What’s Your Summer Body Plan?
Can you believe how FAST spring is going? Summertime is right around the corner. You know… shorts, swimsuits and summer vacations. If you’re not happy with how you look or feel, now is the time to make some changes so you can feel comfortable and confident in your own skin when you put that swimsuit on.
Using the 3 Day Refresh is a great way to kick-start a healthy eating plan by detoxifying, cleansing and jump-starting your metabolism. But the Refresh won’t give you the body you’re looking for to rock those summer tank tops. I also love the 21 Day Fix program because it helps keep me on track. Here are 4 specific steps that can help you get on track, or keep the momentum.
I love using my Fitbit to track my activity during the day.
1. Get Moving
Regular exercise is vital to a healthy lifestyle and weight loss. Find time to move every day—walk around the block, go for a family bike ride, play in the pool with your kids, challenge your spouse to a push-up contest (gotta keep it fun).
It doesn’t have to be an all-out workout; just move! Keep track of your exercise in a notebook so you can look back and see the progress you’ve made. Fitbit is also a great tool to help you become more aware of how much you move each day.
Fitbit Challenges are good for those who are competitive, like me. I’m part of a challenge group and I walked around my house for 15 minutes the other day because I wanted to rank at the top for the challenge. Figure out what motivates you (competitions work for me) and do it!
2. Revamp the Menu
Movement is important, but really you’ll make or break your summer body in the kitchen. Ensure you have a good nutritional foundation with a variety of fruits, vegetables and proteins and whole grain carbs. The 21 Day Fix program is a great tool to help you with portion control. It is super simple with the color-coded containers, recipes and caloric guidelines.
Be brutally honest with yourself about the big issues, like soda and sweets. Try substituting your daily soda with unsweetened tea or sparkling water. Replace baked goods with Fix-approved fruits and treats. Avoid processed foods as much as possible and look to whole foods with ingredients you can pronounce. Small steps toward a healthier diet will help keep you motivated.
Recovery Time
When getting ready for a beach vacation, it’s tempting to schedule high-intensity workouts every day (we all thing that cramming before the final will work). But your body needs some down time in order to recover completely and repair muscles. Listen to your body and allow it some recovery time so you can perform your best in whatever physical activity you choose.
Be aware of your sleeping habits too. Are you sabotaging your sleep by watching TV in bed or checking Facebook right before you call it a night? You should get seven to eight hours of sleep a night to be able to function fully the next day.
Hydrate!
Whether you live in the Valley of the Sun like me (where summer temps easily hit 110 degrees and above for weeks on end) or in a cooler climate, hydration is important year-round. If you feel thirsty, you’re already borderline dehydrated.
You should drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily, however some people may need more. A quick way to figure this out is to take your body weight, divide it in half and that is how many ounces of water you should be taking in per day (e.g. 150lbs, 75 ounces of water).
Summer is on its way and I’m interested to find out your progress toward or questions about your summer body. Let me know how it’s going!
Resources
Here are a few resources if you want to get on track with your Summer Body Plan.
- 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack (includes workouts, eating plan, containers, and 30 Days of Shakeology)
- 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge Pack (includes workouts, eating plan, containers, and 30 Days of Shakeology)
- 21 Day Fix Workout Program
- 21 Day Fix Extreme Workout Program
- Portion Fix (Containers and Meal Plan )
- 21 Day Fix Containers
