Summer is a great time to lose weight! Weight loss is more difficult in the winter, when we are cooped up indoors and aren’t eating all the fresh fruits & veggies and drinking our water. But the summer sun beckons us to get outdoors, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, and lose that yucky winter blubber.
Here are five easy ways to lose weight this summer:
1. Eat your fruits & veggies. Grow your own in the garden or backyard orchard, or visit the farmer’s market and the pickup truck selling watermelons on the side of the road. Fill your plate up with fresh produce at every meal, and be much more modest with your meat and starchy consumptions. There are tons of “creative” ways to sneak more fruits and vegetables into our diets, so make a list and utilize those. Keep some grapes, melon balls, and your other favorite fruits chilled and ready in the fridge so that you can grab them (and bypass the ice cream, peanut butter, and chips) for a quick snack or meal. You can lose a lot of weight this summer by substituting healthy fruits and vegetables for junk food.
2. Drink your water. Isn’t is so much easier to drink lots of water in the hot summer time than it is during the rest of the year?! I do not have much trouble at all guzzling my ice water throughout the day while I am moving in the heat or coming in from digging in the garden. It is even convenient to keep a water bottle right by my computer mouse so I can sip on it constantly. Good old water will take you a long way when it comes to weight loss.
3. Get outside. Every chance you get, try to get out into the sunshine and burn a few calories. Sitting in a lawn chair watching your kids play does *not* make memories! Get up off that lounger and PLAY! Not only is this an easy way to lose weight this summer, but it will build your relationships with your loved ones. Toss a frisbee with your child, your spouse, or your dog. Bop a volleyball around or play some soccer. Take a leisurely walk with a friend or an MP3 player. Get out into the yard or garden and dig or weed for just 20 minutes a day. All of these things are easy ways to lose weight this summer.
4. Try interval workouts. My husband and I joined Jonathan Roche’s No Excuses Workouts last summer. It was a terrific, fun, and easy way to lose weight! I have forsaken it for the time being due to pregnancy, but I can’t wait to pick it back up in a few months. He has some great free workouts on his website, so check it out even if you don’t want to buy the system. You can lose a lot of weight just by doing a little 6-minute workout every day!
5. Get wet. Visit the pool, river, or lake and go swimming, which is a great way to get some fun exercise and an easy way to lose weight, get more info. If nothing else, just go run around in the sprinkler (or rain!) with your children and have some fun being active!
These are some really easy and fun ways to lose weight this summer. I hope that you will choose one to begin today.