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Get in Shape for Summer

by Nicole Dorsey Straff
summer body inline

Photo courtesy of Piotr Bizior, bizior.com

So you’ve peeled off your layers but not those extra pounds you’ve been meaning to lose? Follow our top tips for slimming down, though slow and steady still wins the race. 

“Adopt a positive mindset that you’re making better choices you can stick with, so you can feel good about yourself at the end of this month and in the long-term,” says registered dietician Elisa Zied, RDN., author of Younger Next Week. The best part? You don’t need a gym membership to get in shape for summer by jumpstarting your fitness commitment and start tracking your food intake.

Exercise 10 or 20 minutes at a time. Twice a day.

Yep, you heard me, and no surprise here: One of the biggest hurdles to working out is making time for it. But even if you don’t have a gym with childcare, you work all day and commute, or “fill-in-the-obstacle-here,” nearly anyone can find a few minutes to move—and exercising in a few, short bursts a day counts just as much as finding one long window to work out. Start putting “exercise” on your iCal or day planner when you know you’ll have coverage for the kids or a spate of time after work. 

Then commit to it. “If someone asks you to do something else at that time,  you can tell them, truthfully,  that you have a prior commitment,” says Zied. Make workouts your top priority for your own stress-relief and wellbeing and see what happens to your commitment and your curves. Also, keep a training log.  Seeing how many minutes you devoted to exercise at the end of the week will help track progress and stoke your motivation.

Track what you eat and stop snacking after 7 p.m.

While exercise and eating right are the pinnacles of your plan, aim to consume only 1500 to 1800 calories daily. To stick to that goal, record everything that goes into your mouth. “The key to success is to be honest and accountable with yourself,” says Zied.

Fortunately, there are smartphone apps that take the tedium out of tracking. For example, Calorie Counter & My Diet Tracker by My Fitness Pal (free, iOS and Android) has a bar code scanner, so it can look up nutrition-label information straight from food packaging. You can also log exercise and add friends (and encourage one another’s progress). Calorie Counter Pro by MyNetDiary ($4, iOS and Android), which also lets you track calories and exercise,  allows you to compare food choices side by side; the app also gives specific pointers based on how you’re eating that day.

Reward yourself with a new bathing suit and a spa indulgence where you have to get naked. While summer vacation is ripe with temptations, it’s okay to indulge a little as long as you’re tracking calories and making healthy choices overall. Feel free to indulge in an occasional goodie from your favorite seaside shack on your vacation this year. You’ll be satisfied—and slimmer for summer.

Connect with Nicole @nicoledorsey1

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