I’m very health-conscious and over the years have learned that lifestyle changes rather than quick fixes lead to a healthy body. So, going into this post – remember that 🙂 However, when you have a summer vacation on the horizon, it’s totally normal to be a little more conscientious of your workouts and diet because…swimsuit season, duh! We all want to slim down for summer vacation and feel our best, but it’s important to do it healthily.
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We will be heading to the East Coast for an extended vacation in two weeks, so I’ve been cleaning up my diet (which is already pretty clean) and really dialing into my workouts leading up to our trip. In a normal week, while I follow a Paleo diet 99% of the time, I won’t mind indulging in a little extra dark chocolate after a stressful day or going heavy on the coffee creamer if I’m feeling it (but almond creamer still has lots of sugar!). I also find that some days it’s hard to squeeze in my workout (80 Day Obsession right now) AND a walk with the kids in the stroller…which is a workout in itself.
With that said, here are a few specific ways I’m dialing it in to prep for vacation.
- Mindful eating. I have been aiming to hit my ideal macros each day, which means bumping up my protein intake a bit. I’ve been replacing one meal a day with a plant-based protein smoothie for a little boost.
- Meal prepping. I try to meal prep on the weekends most of the time anyways, but had gotten out of the habit of prepping my breakfasts and some days I would eat leftover Paleo pancakes, etc. While they’re still ‘healthy,’ they don’t contain as much protein as I’d like, so I made sure to prep my favorite breakfast casserole this week and subbed pure egg whites for whole eggs to pump up the protein and lower the fat content.
- Cut carbs. I don’t believe in cutting all carbs out of your diet especially if you’re active, but if I’m trying to slim down, I will avoid things like white potatoes, quinoa (I always find it bloats me for some reason!) and of course, grains and pastas (which I already avoid because I think I’m a bit intolerant). I will eat sweet potatoes, veggies and fruit, though!
- Hydrating. At a minimum, I try to drink half of my body weight in ounces of water each day. However, before slipping into a bikini, I like to prep by increasing my liquid intake several weeks beforehand to get rid of any bloating or sodium retention. In addition to water, I’ve been drinking one mug of hot green tea (this is my favorite kind) and I also like to have a mug of hot lemon water in the morning. A shot of apple cider vinegar (diluted with water) is also a great way to rev your metabolism – I first learned this from the Tone It Up girls and still love it!
- Scheduling. Planning my day out by the hour helps me stay on track and if I write in ‘Go for a walk’ at 9am, I’ll stick to it! Otherwise, if I just add it to my long to-do list for the day, sometimes the day goes by and it’s either too late or a summer storm pops up (especially lately!) and I don’t get around to it. I don’t have a problem getting my 80 Day Obsession daily workout in during the week, but I’ve had two weekends lately where I put off my workout and ended up having to double up on Sunday…aiming to avoid doing this the next two weekends!
- Resting. I have so much to do before we leave, but I’m really trying to give myself time to rest and recover from working out and chasing two kids around all day! Especially if you want to ramp up your workouts prior to a trip, you should make sure to give yourself ample recovery/rest time. This means going to bed at a reasonable hour too, in order to get enough sleep each night!
- Self-Care. I’m really bad at this most of the time, but I’m always trying to improve! Simple things like a bubble bath, painting your nails, blowing out/straightening your hair, self-tanning, reading a book or a solo shopping trip are good ways to give yourself some time to focus on you and reduce stress. Stress is a huge factor in feeling your best, so yes, this is totally something to work on if you’re trying to be at your healthiest before vacation.
Slim Down for Summer Diet
Breakfast: Sausage, Egg White + Sweet Potato Casserole
Lunch: Plant-Based Protein Smoothie w/ a tsp of peanut butter, spinach and fruit
Snack: 1/2 a Whole30-approved Larabar and 3 tbsp egg whites, scrambled
Dinner: A serving of lean protein, sweet potatoes or cauliflower rice + a green veggie
Snack: Some nights, I’ll still have a little dark chocolate. I also like to drink a mug of hot green tea.
If I follow this meal plan, I almost always hit my ideal macros for the day and feel my best, which helps me slim down for summer vacation more easily!
How I Work Out to Slim Down for Summer
This summer is a little different, in that I am following a strict workout regimen (80 Day Obsession) that started way back in April and will end in mid-July. My usual workouts include a mix of Pure Barre and running, but I cut back on both of those to focus on 80 Day Obsession. I miss running though and honestly, it’s one of the easiest ways for me to slim down for summer (especially in my midsection) so I can’t wait to jump back into it! I’ve still been doing Pure Barre once a week but I see the best results from it when I go 3-4 times per week. I will also be jumping back into Pure Barre full force once 80 Day Obsession ends because it really leans out my muscles which I feel have bulked up a bit from 80 Day. The best thing about both of those is that I can do them while on vacation since PB has an on-demand option and I can run anywhere (and the beach happens to be my favorite place to run!).
Do you use any of these tips to get healthy before your vacation? Anything you’d add?
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