5 Tips To Stay On Track This Summer
So Summer is right around the corner..
That means...
Vacations? Camping? Deserts?? DRINKS..!?! OH MY!!!
But what about all your hard work over the Winter?! Should that all go to waste now that summer is in the air?
Ultimately, that's up to you!
A lot of people have this "all or nothing" mindset where they think that now that it is Summer, they no longer have a responsibility to their health and that they will start over in the Fall..
But it doesn't have to go down like this. You can still have a drink, a treat, a vacation while still hitting the gym, exercising and eating properly.
You can still have...
BALANCE!
It doesn't have to, nor should it, be all or nothing!
So I know that it's nice outside. I know you want to have drink and some yummy foods with your friends... But you still owe it to yourself to take care of yourself.
Even if you go to the gym 3 days a week during the summer versus your regular 5 days a week. Even if you still just track your protein targets during the summer and make it a goal to drink a glass of water each hour or maybe have 2-3 servings of fruit and veggies a day versus your regular strict tracking of your calories to a T.
You can make subtle adjustments to your lifestyle so you can maintain your results, have balance and still make it an amazing Summer.
1. Plan ahead
If you want to stay on track with your nutrition and fitness goals, you will have to maintain some level of consistency and accuracy. The best way to accomplish this is to plan ahead.
Right after you brush your teeth before bed, take 10-15 minutes to pre-track your macros into your phone so that way it is a piece of cake to make quick adjustments the following day. This is so much easier than tracking your macros on the fly because the day can easily gets away from us and we can quickly enter “screw it mode” and not make an effort to track anything.
Also ensure you take some time to prep your meals the night before. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy.. Something as simple as having a sandwich ready to go, along with an apple, protein shake and a granola bar goes a long way when you have a busy day ahead.
At the end of the day, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail – that quote has never been more true. So take the time before hand and plan things out as best as you can.
2. Make Healthy Choices
Ok, as you all know, I preach flexible dieting. But this is not an excuse to eat like an asshole because it’s summer time. It can be so easy to grab the yummiest, calorie dense options when we are at a summer function. Instead, I highly encourage you to ensure that you are always making healthy choices FIRST
Load up your plate with a bunch of fruit and veggies. Also ensure you are consuming as much protein sources as possible. Filling up on these nutrient dense options is not only going to make you feel good, it’s going to help with your satiety so you reduce the risk of overeating at one of these summer functions.
This is not to say that you can’t enjoy yourself. But you have to find a balance and you have to keep control. So if there are deserts, and if there are drinks in the air, make sure you put a limit on your consumption. Prior to going to the event you want to try to save up some macros so you CAN enjoy a desert and/or a drink or two. But it’s important to set a limit for yourself prior to going. For example, if it’s someone’s birthday, make it a priority that you are only going to have 1 small slice of the cake and no more than 2 glasses of wine. Setting these parameters for yourself prior to the event is the best way to hold yourself accountable. It’s much more efficient to quantify your limits versus saying “I’m only going to have a few drinks.” A few drinks means something different to everyone – is that 2? 4? Maybe 6? Make sure you actually quantify the number of treats and drinks prior.
3. Quit The Vacation Mode
For most people the idea of a vacation is a time to relax, let loose, and get off all your normal routines. While this can be great for rest and relaxation, it does not mean you have to completely blow off your goals. I think it’s time to quit this all or nothing mindset and try to find a bit of balance when you head out for your vacation this year. Wouldn’t you agree? I mean, how often do you come back from vacation feeling guilty? Even just ready to get back into your normal routine? Why not just simply try to keep a little bit of normalcy on your vacation so you can reduce, if not, completely eliminate the amount of guilt that you will feel?
Seems like a no brainer.
Travelling with meals is getting easier and easier now. Most hotels have fridges and microwaves, which make it convenient. If this doesn’t work for you, then make an effort to track your macros. I honestly recommend all my clients to track their protein and their calories so they can interchange their fats and carbs for even more flexibility. Most restaurants have the macros online, making it very easy to track!
4. Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water is very important – as I am sure you are all aware of. But during the Summer, it’s even MORE important because you are out in the heat during the summer, which makes you extremely dehydrated.
It also can help us with our satiety if we are drinking more than enough water, which will reduce the risk of overeating. So ensure you are drinking load of water and are having a drink prior to eating to help with reducing the risk of overeating at your summer function.
5. Keep Your Goals In Mind
I think it’s so important to remember our WHY. Why are we so focused on our health, our nutrition, and our fitness goals? It has to be for reasons beyond just looking good in a bikini during the summer. So keep your why in the back on your mind this summer because even though it’s nice outside and we want to let loose (which you are still able to do) this doesn’t excuse the fact that we all still have a responsibility to take care of yourself and we still have a responsibility to honouring our goals.
I mean, don't you want to make it the best summer ever by NOT feeling guilty come September 1st for completely going off the grid with your health goals?
It's your choice!
Here’s a video that may help you out a bit more with identifying your WHY!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCv_a3YHA1I
If you need any help with staying on track this summer, please don't ever hesitate to reach out to us!
You got this
xoxo
♥Krysten
www.thenattyhour.com