Fit for Life: Avoid This Summer's Disaster

Fit for Life: Avoid This Summer's Disaster

So, you work hard all year long and finally get financially ahead.

You worked extra overtime and even a few Saturdays so you can pay your bills and bring down that credit card debt.

You made sacrifices, worked late and put in the hours to make this happen so you can relieve the stress of always trying to catch up and get out of the red.

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Then when the holidays come, you go out and do a lot of senseless spending, buying nice gifts for people, and you spend lots of money eating out and celebrating.

Then January’s credit card statement comes in, and you are back in the hole again. Back in debt. Back behind the eight ball and now you have to dig yourself out from under a pile of bills all over again.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Because folks do this all the time, and they do it with their health and fitness routines also.  

I see people working hard all year long, putting in the blood sweat and tears in the gym, doing transformation challenges, and posting all their healthy meals on their Facebook pages, then summer comes.

This is the time we work hard all year long for, so why do we let ourselves fall off the wagon??

We put in the hours not only to be healthy, but so we can look good in our summer clothes and feel confident walking the beach in a bathing suit. We work hard all year long so we can enjoy this time of year, then some of us completely blow it when summer comes along.

People try putting their gym memberships on hold, spend less time working out, and more time enjoying cocktails on the deck, or indulging at cookouts.

Many feel that bike riding, gardening, or strolling down the beach is good enough. (As I mentioned last week, it’s NOT)

That in addition to making poor choices at cookouts and barbecues can cause serious regression to your program and workout routine.

With that being said, I am going to give you some tips on how NOT to let that happen.

First and foremost, the formula for fitness is…. build muscle and burn body fat.

That’s it. There is no other method to become truly fit.

You need to build muscle to keep your metabolism elevated, and you need to get that heart rate elevated in order to burn maximum amounts of body fat.

This is why we always incorporate strength and cardio exercises in our routine at Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, so our clients not only lose weight, but become fit through the process.

It’s the only way.

Work hard by lifting weights that challenge you and work fast so you are in the fat torching zone the entire 30 minutes.

So here are some tips so you can stay in shape through the dog days of summer, and not regress by the time September rolls around.

 

First, you need to keep getting “real” workouts in.

Strolling around on your bike with the kids doesn’t substitute a killer workout. Use these types of activities as an “extra” way to burn a few more calories, and not replace a “normal” tough workout.

The same goes for swimming and walking along the beach.

Don’t fool yourself into believing you are exercising while you are doing these enjoyable activities.

Unless you get all geared up and hit your road bike for a 50-mile trek, or you do laps in the pool or sprints on the beach, you are not doing enough to maintain all you worked for all year round.

So, stay on your routine, and give yourself extra credit for staying active during the warmer months.

The other way we lose ground is when we get too careless with our nutrition.

Sure it’s fun to go out for ice cream, and attend cookouts, but when you do it too often, it usually spells disaster to your physique. We also tend to get lazy with meal prep when it gets too hot outside and order out more frequently.

Another way to put back some extra pounds.

Don’t get discouraged, there are ways to avoid this, but it will take some planning and discipline to pull it off.

 

Strategies

First, let me shed a light on some things that will make you cringe.

When you drink your calories in the form of frozen lattes, frozen lemonade, and all these refreshing summer cocktails you are ingesting whopping amounts of sugar.

I see Starbucks employees pump syrup, caramel, and chocolate in people’s coffee drinks.

They are adding upwards of 2-400 calories into your coffee drink and when you do this daily the results can be disastrous.

The same goes for those frozen daiquiris and margaritas.

You are not only getting alcohol calories, but tons of sugar, and although it is consumed as fat-free, it causes all sorts of insulin and hormone imbalances in the body that causes you to store fat.   

So, my first tip is to avoid drinking empty calories. Unless it's fresh-pressed juice, or a protein shake, you are wasting your calories and harming your health at the same time. All for a couple of seconds of enjoyment.

The next obstacle is eating at parties and avoiding the fattening potato and pasta salads. When you attend cookouts, there is usually a lot of protein grilling and refreshing salads and grilled vegetables to eat.

 

Start there

Always fill your plate with the protein first.

Grilled chicken, ribs, steak tips and burgers without the bread should be your main staple.

Then fill in the rest with salad, and vegetables.

If you avoid the bread, heavy dressings, mayonnaise, and sauces, you will not only cut empty calories, but you will feel better when you leave.

Better yet, bring a dish, and eat your own food. At least you will know exactly what you are eating, and you might turn someone else on to a healthy lifestyle.

As always, when you are prepared you are more likely to succeed.

So even when it’s too hot to cook, you always have the energy to reheat.

So, continue to prepare your food in the beginning of the week, so you have healthy options all week long.

In conclusion, let’s not regress and let the time of year we worked hard for diminish our results.

Stick to your workout regimen and be cautious of all the delicious summer food that could sneak up on you.

Have a good time and enjoy these few short months of nice weather but don’t let it set you back or sabotage your goals.

 

Committed to your success,

Matt