Is stacking a towel in your stuffed linen closet a painstaking chore? Has your basement become a dark, scary destination packed with ignored boxes of junk? As you jump full force into your 2008 resolution to shed pounds and improve your overall fitness, don't forget to slim down the clutter in your house.

Decluttering actually offers health benefits:

• Get a euphoric runner's high without running. Releasing useless material items can deliver a mental lift, leaving more time for positive habits -- like a real jog.
• Dust mites love soft items. Relieve allergy symptoms by getting rid of unworn clothing, decorative pillows and stuffed animals not adored anymore.
• One dietitian working with gastric bypass candidates sees a link between obesity and clutter. Cleaning up can reduce stress and a common byproduct -- overeating.

I'm guilty of a bursting linen closet. Any pack rat alarms going off in your house?