We can finally feel spring right around the corner and that means it is time to get your beach bod right! It has taken me a while to actually make these simple ways a habit and figure out if they are worth sharing but I can say that each one has become a no-brainer part of my every day lifestyle. Today I am sharing my 4
most simple ways to make sure I stay on track when it comes to not packing on extra weight. I am
by no means a fitness expert either; these are honestly just easy lifestyle changes to incorporate into your daily routine that will make a huge impact on your body and overall health.
1. Drink enough water. I cannot emphasize how important it is to use a 32oz. (at least) re-useable water bottle. Why? Because if you make it a goal each day to fill it up twice, you are setting yourself up for success. If you tell yourself to drink 8 glasses of water a day, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Who has time to count 8 glasses? On the other hand, it is pretty dang easy to remember just
two bottles (if they are giant enough). Easiest goal ever and makes the most difference in your skin, body, mood, sleep and overall health. I have a bunch of
32 oz. Nalgene Bottles in a basket in my pantry. They are my favorite to use because of the quality and wide mouth making it way easier to clean than the ones that have a skinny squirty mouth thing (I am so scientific with these terms, I know). (FYI: If you have an intense workout, you will definitely drink more than 64 oz. of water.)
2. Measure your steps. Walk that walk. Leave your desk at work. The best way to do this is to get a
fitbit or something similar. If you've never measured how many steps you take a day, you may be taking like 2 and not even know it. Okay, you're probably taking at least 2,000 but that is basically nothing, unfortunately. The suggested number of steps is 10,000/day and it is honestly very hard to reach that each day unless you are intentionally trying to or go on a run every day. Some people may think fitbits are ugly and while they aren't the
most fashionable thing on a wrist, you can use that as motivation to try and get your steps in before it's time to go out and see friends. Or check out
this. I'm still waiting on other companies to make more fitbit jewelry.
3. Think of fitness as something you want to do rather than something you feel like you have to do. Instead of always choosing to go out to eat to hang out with your friends, go take a fun fitness class together or just go on a walk somewhere. My new favorite way to do this is through a program called
ClassPass. I tried out ClassPass a couple months ago and absolutely
loved it.
Basically, you pay a monthly fee, not just for access to one place but to
countless fitness studios. I was able to try out FlyBarre, SyncStudio (hip-hop spin class), Pure Barre, Pound, Jazzercise, Hip-hop and much more. I was surprised about how excited every employee at each studio was when I told them I was using ClassPass. It is a fun way to meet up with friends and try something new. Zelle from
Southern Style and I tried out FlyBarre together and I have never felt more burning in my legs in my life. It's also a good way to challenge yourself to go outside of your comfort zone. I went to a few classes that I was a little nervous about but they ended up being so fun (ex. a hip-hop of 5 people). They also have a really simple-to-use app where you sign up for your classes and your phone automatically reminds you of all of them.
4. Snacks on deck. Get into the habit of bringing snacks with you everywhere you go. You never know when you'll get "hangry" and if you don't have something yummy and nutritious, you'll end up in the drive-thru line at Bojangles. My favorite snacks are: greek yogurt (Trader Joe's strawberry is the best), mixed nuts (Trader Joe's individual packs of Omega Trek Mix), Kind bars (Oats & Honey with toasted coconut), and carrots with hummus.
So, try some of these ideas out if you're not already doing them and let me know how they work!
Thanks for stopping by!
Shelby
