Summer is just around the corner. It’s time to kick your New Year’s resolutions into high gear. You can lose weight in just a few months for summer without a gym or even heavy dieting.
Follow these easy-to-implement weight loss tips to help you shed those last 10 pounds before summertime:
1. Become more active. Your goal should be to develop healthy habits. By practicing these, you can burn calories without being strapped to an elliptical machine. Choose habits that are simple to maintain, enjoyable, and productive.
Walk the dog rather than letting him out into the yard. Instead of stopping at the coffee shop in your car every morning, wake up fifteen minutes earlier to jog there before getting ready for work.
Choose activities that are relevant to your life. Then, you’ll feel a commitment to the task. The dog needs to be walked, no matter what. And you definitely want your morning coffee! When you feel dedicated, your efforts are less likely to stagnate.
Get someone else involved. Getting an easygoing workout buddy is a great way to keep activity levels up. Grab a neighbor and walk to the park every day. When at the park, sit on the swings or walk the trails while enjoying conversation. Then – of course – walk home. You’ll be amazed at how many calories you’ll burn!
2. Eat summery meals. Summery meals are characterized by being refreshing, simple, tasty, and healthy. Even though summer is only peeking through the clouds right now, try to adapt to a summery diet of fruit bowls, spinach salads, grilled salmon, vegetable kebabs and other fresh options.
It’s okay to crave sugary foods, but some choices are better than others. It’s best to feed your sweet tooth now in order to avoid a binge later. Sweet treats like watermelon, frozen yogurt and grape tomatoes all make for summery, healthy, and satisfying snacks.
Use the grill. If you’re making a Chicken Caesar salad, grill the chicken rather than simply baking or cooking in a pan. This adds visual interest and a nice smoky taste. You can also grill almost any vegetables that are going into the salad.
Prep your meals in advance. Dishes like salads and fruits are easy to prepare ahead and store in an airtight container. Marinate your meat and fish rather than cooking it ahead because it can lose its moisture once cooked.
3. Wear your swimwear. Wearing your bikini or swim trunks underneath your clothing is a simple and effective way to motivate yourself to stick to any diet, fitness, and weight loss goals you’ve set. Alternately, you can just try it on every day.
If you’re not seeing the results you want to see, you’ll be motivated to work harder. But if you are seeing results, you’ll be encouraged to increase your efforts because you like what you see and want more of it!
If you’re uncomfortable wearing a bikini, choose the next best thing. Wear your “thin” summer clothes. Or purchase your ideal summer outfit in a realistic target size. Use this outfit as inspiration. The goal is to fit into it comfortably by the start of summertime.
Window-shopping is also a good motivator. Head to your favorite website and check out their summer look book. Then, fill your shopping cart with items that will look fabulous on your smoking hot summer body! You can pretend-spend as much as you want without shelling out a dime.
Losing weight is rarely a quick task, but it is simple. By breaking it down into manageable slices of effort, your goals are much more attainable. And when summer arrives, you’ll have the leaner, healthier body you deserve!
