How to Get a Summer Body – Get Bikini Ready!
Summer time is here which means beach time, pool time and fun time! It’s time to show off your beautiful body as you step into your summer clothes and your bikini. If you are longing to tone up and slim down before the hot weather hits, now is the time to get bikini ready. Here are some tips to get you feeling great and your summer body looking fabulous.
Now, you might be inclined to go on a crash diet, wash down the newest weight loss supplement, or invest in a high cost, low return fad diet plan. Not necessary. The best way to a healthy and great looking body is through taking great care of your body – eating a healthy, well balanced diet; getting plenty of rest, and exercising.
Summer Body Eating Tips
You’re looking to slim down and tone your body, so you need to boost your exercise and reduce calories. It seems pretty basic, but there are things to consider to increase your success and avoid pitfalls as you strive to get you summer body back in shape.
- You want to kick start your metabolism, so it is important that you get enough calories and nutrition that your body works to burn fat, feels that its nutritional needs are met, and does not go into starvation mode. If you cut too much and do not get proper nutrients, your body will think it is starving and will start storing energy in the form of fat.
- Avoid unhealthy, highly processed, nutrient poor foods. These foods are usually packed with hidden sugars and are high in empty calories. Make whole foods the primary focus of your diet, and eat a variety of them. Choose lean meats and fish, lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and dairy products that are minimally processed (for example, do not buy ‘processed cheese product’ – if you’re going for cheese, get the real thing). Skim and part skim dairy as fine as long as it doesn’t have a bunch of other junk added in to make up for the skimming process. Read your labels.
- You want to enjoy your food. Choosing a variety of foods that are flavorful, nutritious and filling will keep you from feeling as though you are depriving yourself. This will help you avoid binging later.
- Plan and prep your meals ahead of time – especially for days that your schedule is busy. This will help you stay on track. Shoot for around 1500 calories a day. To keep your metabolism going, it is recommended to eat 5 small meals rather than 3 larger meals. Plan healthy and well balanced breakfast, lunch and dinners each day along with 2 snacks.
- Have a variety of nuts, fruits, and vegetables around to snack on when you are feeling hungry. Fruits and veggies are highly nutritious, offer a variety of flavor and textural experiences, and are very low calorie. Nuts are higher in calories, but they are filling, very nutritious, and contain healthy fats.
- Start drinking warm lemon water first thing each morning. Lemon water is nutritious, it detoxifies, aids digestion, boosts your metabolism, improved skin condition, and boosts your immune system. Add half a lemon to a glass of warm water each morning about a ½ hour before breakfast to jump start your day. Drink it throughout the day for a nutritious and flavorful alternative to plain water.
- To carb or not to carb? That is the question. Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient in the body and are present in a large number of very healthy foods. Cutting carbohydrates from you diet is not necessarily a healthy decision. That being said, be smart about your carbs. There is a huge difference between the carbohydrates in a carrot versus the carbs you get from a big hunk of Italian bread. One is a complex carbohydrate and the other is basically junk as far as how your body processes. As you are working to get that bikini body ready for summer, stick to healthy complex carbohydrates. Eat lots of veggies, minimize the pasta and breads – or cut them out altogether. Use brown rice in place of pasta dishes and sides. Try Spaghetti Squash.
- Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water throughout the day. This will cut out unnecessary calories from other beverages, helps you feel fuller, supports your body’s natural processes and keeps your muscles energized when exercising. Cut out alcohol and sodas (even diet). Try your morning coffee without sugar and creamers. It’s only about 7 calories and you might learn to love it. If you must have a sweetener, try an all-natural Stevia product (read labels).
Exercise & Sleep
Exercise is an essential part of any weight loss program, especially if you want to tone your muscles for that bikini. Here are some tips to get your body ready for summer.
- Get a workout buddy. If you do not already have a strong exercise routine, it can be challenging to get started and keep yourself motivated. Finding a workout buddy helps you stay accountable to your exercise program and can make it more enjoyable than working out alone all the time.
- Stretch before and after every workout. Stretching optimizes performance, helps to reduce the chance of injury during your workout, and reduces residual muscle pain afterwards.
- Bring some variety into your workout. You have lots of different muscle groups in your body that would love some attention, so you will need to work different parts of the body in different ways to get optimal results. Walking and running or bicycling are all great for helping you get in shape, but they do not work the whole body, so you’ll want to switch it up and do different workouts throughout your week.
- Cardio is key. It gets your heart rate up and helps you slim down fast. Build in a good cardio workout to your weekly routine. Starting out, choose an activity that gets your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes two days a week, then build on that. Running, aerobics, Zumba, bicycling are all great cardio workouts.
- Walk wherever you can. Taking fast paced walks are great for your body, but there are lots of opportunities to add more walking into your day. Park further away when you go to the store. Take steps instead of elevators. Go out to a local park and take a long walk. Make it a goal to achieve at least 10,000 steps daily. Get a pedometer to help you keep track – a lot of smart phones have apps to track your exercise and diet, so you may want to get one of them.
- Tie in muscle and strength training. Get to a local gym and get on their machines to target each muscle group. Add weights to improve your results. Do crunches, arm curls, squats, leg lifts, & push-ups.
- Start doing yoga each morning. Get a DVD or stream a 20 to 30-minute yoga routine to start your day.
- Choose workouts that are enjoyable for you – if you don’t enjoy them, you won’t stick to them.
- Set a schedule for your daily workout program and put it in your calendar so it becomes part of your day and you are less likely to schedule over it.
- Be sure to get adequate rest. You will have a much easier time losing weight and getting in shape if you are getting enough sleep. Your body functions better and you are MUCH more likely to be able to motivate yourself if you are well rested.
- Practice some post workout skin care. Make sure to shower after working out to keep your pores clear. Here are some all natural home remedies for blackheads to keep your skin clear after exercising.
Summer Body Workout Routine
Give this quick workout a try to help get a bikini body in no time. Remember workout consistency is key.
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Health Coach Drew
HI, MY NAME IS DREW. I'm a certified health coach and nutrition expert. My goal is to take the confusion out of weight loss and healthy living and make it simple for everyone. Take The 21-Day Smoothie Diet Challenge
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