This weekend is it. Spring cleaning time. Don’t groan and stop reading – it’s a perfect opportunity.

Sure, it’s an opportunity to get rid of things you no longer want or need, but this is thinking about ‘stuff’ that’s lying around or cluttering your household. Instead, think about your spring cleaning as an opportunity to pave the way for goals you’d like to achieve.

The most obvious place to start is your pantry. Evaluate its contents and decide which foods help and which hinder your weight loss goals. What could/should you give away so that the temptation is removed?

Chips, biscuits, chocolates and lollies are all foods which add little nutrition and are exceptionally easy to overeat. They’re deliberately manufactured this way, of course, as the more you eat the more profit the manufacturer makes. Of course, the more of these that you eat, the more your waistline measures.

Bottles of sauce and packets of pasta may make evening meals a breeze, but have you checked the ingredients. Most bottled sauces are full of sugar, making them taste good but do little for your weight loss goals.

Next stop in your spring cleaning tasks is the fridge. Soft drinks, juices, flavoured yoghurts should all go. If in doubt, read the labels and be on the lookout for more sugar. Once these are removed, if your fridge is looking a bit empty it’s a clear sign that you (and your family) were consuming too much of these items.

Your kitchen appliances might need to be reviewed. Do you have a toaster, juicer, sandwich maker and the like? If you’re serious about losing weight, you won’t be using these. Donate them to a charity, or at the very least store them in the garage.

Move out of the kitchen and into your bedroom. Spring clean your socks and underwear drawers. Toss out (or mend?) socks with holes, stretched undies, and bras with floppy straps. You need to be comfortable when getting active, and getting active is necessary for health and wellness.

Look at your exercise clothing. Baggy T-shirts, pants with missing drawstrings, and pilled and faded clothing doesn’t inspire a fun active session. Toss out the old. If you’ve got plenty of newer clothing, that’s great. If not, it might be time to hit the shops. Feeling comfortable is essential when establishing a regular exercise routine.

It’s spring: rotate your mattress. It might also be time to put some summer-weight sheets on the bed, or evaluate your block-out curtains. Create a sleep haven so that entering your bedroom is soothing and encourages relaxation. Sleep is often ignored but it’s an essential part of weight loss and, let’s face it, good health.

Next, have a look at how your lounge-room is set up. Is the focus totally on the TV? Is the remote control in perfect reach? If so, you might want to make some changes.

There’s nothing wrong with watching TV, of course, but many people spend many hours each evening in front of it. Something as simple as turning a chair a little and setting up a reading light with a little table and a coaster for a cup of tea might mean you’re more inclined to read a book or do some craftwork. The relaxation from these tasks is often better than simply veging out in front of the TV, and relaxation is an important for stress management and preparing for quality sleep.

Spring cleaning your home in preparation for weight loss success might not be the most fun way to spend a weekend, but the long-term benefit could be exactly what you need to achieve your goals.