A healthy Summer…is it possible?!
This summer is a crazy one for me…I’ve just come back from a week holiday in Majorca followed by the first of my hen dos (I know, more than one is very excessive but I don’t care!). Hen do number 2 is this weekend and in a couple of weeks I’ve got the hen do of one of my best friends. The week after I’m getting married (eek!) and then we are heading to Italy for 3 days to celebrate with some friends from Oz. We get back and there is another party….it just keeps going!
Basically it is a summer of fun and celebrations. AMAZING and I have every intention of enjoying every second. However, alongside all this celebrating comes a lot of drinking and eating. How on earth do you stay on track when there is so much going on?
I suspect I’m not alone in this dilemma.
Does anyone else have the little devil on the shoulder that says ‘just don’t worry about it, have fun, enjoy yourself, eat what you want, drink what you want, life is too short, etc’? I most definitely do but it is up against my sensible ‘personal trainer’ voice that reminds me how rubbish I’ll feel if I drink and eat too much for too long. After all I want to feel good at my wedding and not a bloated, horrible mess.
With this in mind I have come up with a plan to help me relax and enjoy myself guilt free but not to fall off the health wagon completely. It has helped me so far and hopefully if you are currently enjoying a summer of socialising and holidays, it will help you too.
Top tips for a healthy Summer:
Keep in mind that you want to feel your best
It is all very well letting your hair down completely but if you start to eat and drink whatever you want, you will start to feel pretty rubbish. Plus, it is easy to slip into bad habits. When you eat too much or drink too much your body will crave junk foods. Keep giving into it and you’ll sink into the cycle of sugar highs and lows which are difficult to break. You’ll feel sluggish, bloated and your skin will suffer.
When you are celebrating and socialising, you want to glow and feel your best. To do that you do need to fill your body with good foods, drink plenty of water, sleep and exercise.
Find a balance
To feel your best while still making the most of each social occasion you need to find a balance. If, like me, you’ve got a lot on this summer, you might want to aim for maintenance rather than weight loss. This means you have a little more leeway and if you can stay focused for 80% of the time you can enjoy the other 20% without doing too much damage.
On holiday I chose to either have a drink or have a pudding – never both at the same time. I made sure I ate a super healthy breakfast with plenty of fruit and I did a quick burst of exercise every day. This helped ensure I didn’t come back feeling horrible and bloated yet I still enjoyed everything and didn’t feel like I was depriving myself. It also helped it feel like a treat when I did have an ice-cream, etc. If you allow yourself to eat/ drink whatever you want, it quickly changes from being a treat to being normal and you just don’t enjoy it as much.
So if you have a big weekend coming up, make your week as healthy as possible. Eat to glow and exercise as much as you can. Not only will you get to the weekend feeling amazing and ready to celebrate but also you’re much more likely to get back on it afterwards as you know how good it makes you feel.
Move as much as possible
You might not have time to fit in as much exercise as you’d like so instead make exercise work for you. Fit in quick bursts rather than full on sessions and you’ll still get all the benefits. Try a quick HIIT workout for 15 mins each day and I promise you’ll feel the benefits.
Here is one to try if you need some inspiration:
30 seconds of each of the following x 3 rounds (rest for 30 secs between rounds)
Set one:
- Burpees
- Star jumps
- Mountain climbers
Set two:
- Squat thrusts
- High knees
- Squat jumps
Remember to have a little warm up first and cool down after but really go for it!
At the very least, go for a walk before or after a meal – it really helps digestion and will help prevent the bloated, sluggish feeling.
Get back on it
If you have a day/night/weekend of over indulgence, don’t give up completely. You will feel a bit rubbish the next day and you will have to use every ounce of your will power not to reach for junk food… but if you can get up, drink lots of water, fill your body with goodness and get out into the fresh air your body will thank you for it. It’s like hitting a reset button, stopping the slide downwards!
Indulge in regular pampering
If you look good, you’ll feel good and it’ll encourage you to stay on track.
Drink more water than normal
It’ll help flush out your system, prevent dehydration and keep your skin glowing. When out and about, if you can stick to the rule of a glass of water for every alcoholic drink then you will help minimise damage and hopefully you’ll escape a hangover!
Have at least 3 consecutive alcohol free days each week
Give your liver a chance to recover by taking some time out. Where you can switch to water and if you find water a bit boring, try experimenting with fizzy water, lime or fresh fruit.
Have a portion of fruit and veg at every meal
Don’t try to completely overhaul your diet when you are super busy, just do your best. One piece of fruit/ veg at each meal will definitely help! Or, if you want to put a lot of goodness into your body in one go, try whipping up a smoothie. There are loads you can try – just aim to include veg as well as fruit to balance out the natural sugars. One of my favourite combinations is: 1 small banana, handful of cherries, 1/2 a small avocado, handful of kale, tablespoon of cacao powder and almond milk. It tastes like a chocolate cherry milkshake!
Remember to have fun but aim to feel good and look after yourself at the same time. It is possible to have a healthy Summer!
If you enjoyed my blog and found my advice useful, you’d love my 8 week online Kickstart Programme…all about making health and fitness part of your life. Create healthy habits that will last forever more. No more dieting – learn to enjoy life and stay healthy. Click here for all the info.