Even though we spend the majority of the year preparing for summer months to get our beach-ready bodies, it’s imperative that we do not neglect a healthy lifestyle when the vacation starts. While plenty of soaking up the sun, beach parties and carefree life during holiday months will feel awesome, you should also try your best to keep your body in shape and don’t have too many cheat meals. While it’s okay to give yourself some break, you should not forget about all those months you spent breaking seat and eating healthy because that may cost you a lot more than you think. To make sure you don’t go off the rails, check out an easy guide we’ve come up for you.
Practice water sports
Since you’ll be spending plenty of time at the beach and outdoors in general, you might as well put that time to good use and start practicing water sports. Swimming shouldn’t be just recreational, but you should make some time to work on your laps for the purpose of keeping your abs tight throughout the summer too. Did you know that swimming is also great for improving your posture and benefit your lungs? That’s right, taking laps will help you sit and walk straight again too, as a sedentary lifestyle is likely to affect your posture.
Paddling, kayaking, surfing and water skiing are also some of the wonderful water sports that will help you stay in shape. Paddling will increase your muscle strength in the back, arms, shoulders and chest. Considering paddling is a low-impact activity, you’ll also reduce the risk of wear-and-tear joints and tissues. Kayaking is a great activity for increasing torso and leg strength because the strength to power kayak comes from rotating the torso and applying pressure with your legs. Surfing is a fantastic full-body workout that also improves your balance and core strength, so feel free to splash around and work on your fitness while riding the waves.
Fuel up with H20
Your body needs plenty of water during the hot summer months in order to stay healthy and keep you going. Therefore, make sure you do not cave in and start loading up on refreshing sugary beverages and cocktails but stick to the good old H2O. Make it more delicious by sparkling it up with slices of lemons, limes or oranges. Throw inside a few mint leaves, ice and raspberry for an added fruity flavor. Squeeze some lemon in a tall glass of iced water to make a refreshing drink that won’t taste as sour as lemonade but just lemony enough to give a bit of twist to flavorless water. Do you like your water fizzy maybe? If so, feel free to make it more delicious by adding grapefruit and thyme for the ultimate refreshing taste. Cool it down and enjoy a perfect alternative for sugary iced teas.
Watch your diet
After staying active and drinking plenty of water, watching what you eat is the next most important factor that will affect your weight. If you were able to stay away from junk food in the winter and spring, there’s no reason to have cheat days more than once a week. Blueberry oatmeal, chickpea, avocado and feta cheese salad can be awesome breakfast choices, for example. Just because BBQ will be such a common practice during summer, it doesn’t mean you have to devour burgers and greasy meat, but take your veggies and grill them too, for a nice yummy lunch. If you don’t feel like cooking in the heat, feel free to have some of the healthy My Muscle Chef meal plans made for you, and pick how many meals a month you want to have delivered to you.
Take workouts outside
Summer is the perfect season to start working out in nature. Grab your bicycle and start cycling every day for at least an hour. Whether you decide to go ride through the town, at the park or maybe by the beach, fresh air will do you good, and make your workouts much more pleasant than at a stifling gym. Hiking is also one of the great activities that will help you stay in shape during summer. Do you plan to go camping on weekends? If so, look for the unexplored trails with your friends and go hiking to work on your cardio and improve your flexibility. Running has never been more enjoyable than by the beach with a gentle summer breeze. So, feel free to go to a morning or evening jog by the beach and add some intensity to the workout. If running on the sand seems to difficult, feel free to switch to the trim lane and go jogging on concrete.
Do your workouts when it’s not too hot
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you should only workout outdoors when it’s not too hot. Namely, choose either early mornings or evenings for your exercise sessions. Running, swimming or biking when the sun is at its peak is not good for your body because it can cause hat strokes or body overheat. Don’t risk fainting in the middle of the park, or burning your skin, but choose the time you go outside wisely, and do not forget to slather on SPF too. You want your skin protected at all times, so get a baseball cap or some other type of hat that will protect your head and face from the sun, while allowing you to workout carefree.
Final thoughts
Staying fit only requires determination, discipline and commitment. Your body should feel and look great all year long, simply because that way you’ll also make sure your body is healthy. Don’t risk gaining weight and putting your health in jeopardy just because you lost control over dessert indulging. Work out every day, hydrate and take care of your diet even during the holiday season to make sure you are not out of shape once summer is over.
