Last Updated on October 28, 2021 by Andrew Blakey
Get In Shape Before Vacation
With the borders finally beginning to reopen, many of us have decided that we want to get in shape before we walk on those sandy beaches, and strut around the poolside areas with our friends, families, or significant others. Here’s 11 things you can do now to start working towards a more confident you.
Make Exercise A Part Of Your Daily Routine
Whether that means going for a walk in the morning before work, or doing a workout during your lunch break – start to make fitness an enjoyable part of your daily routine to help you get in shape.
Working out will not only help you to get in shape before your vacation, it will also help with stress and help you live a happier, more successful life as well.
Pick one thing you can do each day that will start to help move you towards your goal.
Start Today!
If you’re one of the people who are looking to make fitness a part of your life, then get started TODAY! I’m going to give you the hard truth and say there’s likely no reason to keep putting it off.
Something as simple as going for a walk this evening, can make a big difference over the long haul and help start moving you toward your goal to get in shape. If your goal is to lose between 15 and 20 lbs before the holidays, that means that to lose a healthy weight of 1-2 lbs per week, you would need to get started about 8 weeks before your departure.
Set A SMART Goal
A Smart goal is something that is Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. If you can set a goal that meets all of those criteria, you are putting yourself in a position to make it happen. You are much more likely to succeed, if you have a goal that you are working towards. By making consistent small progress, week after week, you can make a massive difference over time.
Hire A Trainer
If you’ve been trying to lose weight or get in shape for quite some time now and it seems like nothing is working, consider hiring professional help!
Many trainers will answer your questions for free if making a difference in someone’s life is something they’re actually passionate about (they should be, or you shouldn’t be hiring them!). Feel free to ask myself questions any time, I’m more than happy to give you some guidance!
You can also download our free Beginners Guide To Fitness where you can learn from a bunch of videos that will teach you everything you need to know to get started!
The Million Dollar Equation
Weight Loss = 80% Diet, 20% Workout. If your goal is to simply lose weight, then you NEED to be conscious of the food you’re putting into your body. While although this equation isn’t exactly science backed in terms of actual percentages, it’s extremely important to know that if your diet isn’t what it should be, neither will your body be. Start tracking your food and being aware of what you put into your body on a daily basis.
Working out has so many other benefits that help to improve your life and your health, but if your goal is simply to lose weight, you need to know what you’re putting into your body and how much of it.
Women’s health magazine has an awesome article explaining how weight loss and diet vs exercise are related!
Caloric Density Explained
One of the things you’ve probably heard is that “carbs are the enemy”.
While there’s nothing wrong with carbs in general, they are what we refer to as a calorically dense food (more specifically things like breads, pastas, and other starchy foods).
Think about this 200 calories of high caloric density food such as pasta would be roughly a cup. This is compared to something like a vegetable in which you would have to eat 4-5 cups of cooked broccoli to get 200 calories. Start eating your meals with high proportions of vegetables.
Limit Your Drinkable Calories
One of the most common sources of hidden calories I see in someone diet is actually the calories hidden in things such as sodas, and juices. These hidden calories can impose havoc when it comes to the goal to get in shape.
In just one cup of juice you’re looking at around 130-150 calories. For most people they don’t just sit down and have a single cup of juice so you’re looking at around 250-300 calories with very little nutritional value.
Be aware of how often you’re drinking these liquid calories as well as how much.
The Snack Is Back
With so much information on the internet these days you’ve probably read things talking about how it’s better to eat multiple small meals a day than a couple large ones. While I’m not here to refute one side vs the other, they both have controversy about them both – I want to help you understand how snacking can ruin your fitness goals.
Compared to the late 1900’s we’re snacking more than ever. While much of this snacking has come due to the increase in marketing campaigns being presented to us by large corporations, snacking in of itself is not a bad thing.
It’s the choices we make for what we’re snacking on, that are ruining our fitness goals. Are you snacking on things such as carrots and hummus, or are you snacking on things that could essentially be an entire meal (i.e sandwiches, fast food, etc).
Don’t Fall Back To Your Old Habits
One of the things that I see all too often is that once people reach their goal, they fall back into their old habits. They think that now that they’ve reached their goal, that they are in the clear, which isn’t the case AT ALL. If you had a certain set of habits while at your old weight, if you resort back to them, you’re going to gain that weight back.
By implementing fitness and healthy eating into your life, you are changing your lifestyle and this is something that has to be looked at as a long term life change rather than a short term fix.
I want everyone to understand that it is very possible to reach your goals but you need to have a plan in place, and you need to stick to it. Sure, you may fall off the plan here and there, but always be moving forward because no one is going to do the work for you!
Work With Us To Get In Shape!
If you’re going away for vacation and are looking for a plan to help you get to where you want to be, contact us for a free action step meeting where we can help point you in the right direction and even talk about getting you a custom program made for you and your goals!
Written by Owner | Andrew Blakey
