It's summer in many countries, and with it comes the desire to look beach-ready. But achieving your summer body goals is not as simple as just going on a diet and hitting the gym.
If you're reading this, I'm going to assume that you have a summer body goal. Maybe it's hitting the beach with your bikini, debuting your abs in the hot summer heat, or like many just a figure of speech to describe your health and fitness goals.
Whatever your reasons are, there's no better time than now to make a commitment to the life you want and take control of your health for good. Whether you're looking to gain muscle or lose weight. While I know it's not always easy, we've got some interesting tips on how to eat right, exercise smartly, and make sure that you're getting everything you need to help you actualize that summer body goal.
Summer Body Tips
General Tips
Define Success
First, you'll want to start by choosing a goal that's realistic for you. If you're starting from scratch, it's going to take some time and effort. But if you already have a good base of fitness under your belt, then making small changes will help speed up the process.
Once you've defined what success looks like for you, start tracking your progress each week by measuring yourself and taking photos of yourself from different angles (front, side, back). This is an easy way to see how much progress you've made over time—and if it's not enough for your liking yet.
Get organized! Plan out your meals each day so that you know exactly what you're eating. If it's easier for you to follow a set meal plan, then do that. If not, write down what you intend to eat each day and make sure it fits within your calorie intake goals.
Be consistent
Stick with your plan for at least a month before making any changes or adding new exercises or diets. Consistency is key when trying to change habits or routines—if you're inconsistent in any way during this process, it will be much harder for you to reach your goals!
Find some inspiration
There are tons of people out there who've already done what you want to do—whether that's losing weight or building muscle—so find them online or in-person and learn from them!
Focus on health, not weight
It may sound counterintuitive, but focusing on weight loss is not the right way to go about this. It's not a good indicator of health or fitness. If you want to be healthier, that means you should focus more on how your body reacts and functions than what number comes up on the scale.
The first step in achieving your summer body goals is understanding why weight loss isn't actually a good measure of health—or fitness for that matter!
Don't be obsessive about it
It's easy to get caught up in what other people are doing, but you have to remember that they're not you. You have your own goals and they might not be the same as someone else's. Don't compare yourself or feel like you need to do more than anyone else.
Also, don't worry about the mirror or what other people think of you when it comes to working out. The only thing that matters is being healthy and living your best life!
Diets
Start with a clean slate
As the old saying goes, "Abs are made in the kitchen," and it couldn't be more true! The first step in achieving your summer body goals is to start by cleaning up your diet—and this doesn't mean cutting out all of your favorite foods, just making sure that what you're putting into your body is healthy and nutritious. You don't have to deprive yourself of all your favorite foods to lose weight. Just make sure that they're healthy choices, like grilled chicken instead of fried chicken or baked potatoes instead of French fries.
A great way to do this is by eating five small meals per day instead of three big ones. This will ensure that your body gets the fuel it needs throughout the day without having any room for junk food or sweets between meals.
Develop a healthy relationship with food
Eating right is a lifelong process, and you should never expect to reach your goal weight overnight. It’s important to understand that even if you follow every guideline in this article, it will take time to see progress. But as long as you are progressing in the right direction, that’s all that matters!
When it comes to eating right, there are four basic principles:
- Don't skip meals
- Eat until you're full but not overly stuffed (about 80% full)
- Eat slowly; don't gulp down your food or eat while distracted by other things
- Don't eat when depressed, sad, or stressed out
Eat plenty of protein
Protein is essential for muscle growth, and overall health. It can also help you feel full, so you'll be less likely to overeat later. Protein can be found in a variety of foods such as meat, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds. Soy products are also a good source of protein. Find other options here.
Eat more whole foods
Focus on eating whole foods. Whole foods are unprocessed, so they’re more filling and nutritious than processed foods and less likely to cause you to overeat. They consist of:
- Fruits and vegetables (e.g., apples and carrots)
- Unprocessed meats (e.g., chicken breast or salmon fillet)
- Nuts and seeds (e.g., almonds or pumpkin seeds)
Don't skip breakfast
Don’t skip breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day, and here’s why:
- Breakfast helps you stay energized throughout the day. Your body needs the energy to function properly, and it gets this from food. That’s why it's so important to make sure that you eat breakfast!
- Breakfast can help you lose weight. Eating a healthy breakfast will keep your hunger pangs at bay for longer periods throughout the day, which means that you'll be less likely to overeat later on in the day or at night when all of those delicious foods are laid out before you.
Cook meals at home
Cooking at home is a great way to save money, and it's cheaper than going out. Plus, the food you make at home is always healthier than processed meals at restaurants or fast food places. This will help you stay on track with your diet goals!
Cooking is also lots of fun! You can experiment with new recipes, get creative with ingredients and create delicious meals that everyone loves. Cooking together as a family not only tastes better but also helps bond together for happier times. If you're looking for an excuse to spend quality time with your family this summer then look no further than the kitchen!
Drink more water than anything else
Drinking water before and after exercising is an essential part of getting the most out of your workouts.
Hydration will help you stay energized during exercise, prevent muscle cramps and improve your overall performance. It also helps keep your body from breaking down muscle tissue for fuel, which means you won't lose as much strength or mass as quickly when you're not eating enough calories to fuel yourself for the day's activities. Plus, drinking lots of water helps flush toxins out of your system to help keep skin looking fresh (and acne at bay).
Drinking enough water is also key to losing weight fast because it fills up your stomach so that you feel fuller with fewer calories. That can mean making room in the meal plan for more vegetables by cutting back on protein-heavy meals like chicken or fish salad sandwiches or tuna salad wraps without feeling like every bite needs something else added just so it feels satisfying enough!
And if nothing else convinces them they should drink more H20: Two cups per day may lower blood pressure by 10 points according to research published in The Journal Of Clinical Hypertension; plus another study by researchers at Louisiana State University found that people who drank three glasses per day had less belly fat than those who drank less than one glass daily—so set aside time each day where everyone gets their fill!
Skip the diet soda
If you're trying to lose weight, and especially if you're a woman, don't be tempted by the diet soda. Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners that trick your body into thinking it has consumed sugar but do little to actually satisfy your cravings. Studies have shown that drinking diet soda increases your desire for sweets, which may lead to overeating and weight gain.
To make matters worse, these drinks can also cause an increase in belly fat—the most dangerous type of fat on the body. Getting rid of this excess abdominal fat requires not only exercise but also healthy eating habits—both of which are negatively affected by drinking too many diet sodas. Instead of consuming these empty calories and chemicals, choose water or natural fruit juices such as lemonade if you need something sweetened with natural sweeteners like honey or stevia leaf extract instead!
Exercise
Be active in the way that you enjoy most
Our ultimate goal is to help you achieve your health and fitness goals, so you must find an exercise routine that you can stick with. A good place to start is by doing what you enjoy to keep yourself motivated. Activity is often more enjoyable when it's done with other people, so make sure to consider whether any of your friends or family members would be interested in joining you on your workout journey.
Get moving! You don't have to go all-out on exercise if you don't want to, but even just taking a brisk walk each day can make a huge difference in how toned and fit you feel when summer rolls around.
Here are some examples of activities that could help:
- Walking
- Swimming
- Cycling (indoors)
- Aerobics
Work out at least three times per week
You don't need a gym membership or fancy equipment to do cardio exercises like running or swimming! If you're feeling ambitious, try adding in strength training as well so that you can build muscle mass while burning fat (and gaining self-confidence!). You don't need to go all out at once—just start slow with some gentle walking around the neighborhood during your lunch break each day until it becomes easier for you to work up from there!
Rest
Schedule rest days so that your body has time to recover from intense workouts—this will help prevent injuries and speed up the results of all that hard work to achieve your summer body!
Conclusion
It helps to remember that we’re all different, and we all have our own reasons for wanting to get fit. You might be training for a big competition, or you might just want to drop a few pounds before your next vacation.
You need to make sure that you're eating well and working out regularly if you want to see results. It's not enough just to "eat healthily" or "work out"—you need to do both of those things because they work together to help you get a great body.
Whatever your motivation, the tips covered in this article should help you on your journey.
