How to Look and Feel Your Best By Summer

With sweater weather season coming to an end, my mind is focused on the warmer weather that’s around the corner. If the thought of being in a swimsuit in a few months makes your head spin around, just know we’re in this together! I decided last week it was time to put down the dark chocolate and daily sweets. It’s time to start getting my shit together. I scoured all of my favorite health blogs and magazines for inspiration. I’m determined to make this the year I look and (much more importantly) feel my best.

I think almost every girl has gone through a phase where they haven’t had the best relationship with their body and appearance, or food for that matter. It’s something pretty much every woman I know struggles with or has struggled with a lot. We all have different definitions of what it means to look and feel our best, I do not believe there is a “one size fits all” mentality that is healthy or practical. It sounds obvious, but this realization took the better part of my early and mid twenties to figure out and accept. With that said, I don’t think it’s promoting unhealthy habits or encouraging body issues to say you want to look or feel your best.

So! Back to getting “summer ready”… these are the things I’ve committed to doing in preparation for summer. Feel free to join me! We can hold each other accountable and motivated.

How to Look and Feel Your Best By Summer

+ Find a workout you love.

I had Classpass for years and while I loved it for trying out studios, I found that I could never get into a routine and stick with it. Finding ONE workout I love and go to 3x a week, as opposed to jumping around to different studios all the time (I am convinced that this reduces the effectiveness of each workout) has given me the stability and consistency I was looking for. I never in a million years thought I would be that girl working out in a sports bra, but almost a year of doing Barry’s Bootcamp a few times every week, I’ve seen changes in my body that fuel me to continue and work harder.

As someone who has tried everything under the sun to get in shape and lose weight quickly (the college weight gain was reaaal), it took me a long time realize this:

There are NO quick fixes or magic pills, only hard work, discipline, and CONSISTENCY.

This past year I finally found myself a steady workout routine and recently became friends with the best group of women who never fail to keep me on track and motivated. Having a workout crew that has become some of my close friends has made working out fun and more challenging because we all push each other to work harder! The changes and improvements in my body and strength are a testament to how powerful accountability can be.

+ Cook more.

Every trainer will tell you to make your own food (even better – meal prep in advance). Eating at home is healthier and so much cheaper than always going out to eat. Even when you try to make healthy choices, it adds up quickly. Even the healthiest restaurants will sneak in added sugars or sodium. When you cook for yourself, you know exactly what goes into each dish. You have more control over portions as well. I have a tendency to fall back on Sweetgreen, poke bowls, and other fast casual options. So I’m really making an effort to prepare more meals at home and eat out less!

+ Never skip a meal.

This one is hard for a lot of girls – so often we think eating less = better, but this actually causes your metabolism to slow down and leads to your body clinging onto fat, making it so much harder to lose weight and tone up. If you’re working out, you need to eat. Period.

+ Sleep and rest more.

I read this blog post a few years ago and found myself laughing throughout the post and agreeing with so many of her points. My favorite part: When you lift weights, you are ripping tiny tears in your muscle fibers. When you finish, (aka when you are resting) your body needs to use energy to repair and restore those fibers. I love the idea that while I am lying in bed, watching the Bachlorette, my body is burning calories repairing itself. She goes on to talk about how important rest days are. Plus how overtraining can actually lead to our bodies going into “protective mode” and ends up burning fat instead of muscle. Which is the opposite of what we want!

I’d love to hear what your tips and tricks are for getting summer ready!

* Outfit is by Peony & Me – I love comfortable all of their pieces are! I’m wearing this bra and these leggings. They are perfect for yoga or barre workouts. Call me boring, but you can never have too many pairs of black leggings!

Some of my other favorite brands for workout clothes – Ultracor, Varley, and TLA by Morgan Stewart (<< obsessed with the new spring colors!).

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