Get Your Summer Body — Finally

It seems like everyone‘s bodies have stubbornly hung on to their Quarantine 15 – the average pounds in weight people gained during the lockdown last year.

Were you stuck at home for several months with nothing to do but watch funny TikTok videos in your bed, then get random spurts of energy to finally get active, but have your energy fade away as soon as you put on your shoes? Before you knew it, one month had passed, and then another and another.

All I have to say is... same

It had been a stressful year and no doubt exercise had taken a backseat in our minds.

You’re probably a part of the millions of people who put “exercise more” on their 2021 New Year’s Resolutions list, looking to be more consistent and improve your overall health. You might be tempted to give up before you even get started. I’m here to tell you that you CAN do it and it’s not too late! Here are some tips to help you stay successful in your summer fitness goals:

1. Workout Outside Only

I tend to feel cooped up since I’m home all the time now, so I prefer to get my sweat on outside over my living room or home gym. Finding a safe, socially distanced area is important. For me it’s my backyard. The first step is to find your safe area and then enjoy the many benefits like:

No distractions.

No one will be there to bombard you with questions. Your cat won’t be able to sit on your lap during yoga. It would be just you, nature, and the fitness instructor blaring from your phone. Actually, an even better situation would be leaving your phone inside and just zoning in on your surroundings. Studies show going on your phone impacts your workout by 45%! If your performance is 45% your results will be 45%. And you want your results to be 110%. Try to make every second count.

Sunshine.

Sunshine increases serotonin, a hormone that makes you feel happy. It also triggers your body to make Vitamin D which is another hormone that is great for healthy bones and a strong immune system. That means you’ll be working on the inside of your body, as much as the outside! Might as well bottle up nature into a bottle and call it a miracle worker.

Fresh air.

Fresh air will make you feel rejuvenated! Research shows fresh air increases energy by up to 90 percent. It’s like natural coffee!

Also, here’s a pro tip: if you’re into yoga or Pilates rather than jogging, try doing the moves on grass for a change. Its softness prevents strain on the joints and injuries if you fall. I have yet to try this — the fear of ants crawling up my legs makes me shiver. If you have a bug phobia like me, whip out your mat on the grass instead.

2. Do Shorter Workouts

Lots of people think long workouts equal better results, but short workouts can give you the same results too. Think HIIT workouts — High Intensity, Interval Training. It can be from 20 minutes to even as short as ten minutes. It all depends on how much effort you put into it. Even though hour workouts sound better, in the long run, you’ll probably be more consistent with shorter workouts.

Another reason why you should try shorter workouts is you’ll have more energy in the day. I don’t know about you, but whenever I exercise long in the mornings, all day I’m in a sluggish mood. I don’t have any energy to play board games with my family, do work, or anything really. If you do short workouts, you’ll have a healthy balance between your fitness life and home life.

When you work out for long hours, your appetite will increase which puts your weight loss goals at risk. Studies show that short workouts like HIIT workouts, actually decrease appetite!

3. Replace Running With Walking

This is good news for everyone who hates running. Studies actually show that walking is just as good for weight loss as running. But not just weight loss — walking reduces belly fat, is better on the joints, and if you’re really dedicated (2 hours every week), it will lower your risk of death by 25%!

I can hear all the cardio haters rejoicing already.

Think walking is too easy? Challenge yourself by holding light dumbbells or wearing a weighted vest during walks. Another idea is to walk uphill, climb up stairs, or increase the treadmill incline. Your calf muscles will be made of steel by 2022!

4. Have Non-Exercise Exercise Days

Confusing, right? Well basically, instead of doing regular treadmill workouts every day, turn mundane stuff into exercises. You can have non-exercise exercise days on days where you’re feeling simply lazy. Here are some ideas:

• Vacuum. That push-pull movement will sharpen that biceps muscle. Vacuum for at least half an hour for an awesome arm workout.
• Carry groceries. Remember that burning sensation in your arms when you carry groceries to your house? Double that feeling by doing bicep curls on the way. Now THAT’S a workout. If you don’t have any new groceries, just reuse a plastic bag, fill it up with food, and walk around until you feel like you got a good workout.
• Carry a purse. This is just like the grocery one. If you find yourself carrying your purse somewhere, try doing 3 sets of 5 tricep overhead extensions. You’ll look crazy, and people will definitely laugh at you, but they won’t be laughing when you show off your toned arms this summer.
• Open the fridge. Next time you catch yourself looking for a snack in the fridge, complete 5 pushups against the fridge doors. The average person opens the fridge door 15 times a day, so that means by the end of the day you would’ve done 45 pushups.

Hold Yourself Accountable

Get someone to hold you accountable with your fitness goals. Whether it’s a personal trainer, workout buddy, joining an online gym group, or downloading a fitness app that has a support group, it’s important to get someone to help motivate you.

By surrounding yourself with people with the same goals you will create healthy competition to be your best self. Sure, you can keep your goals to yourself and surprise people with your results, but that means there’s a bigger chance you’ll quit since no one will know. 92% of people who set New Year’s goals never actually achieve them. Strive as much as possible to be that 8% of people who do achieve them!

Above all, have fun with your fitness journey and don’t take yourself too seriously! Don’t be afraid to switch up your routine every now and then and try something new. And remember that there will be days where you fall off but don’t give up on yourself. Give summer 2021 your 100%!