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If summer seems to have come out of nowhere and you are suddenly stressed that bathing suit season has arrived and your body isn’t bathing suit ready, relax!  You are not alone.  The truth is that most of us are looking for ways to get fit and to stay fit and summer is a great time to take on that challenge.  The days are longer, the atmosphere is more relaxed, and most importantly, you are less likely to be running here and there for lessons and practice and activities since the kids are out of school.  The key to making this summer THE summer that you get fit for the long-term is discipline and here are some tips to help you get going so that this can be the most successful summer ever!

1.  Slow Down

We live in a fast paced, multi-tasking world which has affected the way most of us eat.  We eat fast, don’t chew properly, and jump up to get going on the next thing we have to get done.  So your first task is to slow down since studies show the slower you eat the lower your BMI is likely to be.

2.  Make Eating In the New Dining Out

While we know you don’t want to hear it, eating a meal you cook in your own kitchen is almost always going to be healthier, lower in calories, and lower in fat than eating out.  So, find some new recipes, stock up your pantry, and get propane for the grill so you can make your own delicious dishes at home.

3.  Don’t Wing It

Taking five minutes in the morning to figure out what you are going to eat for lunch and how to satisfy that snack craving at 3:00 can be the difference between losing a pound this week and gaining one.  When we don’t plan ahead we end up eating whatever is easily available which is rarely the thing that is healthy, nutritious, and low in calories.

4.  Get Your Snack On

Despite the frequent admonition that snacking is bad, including two snacks in your daily meal plan can actually help you lose weight as long as you are choosing healthy snacks.  Now, go back and read number three again.

5.  Assemble a Team

One of the hallmarks of people who lose weight and keep it off is that they have a small group of go-to meals and snacks that they use over and over to help stay on track.  Get yourself moving in the right direction by pulling together a quick list of easy to make options that you like to eat so that when you are standing in the kitchen and 6:58 AM wondering what you can bring for lunch you already have your answer.

Losing weight and getting fit are challenging for anyone but committing to taking small steps every day to get your weight down and your fitness up will benefit every aspect of your life.  So, while your body may not be “bathing suit” ready right now, that doesn’t mean you can’t love how you look in a bathing suit at some point this summer, it just means you need to get started.

Related articles

• 2 Small Steps to a Healthier Diet (fillyourplate.org)
• 5 Tips for Starting Your New Year’s Diet Off Right (fillyourplate.org)
• How Small Steps in Our Diet Can Reap Real Rewards (fillyourplate.org)