Summer’s here, we can no longer hide behind our sweaters. 😩

When you think of the beach do you shutter thinking I’m  not ready!

Each morning when you get out of the shower and glance at yourself in the mirror and think is this the year I dust off my bikini?

Is this the year that I don’t need to wear a t-shirt and shorts over my bathing suit.

Maybe if I close my eyes and click my heels together 3 times, I’ll look like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.

Sorry, ladies, I’ve tried this and it doesn’t work, when you finally open your eyes, you’re still you.  Here are some tips that will help get and keep a bikini body.

Instead of rushing out and buying your dream bathing suit, tape a picture of it on your bathroom mirror and/or refrigerator to help keep you motivated to eat healthier and to get moving.

Face it, bathing suit 👙 shopping is stressful and can be de-motivating, wait until you feel good about yourself and your hard work before you hit the stores. Who knows maybe by then it will be on sale!

Achieving your new summer body isn’t about starvation.  It’s about making healthy choices.  I love and live by the 80/20 rule.  If 80% of ALL your meals are compiled of healthy choices, you are eating every few hours, and exercising then you can have a few pleasures to keep you from going off the dead end.

💦 Drink your water.  It helps cleanse your body of harmful toxins and by not taking in enough water, it can make losing weight hard and cause cellulite to appear more dimply.  Water is crucial to living a healthy lifestyle and keeps your body working in proper order.

I know it doesn’t make sense but when you eat frequently you will increase your metabolism.  When deciding what to add to your new eating plan, consider adding more fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish and dairy.

You’ll also want to avoid highly processed foods because they remove many of the nutrients your body needs just leaving you with empty calories and fat.

🚫 Don’t believe the hype! The information on the front of the food packages may be misleading, make sure that you read the back of the box, and read the ingredients.

If it has more than 5 ingredients or you need a PhD in biology to understand what’s inside, leave it on the shelf.

🍫 Limit the sweets/junkfood.  These foods contain empty calories and will only add on the pounds, sabotaging your efforts to lose weight and get bathing suit ready.  If you must have something sweet, try having some fruit. Craving salt? Try reaching for a pickle.

Want to lose belly fat?  Get some sleep. 💤 The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep, how much are you getting?  Without proper rest, the body can’t repair itself and when your body lacks sleep you more likely to reach for junk food to give you a quick rush of energy.

Keep your stress levels in check.  Increased stress levels can lead to increased levels of cortisol in your system.  This hormone is your enemy if you want to lose belly fat and increase muscle.  When we have too much of this hormone in our blood stream it causes or body to store fat around belly, decrease muscle building and reduce our immune system.

Remember there are no quick fixes to weight loss.  Cher once said, “If the perfect body came in a bottle everyone would have one.”  To get bikini ready, start by choosing a healthy lifestyle that includes good food choices, exercise and a good night sleep.

these are the types of things I will be talking about in my up coming summer school program. If you are interested in learning more click here. 

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