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7 Ways to Fit into Your Itty-Bitty Bikini

April 14, 2015 by

girl in yellow polka dot bikiniOkay, do you hear that ominous music in the background? It sounds a lot like “dun dun dunnn.”

Oh wait, that’s just the sound of bathing suit season rapidly approaching!

Don’t fret—we’ve come up with 7 ways to get you back in that itty-bitty bikini in no time!

These aren’t crash diets either. They are just 7 easy and healthy tips to incorporate into your day to lose those extra winter pounds.

Here’s to being bathing-suit ready this year!

1.    Fill up on vegetables

Waiting to eat until you’re absolutely starving can lead to bad cravings and poor eating choices, so it’s important to eat consistently throughout the day.

Recommendation #1: don’t skip meals.

Sure, you might not be hungry right then, but that hunger will come back with a vengeance later—and it might be in the form of a pizza.

Recommendation #2: fill your plate up with veggies. Vegetables are incredibly filling, and you can pile your plate full of them.

2.    Start the day on a healthy note

Yes, you’ve probably been beaten over the head with this one. Why? Because it is SO important. The National Weight Control Registry, which monitors people who have been successful at weight loss of 30 pounds or more, reports that eating breakfast is one of the weight loss behaviors that most successful participants share (78%).

Starting the day eating something healthy will also help you stay on the right track for the rest of the day. A good rule of thumb is keeping breakfast to 300 calories or less. Try whole grain toast with natural peanut butter. If you’re not usually hungry around breakfast, a fruit smoothie will still stave off snacking later.

3.    Get rid of temptations

Are you serious about cutting the calories? Rid your house of temptations. Trash or donate anything in your cabinets and fridge that call your name in moments of weakness.

Instead, fill up your kitchen with easy go-to healthy foods. Keep ready-to-grab cut-up fruits and veggies always in hand. Using pre determined serving-size tupperware containers are a great way to prevent over-snacking.

4.    Eat less, exercise more

Sure, this one is kind of a no-brainer. But think about it as a math equation. Calories in=calories out.

You can’t lose weight if your calorie intake is substantially more than what you work off. Keep track of how many calories you take in throughout the day and compare to how many you’re burning at the gym.

5.    Stay away from sodium

Foods and beverages with a large concentration of salt make your body retain water. Skip the margarita and salty snacks, and shoot for something with lower amounts of sodium.

Be careful—make sure to check the label; sometimes it’s surprising which foods have a large salt content. In addition, make sure to drink lots of water to flush out impurities in your body.

6.    Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Staying hydrated is the golden rule of weight loss. The Mayo Clinic recommends women drink 2.2 liters and men drink about 3 liters. When you drink plenty of water, your body is able to flush out toxins, and you’re able to stay fuller longer.

7.    Burn calories throughout the day

By just making a few changes to your daily routine, you’d be surprised how many calories you can work off! Here are a few recommendations:

  • When you wake up in the morning, do a five-minute exercise routine of jumping jacks, squats, and sit-ups.
  • Park in the back of parking lots so you can walk a little bit farther.
  • Take quick breaks after 45 minutes at work to walk around your building or do some jumping jacks—it’ll help you stay more focused, too!

Join us at the Breast Friends Forever Pink Ribbon Run March 6-7 in Myrtle Beach. Click here for more information…

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How to Log Your Workouts and Food Intake

June 22, 2011 by

Nutrition FactsAfter you’ve chosen a method to log your workouts and food intake, it’s time to get started tracking your progress.

Keeping records is a vital part of being accountable to yourself and staying on track. You’ll see your progress every day, week, and month, so you can celebrate your accomplishments. If your program needs changes, or if you’re having trouble in a particular area, your log will alert you right away. The following tips will help you easily track your journey to a healthier you.

Have a realistic goal, and write it down.

Before you begin your program, set your goals in writing. One way to set effective goals is to use the acronym SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time framed. What is realistic and attainable for you? Maybe returning to your weight at age 16 isn’t realistic, but returning to your weight at age 25 is. If you’re just starting a health program and have been inactive for a while, a triathlon may not happen this year—but would be a realistic goal for next year.

When you’ve decided on a goal, log it on your tracking tool. The simple act of writing it down sets it in your mind.

Plan your meals and workouts, and log them.

Setting and keeping a workout schedule and meal plan help you stay on track. The rigidity of the schedule is up to you. You may wish to be very specific and write out a menu and exercise plan every week, or you may simply block out exercise time and decide that day which activity to do. You may want to experiment to see what works well for you.

When you log your workouts, be as specific as you can. Note which machines you used at the gym and for how long, how many reps you did at which weight, or how many miles you walked.

Record not just actions, but also feelings.

When you’re trying to exercise and eat right, your feelings play a major role in your motivation to stick to your program. If you stray from your plan, it’s often because of negative emotions. If you can track those feelings, you can identify when they are likely to occur and plan accordingly.

Use logs to motivate, not discourage.

It’s common to feel discouraged if the scale doesn’t budge or you don’t see any progress. Don’t let it discourage you. It’s common to hit the occasional plateau, which is your body’s way of getting ready to move to the next level of weight loss or to that next exercise goal. Keep going and recording everything, and you’ll hit that next target before you know it. Take pleasure in other numbers, such as your dress size and your blood pressure.

Remember that each day is just that: one day.

You may not hit all your goals each day, and that’s OK. Life happens. The key is to keep a one-day slip limited to that day, and get back on track the next day.

Food intake and workout logs help you to see and understand your behavior, and remind you of your commitment to health. Daily tracking is essential for staying true to yourself and your healthy plan. When you have a system in place for tracking, your results are greatly improved.

How has your healthy progress improved by using tracking tools?

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