Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
Swimsuit season is looming closer, and regardless of whatever’s happened in years gone by, you can be ready for it this year! If you’re tired of worrying about how you’re going to hide your body when the weather gets warm, it’s time to get in shape. Stop your body shaming and commit to rocking that swimsuit this year with these 4 failsafe ways to get strong and healthy by summer.
Hire a Professional
It’s okay if you have no idea where to start. Maybe you’ve tried all the fad diet and exercise plans you can find on social media, but have been unable to stick with any of them for longer than a week (don’t worry, we feel you). Why not seek the help of a professional? A personal trainer can craft a meal plan and workout plan specifically for you. Most importantly, they’ll keep you accountable to them. It also may not cost as much as you’re imagining—many workplaces will pay for all or some of a personal trainer’s fees as part of their health and wellness program.
Control Your Portions
Contrary to what a lot of diets will tell you, it’s less about what you eat, and more about how much you eat. When you diet and deprive yourself of foods you love, you only set yourself up to binge later, all the while training yourself to believe they are “bad” and so are you. Controlling your portions means you can still eat all the foods you love, you just need to consume them in more reasonable quantities. Some simple ways to practice portion control are to read labels on boxes, divide up the food inside into the appropriate number of portions, and store those portions separately. When you visit a restaurant, cut your meal in half. Eat one half there and take the other half home to enjoy it later.
Eat More Frequently
The goal of eating more frequently is to teach your body that you are going to feed it consistently so that it will burn fat instead of storing it. When you eat more frequently, your blood sugar level remains more stable so that your body doesn’t get overly hungry, which can cause you to overeat and make poor choices. Constant blood sugar levels will help you make better choices at meal times and enable you to practice portion control more consistently. One important caveat—increasing the number of meals you eat should not increase your caloric intake. Instead, it should spread those calories out over a day.
Start Lifting Weights
You are already working to boost your metabolism by eating more frequently, you can add to those efforts by lifting weights. Many people ignore strength training in favor of cardio because they see a higher calorie burn with cardio per session. The truth is that weight lifting elevates your metabolic rate for up to 38 hours after a session, which can lead to a higher calorie burn overall. Additionally, the more muscle you create in your body, the more calories your body burns while it is resting and the more fat you can lose. As you increase your metabolic rate, your confidence will also skyrocket as you watch pounds fall off and muscle definition appear.
Commit to creating a body that you want to show off, not hide! Prepare for swimsuit season by hiring a personal trainer to create a fitness plan and keep you accountable to it. Practice portion control every time you eat and boost your metabolism by eating more often and lifting weights. Most importantly, believe that this can be your best summer yet!
To read more on topics like this, check out the health category.
