seasons change, so can we. In summer especially, we tend to take more time for ourselves, play more and have more fun, and maybe, if we're ready, we open our hearts and minds to new habits and attitudes that will make our lives richer, riper and more satisfying.

I've listed seven. Find a few that speak to you, and make them happen. Small changes bring big rewards. Who said that? I did, I do, I will, over and over:

1. START WITH A SMART BREAKFAST. Skipping breakfast is the worst way in the world to lose weight, next to pills and diets. Your body goes into starvation mode, and later in the day, you wonder how all those candy bar wrappers got into your car. This summer, rethink your morning routine. Start your day with a tasty, energizing meal: fresh fruit smoothies, granola and blueberries, yogurt and peaches, scrambled eggs and feta. Watch the sugar, and lower the fat, and if your breakfast still includes cola drinks and jelly doughnuts, go sit in an air-conditioned corner and read "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan.

2. WALK OR BIKE. Figure out ways to drive your car less this summer. Good for the planet, great for the heart. Take a bus toward your final

destination ... and walk the rest of the way. Or ride your bike to work, to shop, to school. It takes planning and courage and a good helmet, but you can do it, if you want to. If you don't, stop complaining about how tight your jeans are.

3. PLANT YOURSELF AT THE FARMER'S MARKET. Good food is real food, the kind your local farmers bring to market. Tomatoes, corn, beans, melons, plums and peaches — whatever is fresh and local is what you want to eat this summer. Processed food — the fake foods that come wrapped in plastic, or packaged in bags — aren't exactly poison, but it's good to think of them that way because they are toxic and they will gunk up your system.

4. MEATLESS MONDAYS. This summer, join the trend to reduce the amount of meat in your diet. A Monday without burgers or franks means you enjoy forms of protein that aren't tainted with hormones or antibiotics: home-cooked white beans sprinkled with Parmesan or spinach pasta mixed with pine nuts and baby tomatoes. Once you get the hang of meatless Mondays, you can move on to Farmer's Market Fridays, when you sustain yourself with fresh foods and vegetables bought locally and cooked in your own kitchen.

5. GO NATURAL. Now's the perfect time to venture outdoors and experience what's so healing about spending time in nature. Go camping, hike in the woods, paddle a canoe, catch-and-release a fish, or just sit under a tree and read Rumi. It's not what you do, it's where you are and what happens when you're there. Slow down. Listen. Breathe. Time in nature is transformative. You won't know how or why until you're out of range of a cell phone signal.

6. DO UNTO OTHERS. Doing good and feeling well go hand in hand. Spend some time this summer helping others. Donate time or money to a charity run, or volunteer at a shelter, or find a family that needs some groceries to get them through the week. Suffering is all around us. When you pitch in, you experience joy. It's what gratitude feels like.

7. LEARN SOMETHING NEW. Use these long summer days and delicious nights to sprout new synapses. We now know our brains thrive on new patterns, new connections, new ways of thinking and doing. Learn to play tennis. Study chess. Take your first tango lesson. Summer is made for new adventures. Decide today; sign up tomorrow!

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! A PEACH OF A SEASON

"Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet." — Bob Marley

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com.