With summer just around the corner, many people are looking to get their bodies “beach ready” in time for swimwear season. For most, this means shedding the extra pounds gained during food-centric holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and building extra muscle. If fitness is on your to-do list as warmer temperatures kick in, here are some surefire ways to get back in shape this summer.
Evaluate your diet
You’ve possibly heard before that you “can’t outrun your diet.” Although it is a bit of a cliché now, it is important to remember that what you eat has a huge impact on how much you weigh and how easily you lose the extra pounds. The old adage “calories in; calories out” simplifies the core concept of weight loss, which is guaranteeing that the calories you consume stay at a lower level than the calories you expend. To find out how many calories you should be eating, see a calorie calculator to determine how many calories you burn naturally throughout the day. This will provide you with the total daily number of calories needed to maintain your weight.
Eating under your allotted number of calories each day will help you keep your weight off. Remember that one pound is equal to around 3500 calories, so if you can eliminate 500 calories a day from your diet you should be capable to lose a few pound a week. You can track your calories using a diverse convenient applications and online websiteslike MyFitnessPal or Simple Macro. Best of all, many of these calorie counting solutions are free and have publicly accessible food libraries so you can even look for food from other restaurants you might frequent throughout the week like Starbucks or Wendy’s.
Get active outside
Another way to take advantage of good weather is to get outside. Running, jogging, or walking in a close by park is a fantastic way to increase your physical activity, and burn extra calories by doing cardio. Cardio workout important in burning calories, and therefore fat. Cardio also plays a vital role in strengthening your heart and improving your sleep by reducing stress and increasing endorphins. Hiking is another great way to get active outdoors without spending money on anything aside from reliable hiking boots.
Another popular way to exercise outdoors involves a wide range of sports. Team sports like soccer, basketball, or the ultimate frisbee are great choices during the summer months, as they involve quite a lot of cardio. If you live near the ocean, consider going to the beach to play volleyball, swim or even play advanced surfing lessons. Especially if you want to actually tone your body and lose those extra pounds, surfing can be a superb activity. When you surf, you engage and strengthen your core and back muscles, which means you will look great in a swimsuit whether you are on or off a surfboard.
Find someone to hold you accountable
Of course, all of this progress can be lost in a matter of a few days if you haven’t got someone to hold you accountable. While team sports can help with this, if you’re just starting out on a sport or nutrition journey, you may need additional support other than your teammates. Finding a friend or family member to help you stay on course and keep you going can be the difference between seeing the results you want or dropping out of your program after a few weeks. For this reason, many people find that it pays off personal training is another useful option when starting a new fitness regimen. In addition to holding you accountable, a personal trainer can customise your fitness program to really suit your needs and goals. Plus, because of you spend money on a trainer, you are more likely to miss the gym or activity day.
Never forget that advancing in the world of fitness takes time and commitment. If you can find a consistent approach to losing weight and strengthening your body, you can get back in shape. Focus on your diet and find the exercises and individuals that help keep you going, and in a matter of a few months, you will be surprised at the results you see in the mirror.
