Hello All Year Summer Body
Let’s face it; the majority of us have a difficult time keeping our New Year’s resolutions, especially when it comes to our health and fitness goals. For some reason, the guilt of holiday binge eating seems to serve as stronger motivation to get into shape for summer, than the thought of how amazing it would be to look and feel good in a bathing suit all year long. The bad news is that waiting until February or March to start thinking about your summer fitness goals is too late! Rushing to try and get into shape for the
summer often leads to yo-yo dieting or weight cycling, which ultimately leads to dramatic weight gain. Fortunately, there are a few life hacks that can help you stay in shape all year long.
The first step toward maintaining a summer body all year long is drinking a gallon of water every day. Drinking water will flush out toxins and help your organs and digestive system function properly. If this seems like a challenging task, try adding some fruit to your water to enhance the flavor. My favorite recipe is cucumber, sliced lime, and mint leaves. With this fruit and veggie addition, I look forward to each sip of water.
The second step to maintaining a summer body all year long is adding fasted cardio to your weekly routine. Doing fasted cardio, a cardio workout before eating in the morning, 2-3 times a week will help recharge your metabolism while burning off the carbs and sugars your body may be storing as fat from the night before. Starting your day off with a little
pre-breakfast cardio will also give you the boost of energy you need to conquer the workday.
Tip number three to keep your ideal waist for the entire year is to commit to a personal trainer or a group training program that provides you with accountability partners. If this is not in your budget, evaluate where
you can cut costs so that it is, like taking your lunch to work instead of spending money on eating out. Another low-cost option is to find a friend who lives an active lifestyle and follow their lead. Don’t be afraid to ask if you can crash their workouts.
My final tip to keeping your body in summer shape through all four seasons is to post photos of the body you desire on a vision board, on your bathroom mirror, and on your refrigerator to remind you of what it is you are working to achieve. This will serve as a subtle prompt to keep your eyes on the prize and your butt in the gym.
