With summer quickly approaching, feeling confident, fit, and energetic is a key component for this sunny season.

Although the circumstances are difficult right now, there are still many ways to prepare for the summer.

A healthy diet and fitness habits go a long way once they become a lifestyle. So, it’s important not to stray away from your routine just because you have achieved your summer body goals.

Here are six tips for building and maintaining a fit summer body:

 

 

1. Eat lots of protein, vegetables and healthy fats

 

Healthy fats, veggies, and protein help you feel energized and full, which helps control your hunger throughout the day. If you’re working out, protein plays a crucial role in the recovery process. 

 

Working out puts strain on your muscles and in effect, damages them. Eating the right nutrients, specifically protein, allows the muscle fibers to rebuild and become stronger. In order to improve and progress, it’s important to consume a lot of protein to make these repairs, which will then help build lean muscle and get rid of fat (just in time for swim season)! Also, let’s not forget protein keeps us full for longer, so that means less snacking or overeating.

 

If you’re in a bind and are unable to cook, there are other options that will still give you all the right nutrients you need. Our TrueFit comes with 25g of grass-fed protein, 10g of fruits and veggies, and only 170 calories-a complete meal in a shake.

 

 

2. Commit to LIVE fitness classes 

 

With gyms still being closed, it’s easy to lose motivation or stray away from your workout routine. There are many other things you can still do though to ensure you stay on your fitness track!

 

While it's easy to collect a bunch of virtual on-demand workouts, motivation can be sacrificed in the name of time/procrastination. Committing to live virtual classes if we can't leave the household keeps you accountable. So, when you do a live virtual class, turn your camera on so the world and instructors can see you. We bet you will work harder once you know you're being watched!

 

 

3. Build a schedule of meals

 

Get your calendar out and start organizing your meal schedule. Organizing it throughout the week lets you then funnel that into what you need to buy and prep for the week. This will save time, money, and optimize health. For example -- if you know you're dining out for lunch on Wednesday and Thursday -- no need to prep anything there! But if you know you're on your own Friday night -- you'll need to iron that out beforehand so you don't opt for takeout, if that's not in your plan.

 

Scheduling your meals gives you the control to meal prep and add the right portions of protein, fruits, veggies, and fats. Whereas if you decide to cook something last minute, it might lead to less healthy options ie. takeout, working with what you have in your pantry, etc.

 

 

4. Stock up on sauces

 

When snacking by the pool or at your summer picnic, bring fresh veggies over greasy carbs. We know it’s not the easiest to sub out potato chips for raw carrots, but using flavorful and low-calorie sauces can help! 

 

Raw broccoli? Not appetizing. But with Za'atar spice and mustard and guacamole - delicious! Stock up on plant-based sauces to get an extra nutrient boost and tempt yourself into eating more nutrient-dense meals. Opt for hummus, tahini, guacamole, salsa, chimichurri, pestos, olive oil, lemon and lime, yellow mustards, spice blends, etc. 

 

 

5. Make half your plate a plant

 

Before you put together any meal, make sure that half the plate is stocked with a vegetable. Cooked, raw, and a rainbow of colors ensure you're getting access to all the good phytochemicals. Alternate plants throughout the day and day to day so you get different nutrients from each one. Remember: plants are filling -- fiber -- and fun!

 

 

6. Cheat! 

 

By cheat, we mean occasionally buy pre-made foods! Grocery store items like rotisserie chicken, pre-chopped fruit and frozen veggies are great for making meals in a pinch. Think smoked fish, canned salmon, canned chicken, canned beans, canned tuna, etc-all healthy options but more convenient to make.

 

Making healthy meals day after day can be pretty time consuming, so having them pre-made ensures there’s no excuse not to eat healthy and stick a pizza in the oven instead. Microwave meals can be a good option too, just make sure you look at the ingredients to make sure it has the right nutrients you need. It's okay to not make everything from scratch--take shortcuts when you need to keep you on your path!

And there you have it, 6 habits that will help you keep that summer body well past Labor Day weekend.