We all want that summer body, but what we don’t want is to be drinking liquids in order to get it. What if I told you that you could keep eating that slice of pizza every week and still get that body you want? Sounds amazing right?! We all know how challenging it is to try and eat healthy 24/7, which is why I decided to let you know some secrets of my own that have helped me. I am in no way, shape or form a professional or telling you that you need to lose weight, but if you are someone looking for some tips these are just some that have worked for me.
1. Drink A Lot of Water
I know this is something your parents probably nag you about every day, but trust me they’re right! Not only does drinking water aid in weight loss. It also helps get rid of cellulite, increases energy and relieves fatigue, flushes out toxins, improves skin complexion, maintains regularity and so much more! To read about the benefits of this beautiful natural life saver visit this site. If water is too “plain” tasting for you, add a couple drops of lemon juice to it. It not only has the same benefits of water, but additional ones as well, such as: detoxification, rejuvenation of skin, heals the body, and more. To read more deeply into these facts, please feel free to visit http://draxe.com/benefits-of-lemon-water/ .
2. Download the My Fitness Pal App (It’s Free!)
This app is truly a saint in itself! And it’s free! Start off by making an account, add in your current weight and other basics (height, age, etc.), then add in your goal weight and how active you are. The Fitness Pal will calculate how many calories you need to maintain a day and you add what you have had to eat and drink throughout the day. Doing this will allow you to know how many calories you have left moving through the day until you reach your limit. You can also add in that exercises that you have done that day such as a run, elliptical, circuit training, or even p90x and it will count how many calories you have burned. HOWEVER, because you are burning off what you ate, the app will add it back into calories for the day. It is important not to eat back the calories you burned because doing this will only set you back to square one. If you already have this app, always make sure the Remaining number is bigger than the exercise number.
3. Have a Snack!
Being fit does not mean you have to deprive yourself of pizza, cookies, and ice cream. In fact, the goal of eating healthy is so you feel good without feeling deprived. For every week, make a day in which you will have a cheat day. A day where you can go all out and eat what you have been wanting to. It is important to try to keep the cheat days a week in distance from each other. For example, setting your cheat day to every Friday. If you are afraid you will overdo it, try eating a little snack between 150-200 calories three days during the week (Self magazine March 28th special edition). It’s a little boost to keep you feeling like a health nut, but without the worry of going over your limit.
4. Exercise
An hour a day keeps the pounds away! Lately, people believe that exercise has to be torturous rather than fun, but that’s far from the truth. It is important that what you’re doing to exercise is something you find fun. For example, pushing yourself to go for a run on the treadmill for half an hour will only cause you to continuously look at the time left on the screen and possibly prevent you from doing another run the next time. If you are a person who love to run, like me, it is important not to run every day. Your body needs a rest from the effort it put in the day before, so try doing a run every other day. If you are someone who is starting to run, make your goal to reach the 15 min mark.
Fifteen minutes every other day is all you really need to kick that booty into shape. If you’re also a beginner, make sure that the trial or path you’re running on is flat. Too many ups and downs during your run will make you more tired quicker and push you to a walk. Too many ups and downs can also put a strain on your shins; in addition, do not accelerate going uphill! Accelerating too quickly uphill can cause you to fracture your shin because of the amount of pressure put onto it (Trust me, been there done that).
5. Eat Healthy
Lastly, eat healthy! When you go to the grocery store, try to stray away from the junk foods like chips and toaster streusel. If you are someone who likes to snack on something crunchy and salty, switch out the lays for vegetable chips or straws by Garden Veggie or Eatsmart Naturals! They’re just as tasty but without all the guilt. Little moves like these are a good start to healthy eating. Whenever you’re thinking heading for that piece of chocolate cake in the fridge, go for a walk or read a book. Anything that will keep your mind from thinking about food, which also means if you’re in the “need to feed” mindset, stray from watching TV. It becomes a natural habit for us to sit in front of the TV and snack on something, just like in the theaters. In the end, it’s truly about self-control and how badly you want it. Also, it is important to know the difference between hungry and bored.
*Note to readers*
We all have road bumps and there will be times where you get off track and sometimes it's needed. Don't beat yourself up over it. Get back on track ASAP and fight for that body you deserve!
