I know what you’re thinking, it’s still winter time which means I can just sit around, eat whatever I want, not shave my legs, and worry about my “bikini” shape later. Usually, I would totally agree with you. I love that Girl Scout cookie and Netflix season more than almost anything in the world, and leaving my comfortable bed is not high on my priorities list! Unfortunately this love for relaxation leaves me scrambling in mid-May trying to dust off all the cookie crumbs and hit the gym. This year, I decided that as long as it does not require too much effort, I will try to not completely let myself go this winter and ease the transition back into being beach ready.
Luckily, I came across these six health tips to start now!
1. Drink lots of water every day!
Ever since we were little, our parents have told us to drink water- have a headache, drink water, can’t pay attention in class, drink more water. “Eight glasses of water a day” they said. Recent research has shown that the old belief that eight cups of water a day is enough is actually not true. In actuality, it is your weight that tells you how many ounces of water it takes to keep your body happy. Take your weight (in pounds) and divide it in half to get the amount of water (in ounces) that you need. So if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to drink 100 ounces, or rather 12 and a half cups of water.
2. Eat frequently!
This one is good news for me because when I am bored or watching TV I pretty much have to be eating something. Experts now recommend eating up to six smaller meals as opposed to three larger ones, and even never going more than four hours without eating something. The theory here is that by eating healthy things more frequently (and this means snacking on carrots and not Reese’s peanut butter cups) your body will keep its metabolism rate up and you will not trigger the “I need to eat” sensation.
3. Drink a glass of water before every meal!
Think about it, when you eat, you have to wait for your stomach to realize it is full and tell your brain, and then your brain to tell you to stop eating. If you drink water before you eat, then your stomach is already partially full and it takes less food to trigger that feeling of being full. The water in your stomach will also help you break down food and extract the nutrients from it more efficiently.
4. Journal what you eat!
While it seems silly to write down everything you eat, journaling has proven to be one of the most effective tools to help people lose weight and keep it off. By tracking what you eat, when, how much, and why, it can help you identify places that need work or places to start eating healthier. The best type of journaling includes emotions, drinks, and life situations as well, because as we have all experienced, stress eating is definitely a problem!
5. Don’t eat directly after exercise!
Many gym nuts believe in the statement that you have to eat immediately after working out or risk your body breaking down muscle tissue. This is a lie! The only time in which it is prudent to eat directly after working out is if you did not eat anything before exercising! Otherwise, you will eat food, replace what you just worked off, and then be hungry again an hour or so later, and simply add more calories than you really need!
6. Make use of commercial or loading breaks!
TV shows that actually air on television come with these really annoying things called commercial breaks. Similarly, online streaming usually has advertisement times (CW I am talking to you) that leave you sitting there tapping your foot. Take that time and put it to good use by exercising during those breaks! By taking those minutes to do some movement and get some training in can seriously benefit you in the long run! And if you’re thinking “well Netflix doesn’t have commercials” you can still do it during the opening theme song and between shows!
Hopefully these simple life tips will help ease the transition to trying to go from a winter body to a summer body! Happy eating!
