Tips For Staying On Track During The Summer!
Diet and Exercise Do Not Have To Struggle During The Summer
Summertime makes it so difficult to stay focused on your health goals. With the constant obligations like parties, weddings, happy hours with co-workers or just sitting out in the sun with a cocktail-it makes it very tricky to stay on track with the added calories and lack of activity. Not to mention the heat, who wants to go outside and walk when it’s 90 degrees? However, there are so many ways to help you overcome the heat and move forward with your healthy lifestyle!
Stay active as much as possible
Exercise is the best medicine. It is essential to exercise regularly in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are many ways to keep active in the summer. It’s important to keep your kids active too! Whether you play games in the pool or at the beach it’s important to make sure you try to get as much movement as possible. Other tips include the following…
Walk early in the morning-the sun rises very early these days!
Walk in the evening as the sun is setting.
Do a home workout! Bodyweight exercises are great resistance training tools.
Track your steps and aim for 10,000 per day! Movement throughout the day goes a long way!
Incorporate more summer activities that require movement like hiking, biking, kayaking, water parks, and swimming.
Try to not sit for long periods of time. If you are working at a desk all day, try to get up at least every hour for 5 minutes.
Choose healthy food options
Summer is a great time to keep the house cool by utilizing your grill. Grilling leans meats and vegetables are an easy way to cook dinner for the family. Other tips include the following…
Watch your portion sizes. Try to focus on protein and veggies when at special occasions. Especially when at barbeques and people keep asking you to try what they’ve made, try not to overdo it!
Try to skip the sugar as often as possible. Again, summer is known for the ice cream and other sweets. Sometimes a goal will help here, “I will only have a dessert twice this week.” This will be more of a reward versus a habit.
Try the 80/20 rule. If you focus on eating a healthy breakfast and lunch throughout the week, this will give you a little bit of wiggle room when dinnertime comes.
Skip the lemonades and sugary drinks. Focus on drinking water with fresh squeezed lemon or other fresh fruit-infused water recipes.
Have a glass of water in between cocktails at parties. This will help you stay hydrated and will help you avoid endless snacking.
Stay hydrated!
It’s so important to stay hydrated during the hot summer months.
Start your day with an 8 ounce glass of water. You haven’t had anything to drink throughout the several hours you’ve been sleeping! We all wake up dehydrated. Water is the first thing you need in the morning before you reach for the coffee.
Carry a water bottle with you and drink it throughout the day.
Aim for drinking half of your body weight in ounces. For instance, if you weigh 150 lbs.-you should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water that day. You may require more depending on your level of activity that day.
