Written By Paisley Hansen / Reviewed By Ray Spotts
The days are getting longer, it’s getting warmer outside and the earth is slowly coming back to life. That can only mean one thing. Summer is right around the corner! Long days spent in a swimsuit are much more fun if you look good and feel good. Whether you’re looking to shed a few pounds or you’re looking to make your skin glow while rocking a bikini, these tips will help you get ready for the pool or beach this summer.
Diet and Nutrition
The essential key to getting your body summer ready is diet. Whether talking about skin health or diet, what you put in your body shows. It can be tricky to get started on a diet and even tougher to stay on track, so plan for success. Take the time to log and journal what you typically eat on a daily basis. Then review your food log and determine where you can make cuts or find healthier substitutes.
Benefits of Protein
If you can, plan to prepare some meals in advance. Prepping your food will cut out some of the temptation to reach for fast food or less healthy options when you’re going about your weekly routine.
This is also a great reason to have shakes made with isolate protein on hand. Snacks that are high in protein will curb hunger cravings longer and keep you from succumbing to that 3 p.m. sugar crash that comes from eating unbalanced meals that are high in carbs early in the day.
Choose Fruits and Veggies
As you’re reviewing and making changes to your diet, make sure to add in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well. Not only are these micronutrients high for your fiber and good for your gut, but they also contribute to healthy, glowing skin.
Add in ginger for its anti-inflammatory properties and tomatoes for lycopene, an anti-aging antioxidant. Avocados are great for vitamin E and they add healthy fat to your diet. Finally, load up on greens. Greens, especially spinach, are rich in vitamins like zinc and vitamin K. Zinc has been shown to reduce acne breakouts, while vitamin K has been shown to improve circulation.
Benefits of Exercise
When thinking about getting your body summer-ready, food is only part of the equation. It’s important to consider exercise as well. Cardiovascular activity will help you lose unwanted pounds. Plus, if it’s done outdoors, you’ll get the added benefit of some vitamin D from the sun.
Take Up Weight Training
Also consider adding weight training into your weight loss routine, in order to focus on body composition. Weight training will help tone your muscles, in addition to making you strong.
Exercise has great benefits for your skin too. Exercise increases blood flow, which nourishes your skin cells. When blood flow increases from exercise, it also carries away the bad stuff, like free radicals. This leaves your skin looking healthier.
Get Plenty of Sleep
As you're adding exercise into your routine and making healthy changes to your diet, it’s also important to focus on sleep and recovery. Sleep has tremendous health benefits and is really important, especially as it relates to stress. Putting your body under stress means you need to give it time to recharge, recover and get ready for challenges of the new day. This goes for physical strain from exercise or mental strain from work.
Alcohol and Sleep
Research has shown that most people need at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night. You may need more if you are under higher strain. The quality of your sleep is important too. Your body does a lot of repair work in deep sleep stages.
This is where drinking comes into play. It may seem easier to fall asleep after a glass of wine or two, but it’s more difficult for your body to get into the deep sleep stages it needs for recovery after a drink. Making these types of changes to your diet, exercise and sleep routines will not only get you beach ready. They will help you develop healthier habits for years to come.
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Written By:
Paisley Hansen is a freelance writer and expert in health, fitness, and growing young. When she isn’t writing she can usually be found reading a good book or hitting the gym. She loves hearing from readers so feel free to contact her through Facebook.
Reviewed By:
Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.
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