Staying Accountable This Summer
Let’s rewind a few months ago. There was snow on the ground and you were probably hitting the gym hard and eating clean healthy foods (especially if that was your New Years Resolution!)
Now fast forward to the present moment – summertime has finally arrived!! We have been waiting for these warm, sunny days for months and months. However, now that summer has arrived so have patio drinks, barbeques, and sugary cocktails. Many people feel as though they are falling off the wagon at this time of year.
Summertime is actually harder to stay on track compared to holiday time in December. This is because summer is a much longer season. The worst thing you can do is make excuses and get into bad habits.
#1. Workout!! Set your alarm clock, get out of bed, and get your workout done in the morning. As a coach I hear constant excuses in the summertime:
- “I will just do my workouts outside this month”
- “I’m not going to the gym for the summer because I am busy every weekend”
- “I am going to walk outside”
- “I am busy playing ball, soccer, etc.”
Just go to the gym. Get up, jump out of bed and get a sweaty, intense workout done right in the morning! Working out makes you happier, gets those endorphins pumping, will make you more confident, and set you up for a great day!
#2. Always bring a healthy dish with you when you are invited for dinner. Make a giant bowl of grilled veggies, or a fresh greek salad, or even a vegan macaroni and cheese! The internet is a wonderful tool to find healthy, clean, fresh potluck friendly dishes!
#3. Veggies, Veggies and More Veggies! Have a side of veggies with every meal! You can grill anything: peppers, zuchinni, onion, eggplant, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, tomatoes – even grilled romaine is delicious! Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill them up!
#4. Make a plan for camping. As a nutrition coach I hear “but eating healthy while camping is impossible.” That, my friends, is just another excuse. Once again, google some healthy camping recipes and treats. My favorites are:
- Apple Slices with cinnamon and butter in a foil packet over the fire
- Roasted Nuts
- Popcorn
- Campfire nachos
- Homemade muffins
- Homemade granola bars
- Foil packet dinners
- Burgers (there are so many different varieties to try!)
- Salads
#5. Drink water! It is so easy in the summer to drink ice tea, soda’s, juice, beers, cocktails, etc. Set those aside and get your water in! Take half your body weight and that is how much you should be drinking in ounces every single day. Infuse it with some fresh cucumbers, or strawberries, or blueberries or even some mint if you want something a bit different!
#6. Get outside. Most people living in Saskatchewan are quite deficient in Vitamin D because we are cooped up inside for the majority of the year. Get outside and soak up the sun! Go for a walk, kayak, bike ride, canoe, hike, etc.
#7. Continue to set goals. Just because it is summer, and you are going to be enjoying some holidays is no excuse to not continue to set goals. Attached is a goal setting worksheet to fill out every single month.
#8. Enjoy! Summer is short lived, so soak it up and enjoy! Of course, you are not going to be perfect, no one is! Enjoy the delicious foods like barbequed burgers, chicken, ribs, salads and veggies. Treat yourself to the occasional summertime cocktail and ice cream treats. But, stay away from the processed junk like chips, fast foods, hot dog buns, slurpees, etc.