These tips will make staying on track this summer easy and enjoyable.
It’s time to start preparing our summer bodies.
To slim down and tone up, it’s not rocket science. We know what to do, but let’s talk about staying on track.
This just so happens to be the most challenging part of the process for many of us.
In the beginning, it’s easy. You’re high in motivation, pumped up, and ready to go. But as time passes, that motivation isn’t so strong anymore, temptations feel stronger–and it’s easier to feel distracted and fall off.
I used to feel intimidated by the idea of following a diet or workout plan. I thought I wouldn’t be able to follow through with one consistently.
If you feel this way, you’re not alone.
Don’t worry because I’m going to provide some of my favorite tools and methods that will help make your journey fun while achieving results quickly and effectively.
These are my absolute favorite ways of switching the gears for summer, and they work every single time. I’m going to break down the importance of a strong vision and self-love, and some quick diet and mindset hacks that simplify the process.
1. A Strong Vision at the Forefront of Your Mind
A strong and sturdy vision is the driving force behind all of the actions you take to reach your fitness goals.
It takes you places you could not go, otherwise.
Vision inspires action, pulls you through hard times, and keeps you going no matter how many times you fall off. It serves as a constant reminder of why you are working toward your goals.
A vision is applicable to all aspects of life, but I’ll narrow in on physique goals here.
Live in your dream body.
Make this image as tangible, and close as possible. The more you can feel what it’s like to live in the body of your dreams, the more likely you are to achieve it.
There are two ways to develop a vivid and clear picture of where you are headed.
First, begin the day by priming your mind, and building up a clear image.
- Use the first 5-10 minutes of the day to make your goal a priority. Visualize living in your dream body—get all 5 senses involved.
- Write out your goals in a way that puts you there already (For example, “I feel light, I feel strong/lean, I feel satisfied, I feel calm, etc.”). There is so much power in writing. Your chances of success are more than double when you physically write it out.
- Be selective with what you feed your mind—fill up your social media feed, watch videos, or read books that inspire you. Your environment has more influence than you may believe it does—you are subconsciously affected by your environment.
- As you go about your day, act as if you are already there. How would it feel, what levels of confidence would you have?
The second way to develop a strong vision, and even more effective, is to embody it.
- Take actions that physically bring you closer to your dream body. The more action you take, the easier it will be. It does not matter where you are starting from, or what has happened in the past. Action ignites movement, so no matter how you feel now, action influences and changes your mood.
- This is great for those moments when you have a hard time feeling motivated. In those moments, it’s best to take small actions that are, easy to do, yet easy not to do.
- What you choose to do is subjective. It can be a healthy swap at a restaurant, a workout, or just 10 jumping jacks in your room. No matter how small the actions are, they matter, and they count.
- This then builds positive momentum. After taking action, your mood changes, it’s not the other way around. While it is possible to wait for feeling in the mood for working toward your goals, doing so won’t get you far.
- The more momentum you have, the more it will start to work for you. What may feel daunting to start now, will eventually feel exciting, and easy.
Remember: EVERY action you take counts and matters—each and every effort is moving you in one direction, or the other. It’s just like a points system. Each time you take positive action, you accumulate points.
No matter how small the action is, it counts. It is moving you closer to your dream body.
On a final note:
We see ourselves in the mirror, every day. We live in our bodies 24/7, so it can be easy to get used to that sight, and feel the same.
Sometimes, it’s just helpful to know that all the work you put in is making changes, even when you don’t feel like it. Chances are, you’ve come very far.
Give yourself credit for all of the effort you’ve put in, and the hardship you’ve overcome. Life isn’t easy, yet you made it this far.
The key to staying on track is simply to show up.
Keep your vision alive with action. Contribute to it daily, and it stays strong in your heart.
As long as you continue to tend to your vision, it will be harder to fall off.
Your progress does not have to be perfect, it’s impossible that it always will.
There will be ups and downs but at the end of the day, you cannot help to make progress and improve at something that you consistently do.
2. Large Meals, Less Frequently
The process of getting to your summer body should not feel restrictive. Being too restrictive will be harmful in the long run. One of the best ways to lean out and feel satisfied is to fill up with large nourishing meals.
When you eat often, you continuously stimulate the digestive system and spike your blood sugar. This results in feeling hungrier throughout the day.
Eating less frequently helps to reduce appetite.
In addition, it’s good to allow the body time to clean itself out of toxins and reduce inflammation. This means you feel stronger, boost your immunity, and improve your mood.
By eating less frequently, you also feel more energized in between meals. The digestive system is a part of our parasympathetic system–this is the system responsible for slowing down and relaxing. Each time you eat, you activate it, this can result in sleepiness throughout the day.
Eating 3 times a day is sufficient. To make this process even easier, implement intermittent fasting–the fasting period helps to naturally reduce appetite and clean out the body.
It will be hard to tell you are in a cutting period when you do this. You’ll feel very satiated with large meals, naturally have a lower appetite, and feel energized, and clean from the inside out.
3. Hydration
Hydration plays an essential role in helping your body function at its prime.
Staying hydrated can help to curb your appetite when first adjusting to fasting and eating less frequently as well.
Mix things up and choose different beverages you enjoy. Drink beverages with benefits.
Coffee and brewed cacao are great for helping with focus throughout the day, providing energy, boosting mood, and suppressing appetite.
Lemon water is great for cleansing the organs of toxins, as well as teas, which have many other benefits.
Hydration, of course, promotes vibrant and glowing skin. (who doesn’t want that?)
4. Routine/Consistency
We are creatures of habit.
It’s easy to stick to a plan when a plan has some predictability.
Create a system for yourself, and find ways to automate habits so that you reduce effort and energy.
For example, preparing meals in bulk saves time and energy, rather than preparing each individual meal at meal time.
Personally, I like to cook all of my protein, carbs, and vegetables in advance so that I can quickly whip up meals and put more energy elsewhere.
If you have a plan that’s easy to follow through with, you’re most likely to stick to it.
Another way to boost consistency is to create a morning routine that you look forward to.
The morning is the prime time to set up the focus for the day.
Even a short amount of time can make a difference.
Take an action that connects you with your vision of your summer body.
This can be a short workout, planning of meals, or anything that helps contribute.
You start the day with positive momentum working in the direction of your goal. Start small, and once you turn those actions into habit, you can add more, or change it up.
In addition, it builds a lot of confidence to know that you achieve whatever you say you’re going to do. This is the best way to start.
5. Remember to Enjoy Yourself
Reward yourself for all of the hard work you do. You deserve it.
If you attach something positive with effort, your brain associates that action with something pleasant, and therefore wants to continue doing it.
Treat yourself and go somewhere fun on the weekend. Buy yourself a new outfit.
This creates a positive loop of action and reward that builds positive momentum to move you forward.
Have fun along the way.
The journey to living in your dream body is about learning how to enjoy being there.
6. Practice Self-Love
Self-Love can go a very long way.
The more you take care of your well-being, mentally and physically, the more you naturally want to help it and treat it with care.
You begin to lose interest in taking part in activities or consuming things that do not serve you.
For example, this past year, I began taking wood therapy classes. Wood therapy is the practice of lymphatic drainage/body sculpting massages with the use of wood tools.
I find this to be an excellent way to get in tune with my body and express self-love.I detox my system and it helps me to relax. The results are also exciting—I get to see more definition in my waist and define my curves.
As a result of putting in work to nurture my body, naturally, I want to take more care of it. The thought of consuming alcohol or processed foods feels has become unappealing to me. It feels damaging to put that into my body. I have found that I naturally want to eat more foods with benefits.
This is one of the many ways I practice self-care, and bring out the best in myself.
Practicing self-love also helps you to create stronger boundaries–the more you treat yourself well, the less likely you are to tolerate anything that can be harmful to you.
Self-acceptance is another aspect of self-love. Taking the time to appreciate the beauty you possess both inside and out. No matter who you are, or what you’ve been through, there is always beauty.
All of us have gifts that are unique to us.
While this post is about making changes and improving appearance, what’s most important is inner fulfillment.
You radiate a special glow when you are filled with self-love. It is also contagious and brings out a beautiful version to those around you.
It is absolutely okay to accept yourself now, while still working toward improvement.
Self-Love is the final element that will draw everything together.
What are your favorite ways to stay on track?
Feel free to comment down below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!