Get Summer Ready
As the warmer weather heats up and the days become longer, we are seeing ourselves spending more time outdoors. For some of us may be feeling a little self-conscious that we were not in the best shape we hoped to be in especially, being beach ready
Feeling good should not come at a cost of sweating it out at the gym every day and eating zero calories but creating new habits to support your mindset change. Here are the 3 key things you should be doing that will get you in the healthiest mindset for this Summer.
Food and Hydration
Something we think we may have covered until we actually write it down on paper, what it is that we actually eat. It may come to you as a small surprise that you may not be eating a balanced diet every day which includes proteins, fats and complex carbohydrates.
When it comes to losing weight consider a routine that you can see yourself sticking to for the long term. What happens after you achieve your goal weight is the most important part. Losing the weight quickly in a strict diet and large volumes of exercise can get a you a result but for how long? Consider finding a new healthy way of living rather than the quick result.
Other things to consider would be to cut out or reduce caffeine, sugar and alcohol. Although it may be a struggle to eliminate these all at once, you can definitely try stopping one and then the other. There are also so many great alternatives to substitute the real thing. For example, caffeine to decaf, so many brands are doing great decaf now. Swapping sugar to sugar free or opting to try vegan desserts which always have some sort of cocoa base to them helping you with those chocolate cravings and then alcohol to alcohol-free drinks. Gone are the days where you could only find one brand of non-alcoholic beer, now there are so many that actually taste like beer.
Stay away or limit your take-away meals. Choosing healthy take away options and avoiding snacking unless you’re topping up with veggie sticks and a handful of healthy nuts.
Lastly, you have heard it many times before but hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink that 3L of water a day. I was definitely someone who could not manage 3L of water until I got a bottle with the intake on it to keep me in check. So much easier than counting actual glasses of water.Cardio Fitness
You either love it or hate it, but doing cardio is one of those things that we should all reconsider adding to our fitness regime. First, cardiovascular fitness is the body’s ability to handle aerobically challenging situations of varying duration. The easier time it takes your body to pump blood through your body, the less taxing it will be on your heart. There are also many heart benefits of exercise such as:
- Exercise lowers blood pressure
- Helps lower stress
- It’s a key to weight control
- Helps strengthen muscles
- Can slow the development of diabetes
Start with exercises that you may enjoy more such as running outdoors, swimming or attending a group class with a friend. Variety can help this seem like less of a chore and an activity you may grow to look forward too.Sleep
Sleep is important for losing weight. A lack of sleep can increase appetite by changing hormones, making us more likely to eat unhealthy foods (hello midnight snacking, you naughty thing), and influences how body fat is lost while counting our calories.
There are so many features on our phone and apps that can help assist us in getting ourselves ready for an early bedtime. Like our food changes, you do not have to commit to complete time change but gradually bring your sleep time 30 minutes earlier than the night before. A healthy recommended amount of sleep is 7–9 hours per night so start today if you’re someone managing less.
Making these 3 changes to your everyday lifestyle will not only help you get your body ready for Summer, but it will be a long-term change that your mind and body will thank you for.