Our simple guide to looking your best this Summer. Hint: Start now!
What is a ‘summer / beach body’? The truth is, it can be whatever you want it to be. There is no specific criteria for how every-body should look during the summer months or at a beach. A summer body is simply a body, in summer. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Summer seems to be the time when most of us want to look our best. The time when we want to be more ripped, toned, slim.
Despite this desire, lots of people still fail to achieve their summer body goals and are left feeling insecure and unconfident during the holiday season. We want to break this disappointment cycle.
To help you achieve the results that you’re dreaming of, we’ve provided tips that cover appropriate time frames, actions, accountability methods and effortless additions to everyday life that will make all the difference come summertime.
So, if you really want to shine this summer, sit back, relax, enjoy the guide:
1. Start NOW
Some of us work well under pressure and always manage to pull things out of the bag last minute. Training to get visible results, however, is not something that you can do this with.
If you want results when the time comes, we recommend that you have at least 8 weeks of training prior to the date. Don’t leave it until the last minute to do something because that will only result in crash-dieting, poor training and poor results; a huge waste of your time.
2. Plan your meals and training schedule
If you’re on a fitness mission, a meal plan and training schedule will save you heaps of time, stress and diet slip-ups – you know the ones, where you end up buying a bland 400-600cal sandwich from Tesco and a muffin with your morning coffee because you didn’t prepare anything or eat a decent breakfast.
We’re not saying you can’t be flexible with your routine, but it always helps to stick to something 80% of the time. We find that preparing meals is kinder on the bank account too.
3. Eat and exercise according to your goals
This might seem obvious but - there is no point in reducing your calorie intake and focusing on cardio if you’re trying to build muscle. Likewise, if you’re looking to lose weight, you can’t achieve this by consuming the same amount of calories without increasing your activity, or simply eating less.
Educate yourself if you’re not quite sure how to achieve the results you want. Again, this is where planning ahead can help. We often find that having the proper knowledge instils confidence in people at the gym. Instagram is a great place to pick up training tips (if you’re following the right people) or speak to a PT at your local gym. Alternatively, you can always give us a call!
4. Be accountable and surround yourself with likeminded people
This shouldn’t be hard at this time of the year since the gym is always full in January - February.
We always find that the more someone attends the gym, the more they want to go and it’s no coincidence. There’s something about being around people who share common goals that motivates and drives us to work harder on them.
To be accountable, make a deal with a friend to get fit together, or reserve much-loved treats (like a latte or TV time) as rewards for going to the gym when you planned to.
5. Increase your normal daily activity
And finally, to enhance all that you’re doing in the gym, you could increase your daily activity outside the gym in a few simple steps. We have a great roundup of tips to incorporate more exercise (which doesn’t feel like exercise) into your daily routine here.
So, there you have it, our top tips for achieving your own version of a summer body. If you want to know more about what you can do to kill it this summer or achieve your dream results all year round, feel free to drop us a line.
Until next time.
M3 team.