How to Get Ready for Summer 2021
The warm weather is right around the corner and you know what that means....everyone needs to get their “beach body” ready.
First of all, I would like to start this by saying modern day expectations for what a person should look like in a bathing suit are extremely skewed. The people you see on instagram have everything in their favor in that unreal picture on your timeline: lighting, makeup, most likely a “pump” or post workout effect, and a potentially restrictive diet or the use of performance enhancing drugs of some kind! It is possible and very reasonable to want to look better, but focus on being the best version of yourself (not anyone else).
So summer is coming and you want to lean down a bit….what do you do? Diets are great, but not sustainable. I am a fan of making small changes over time to see results and stay consistent with what you are implementing.
Step 1: Move more!
This should be easy with weather getting warmer! If you are anything like me, the sun is screaming for you to get off Zoom and get outside. If you like walking, go for a walk. If you like biking, go for a bike ride. If you enjoy running, run like the wind. It does not matter what it is, but moving more will help kickstart your move towards a leaner look.
Tip: if you are busy, try to implement multiple short walks throughout the day. Maybe a 5/10 minute walk after each meal!
Step 2: Make easy food substitutions
You can get lean while eating bread. You can get lean while eating cookies. You can get lean eating literally anything as long as you burn more calories than you consume! In order to naturally and easily move in this direction, I like to make small changes to the way I eat throughout the week that will slightly lower my intake while keeping the main components of my diet the same.
Examples: Switching from normal jelly to sugar free jelly. Switching from “lite” syrup to sugar free syrup. Instead of eating 3 eggs, eat two eggs and a serving of egg whites. Finding a lighter salad dressing (bolthouse farms is great).
Small changes will make a difference with time if you are consistent. Assess the things you eat and think about what slight changes you can make to be more calorie conscious moving into the summer!
Tip/Idea: If you tend to snack a lot and are looking to get this a bit more under control moving into the summer, I would suggest increasing the amount of meals you eat in a day! If you break up your meals to be a bit smaller, but you eat 4-6 meals instead of simply 3, it will allow you to spread out your calories and feel more consistently full throughout the day!
If you are interested in leaning down for the summer, check out www.balancewithshaheen.com for online coaching, training, and guidance.