Beach vacations and days at the swimming pool are right around the corner, and it’s time to break out that swimsuit. For some, that’s exciting! But if you don’t feel confident, you might wonder how to get ready for summer.
Here’s the thing; there’s no such thing as a “beach body.” Proudly wearing a swimsuit is more about your confidence and comfort level than how you look to others. If you feel happy and healthy, put on your swimsuit and have fun!
But if you don’t, there are things you can do to feel better about your body without starting crash diets or following bad, unhealthy advice from celebrities and influencers.
So, if you want to get ready for summer the healthy way, this is how.
Get Ready for Summer by Starting Small
When most people decide to get in shape, they feel the need to change everything all at once—significant calorie reduction, no more of their favorite foods, strict exercise routines, etc.
While the desire to be healthier is admirable, those massive shifts usually don’t last when you do them all at once.
Instead, make small but meaningful changes, especially to the least healthy aspects of your life.
For example:
- If you eat fast food three times a week, cut it down to just once. Or, choose a salad and an unsweetened tea instead of a burger, fries, and a Coke.
- Start meal-prepping your lunches during the weekend to replace fast food and frozen dinners.
- Swap most of your sodas with flavored carbonated water (or just water!) and allow yourself only one soda a week.
- Do you have a dog? Walk an extra 10 minutes with them, adding about 1000 steps to your daily total. Or take walks in the morning and evening. It’s as good for them as it is for you!
- Add little bursts of exercise to your day, such as standing leg lifts while you brush your teeth or jumping jacks while waiting for food to heat up. Or, schedule a mini-exercise routine in the morning or when you get home from work. Even small amounts of exercise have enormous benefits!
Once you’ve incorporated small shifts into your daily habits, it’ll be much easier to make bigger, longer-lasting changes. Plus, you’ll quickly start noticing some weight loss, increased stamina, and more energy, helping you get ready for summer.
Start small and incorporate healthier habits into your daily life.
Drink More Water
One of the easiest and most impactful ways you can get ready for summer and improve your health is to increase your water intake.
Replacing sugary drinks with water is a quick and effective way to cut unnecessary calories from your diet. Plus, cutting back on sugar has many other benefits as well!
On top of that, drinking cold water helps you burn calories. It also decreases your appetite, which can help you make healthier choices about what to eat and how much.
Follow a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet may differ slightly for each person. However, the primary goal is to get all the vitamins and nutrients you need from your food. With sufficient nutrients, your body can stay active, maintain a strong immune system, and perform necessary bodily functions.
Most meals should consist mainly of vegetables and fruit, healthy grains, lean protein, and a small amount of healthy fats (such as salad dressing) and water or other unsweetened drink.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health visualizes this in its perfectly illustrated Healthy Eating Plate.
Being mindful of the foods you eat also helps you limit the ones you don’t need, such as salty snacks, overly processed food, and sugary treats. You don’t have to avoid them altogether, but having a set weekly limit will give you the control you need to help you lose weight.
Following a balanced diet helps you lose and maintain weight.
Counting Calories
For weight loss or maintenance, you also need to consider how many calories you consume and how many you burn. Four thousand calories of broccoli is still four thousand calories, which is much more than most of us need.
How much you eat is almost as important as what you eat.
The number of calories you should consume is based on your age, gender, height, activity level, health, and whether you are looking to lose, gain, or maintain weight. To lose weight, you probably need to consume less than the average number of calories you’d typically need.
For women, that amount is between 1800-2400 calories, and men typically require 2200-3000. Those who are over the age of 60 may need less.
Due to these vast ranges and the many factors affecting them, only your doctor or nutritionist can give you an exact amount with specific recommendations.
However, this calorie calculator can give you a reasonable estimate of your caloric needs based on your information and goals.
Many apps can help you track calories to help you get ready for summer. Plus, these apps factor in how many calories you burn throughout the day, an essential factor during weight loss.
Since you need adequate fuel for your body, most calorie-counting apps calculate net calories, which are those you’ve consumed minus the calories you’ve burned through exercise and daily activities.
While cutting calories alone may not help you lose weight quickly, you will start to shed pounds over time.
Move More
When you combine a healthier, calorie-reduced diet with more exercise, you’ll see results even quicker.
If you have a relatively sedentary lifestyle, which means you typically sit during work and don’t have a regular exercise routine at home, increasing your movement in any way can have huge benefits.
Start small with a daily 10-minute walk or a twice-a-week yoga class. Moving your body more will burn more calories and speed up your metabolism.
If you’re more active, you might want to start switching it up. Our bodies get used to the same movements. So, if the majority of your exercise comes from walking or jogging, replace two sessions with strength training. Or if you only lift weights, start mixing in some cardio.
Finding the time and motivation to work out regularly can be challenging. Some people find it helpful to stay accountable by working out with friends or investing money in equipment or a gym membership.
Find an accountability method that works for you, and you’ll have an easier time increasing your physical fitness. Not only will it help you get ready for summer, but it’ll also increase your lifespan and health and decrease your pain and risk of injury.
Exercising and moving more will help you get ready for summer.
Consider Medical Weight Loss
Indeed, losing weight the healthy way doesn’t seem as quick as crash dieting. (We’ll explain why that’s not real weight loss in a bit.) However, medical weight loss can help you lose weight more quickly and efficiently. And the results tend to last longer than with diet and exercise alone.
Medications like Semaglutide help you lose weight by decreasing your appetite and helping you gain control over your eating habits. It works even better when you eat a more balanced diet and increase physical activity.
While it is safe and effective for most people, talk to your doctor to ensure it’s right for you.
Get Ready for Summer the Right Way
Celebrities and influencers often talk about new highly-restrictive diets and weight loss products.
It’s important to remember that these people are not doctors. The majority of those products just don’t work and aren’t backed by science in any way. They’re paid to talk about them.
And crash diets may help you shed pounds quickly, but it’s usually only water weight and lean muscle, not body fat. You might even gain more weight when you start eating regularly again.
Making healthier choices about what you eat and drink, increasing your physical activity, and taking doctor-approved medication may not produce the results as quickly as you’d like. But they will improve your chances for long-term weight loss success.
A healthier lifestyle will help you get ready for summer this year and stay ready every summer after!
