Are you seriously falling behind on your New Year’s Resolution to finally get in shape? Have you been ending each day thinking you could have done more and telling yourself, “I will start tomorrow”? For many people who battle with this daily conversation, “tomorrow” never actually arrives and they find themselves at year’s end still out of shape and unhappy with themselves. If you feel like you’ve been struggling to finally get on track, here are a few tips to get you motivated and on your way to achieving your fitness goals:
Exercise in the morning. With the hustle and bustle of the day, your workout and diet can be pushed to the side! Set the alarm early and get your sweat on before the children even know what you are up to and pack your meals the evening before so you can just grab and go in the morning.
Eat before you go to a summer cookout. You may think it’s rude to eat before a social gathering but this little tip will prevent you from arriving at the party starving and filling your plate with the unhealthy items, simply because you’re too hungry to make better choices. Make it a small snack so you can still enjoy some food at your gathering, but when you arrive, grab the dessert sized plate and fill up on fresh veggies and fruits.
Allow some wiggle room for your favorite treats. Do not set unrealistic goals stating you are going to abstain from all treats this summer. The second you swear them all off you’ll be hearing the ice cream man driving by in your sleep! Instead, schedule in your cheat treats as part of a cheat meal and make sure to eat healthy the rest of the day. This way you can still enjoy summer time snacks without packing on the pounds.
Enlist a “supervisor”: Happy to make double chocolate chip cupcakes for the neighborhood BBQ but terrified that half of the batter will end up in your mouth instead of in the pan? Enlist a family member or friend to help you out and keep you on track. This way when you begin to salivate over that buttery, chocolate icing, someone is there to bring you back to reality.
Spend one day a week doing food preparation. Plan a week’s worth of healthy meals to keep you on track and then carve out a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to cook it all up. Place items into single-serving size containers and mark them, “breakfast”, “lunch”, “snack” and “dinner”. This way you can grab and go on a busy day and you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat.
Incorporating these tips into your day-to-day schedule will make staying healthy during the busy summer season easier and allow you to enjoy it without any added guilt.
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