How to Get a Summer Body

Whether you want a beach body transformation for this summer or are just looking to get into better shape overall, paying attention to your health and fitness is always a good idea. Getting your body ready for summer can be more difficult for some than it is for others, and actual body transformations require some planning, commitment and sacrifice. Overall, fitness should not just be a goal, but a lifestyle, as working out and dieting the right way directly ties to numerous health benefits.

The decision to launch your fitness journey and feel confident in your body shape for the summer may begin with a simple question — “Where do I start?” In this article, we’ll answer those questions for you by providing exercise, lifestyle and nutritional tips for getting that summer body fast, the right way!

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How to Get a Beach Body

Start Early

When it comes to their summer body, most people have reasons for wanting to get fit or goals they would like to achieve. Some goals — like getting in shape for your August beach trip — have hard deadlines, while others — like looking better in your swimsuit — are more general goals with no actual deadline. Either way, losing weight takes time when done right. Regardless of whether your goal has a deadline or not, the earlier you start your fitness journey, the better your results will be.

For goals with no deadline, putting it off will only mean taking longer to reach those goals. Putting off your goals also gives you more time to go back on your decision to get in shape and decide you no longer want to.

For goals with deadlines, starting earlier will increase your chances that you meet your goals in time. It can sometimes take more than just a few weeks of proper exercise, dieting and lifestyle routines to lose weight or get that summer body, which is why it is imperative to start early and be patient throughout the process. If you can embrace the process and commit to living a healthier lifestyle, the results will almost always come. But what does the “process” consist of?

Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is by far one of the easiest but most beneficial things you can do to start your summer body transformation. Switching out sugary or caffeinated drinks like soda and coffee with water has numerous health benefits, even without working out. Some of these benefits include:

• Feeling more energized and alert.

• Reducing the number of calories you consume.

• Consuming less saturated fat.

• Lowering your risk of kidney stones.

• Boosting your metabolism.

• Fighting hunger.

• Reducing headaches.

Eat Right

Probably the most important aspect of getting that summer body is cutting out the junk and sticking to a balanced and healthy diet. While dieting tactics like not eating or using meal replacement shakes may work for short-term weight loss, it is extremely difficult to keep that weight off once your summer body diet is over. Instead, focus on more sustainable and regular dieting habits that will lead to long-term weight loss and health.

Most nutritionists highlight two different eating schedules and portion sizes, both equally sustainable and effective in helping shed fat. The first is a typical three meals per day. This technique of three larger meals often makes people feel full but still never eat more than they need to in a given day.

Another eating schedule is cutting down portion sizes slightly and having five to six smaller meals throughout the day. This technique is also known as metabolism-revving because it keeps your metabolism burning fat throughout the day and speeds up your metabolic cycle over time.

No matter how often or how much you eat, the most significant factor in a healthy diet is your food choices. Try reducing your consumption of refined carbohydrates, such as pasta, white bread, pastries and processed sugars, and increasing your portions of fruit, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains. While most people think they must avoid foods with fat, there are actually healthy fats that are good in moderation, like those provided by nuts, avocados, eggs and cheese, just to name a few.

Changing and maintaining a healthy diet is only half the battle of getting that summer body. To shed fat, you should also consider burning calories through exercise.

Exercise Consistently

When trying to lose weight and get your body ready for those summer months, it is also essential to get into a summer body workout routine anywhere from three to seven days a week. You can do these workouts at a gym, at your home or even a combination of the two. It doesn’t really matter which exercises to get a summer body you choose, as long as you get that heart rate and sweat going consistently. Working out for a whole week and then taking the next week off just puts you right back where you were.

Switch up Your Workouts

Working out can feel like a chore for many people, especially if they always do the same workout, like running on the treadmill. Switching up your workouts can make getting in shape fun and work different muscle groups. Some of the many different summer beach body workouts you can try include:

HIIT Training

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a great way to keep you motivated while working in many areas of your body in a single workout. Most HIIT exercises involve 30 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for maximum results. Some moves you can include in your next HIIT workout are:

• Dumbbell squats
• Burpees
• Flutter kicks
• Bicycle crunches
• Moving plank

Strength Training

In addition to adding HIIT to your routine, you’ll also want to add some strength training. The following moves involve cardio with strength training for extra burn:

• Dumbbell swings
• Bicep curls
• Overhead triceps extension
• Overhead press
• Lunges

Combining a 20-minute HIIT session with 30 to 40 minutes of strength three or four times a week can make a major difference in helping you reach your summer body.

Get Enough Sleep

When most people think of how to get in shape for summer, they often forget one of the most important elements — sleep! Getting seven to nine hours of sleep is essential for helping you reach your summer body, as a lack of sleep can slow down the process of getting in shape. When you don’t get enough sleep, the hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin, become imbalanced.

Ghrelin is a hormone that tells the brain you’re hungry, and when you don’t sleep, your brain releases more of this chemical than usual. The other hormone, leptin, allows the brain to know when you’re satisfied, and your body creates less of this hormone when you’re tired. This causes a spike in appetite, making it hard to stick to your diet.

Luckily, working out will make you tired, which, in turn, will help you sleep better and make more progress toward your fitness goals.

Record Your Progress

Measuring your progress can help you see changes you may not notice during your fitness journey and incentivize you to keep working. Some ways you can track and record your progress are:

Weigh Yourself at the Same Time Each Morning

While weighing yourself is one of the most popular methods for tracking fitness goals, taking these numbers with a grain of salt is important. Your body weight changes daily, depending on whether you’ve gained or lost muscle mass or water weight. While your body is still subject to fluctuations, weighing yourself at the same time each morning can help you get a better idea of your progress.

Keep an Outfit That Doesn’t Fit and Try It on Once a Week

One of the easiest ways to measure your progress is to keep an outfit that no longer fits and try it on at least once a week to track your progress.

If you want to lose weight, the outfit will feel looser each week. If you want to gain weight or increase the size of your muscles, your outfit will feel tighter, especially in areas like the arms and shoulders. Eventually, you should be able to wear the outfit comfortably, or the outfit will no longer fit, signifying that you have hit your weight goal.

Track Your Body Fat Percentage

One way to track your body fat percentage is using a body fat scale. If you don’t have a scale available, you can place non-stretch tape around your midsection. Keep the tape above your hip bones, and then breathe out before taking your measurement. As you complete your journey to a summer body, you can continue to use the scale or measurement method to track your progress.

The 5 Bridges Way

There are tons of different ways you can start working out. Ideally, you want to mix up the type of workout daily to get the best results and have less boring workouts. One of the easiest ways to get started is by joining a local gym. At 5 Bridges Health & Fitness, we have a wide variety of training options and amenities available to our members. Some of those training options include:

• Strength training: Know your way around a weight room? Then hit the ground running and try out our vast selection of training machines and free weight equipment to tone your muscles and have your body ready for summer.

• Cardio: One of the easiest ways to work out, cardio can mean anything from walking in your neighborhood to using our specialized cardio equipment at 5 Bridges Health & Fitness.

• Fitness classes: Fitness classes are a great way to make workouts fun and meet new friends in the process. 5 Bridges Health & Fitness has an abundance of in-person fitness classes as well as options for virtual classes you can take from the comfort of your own home.

• Personal trainers: Don’t know where to get started? Get a gym plan that comes with a personal trainer! 5 Bridges Health & Fitness has a fantastic team of certified trainers in Harrisburg that will work with you and give you the direction and body confidence you need to meet your summer body goals.

Achieve Your Summer Body With 5 Bridges Health & Fitness

Ready to launch your health and fitness transformation? 5 Bridges Health & Fitness has various membership options with different prices depending on the exclusivity of your membership. To learn more about our memberships, amenities and facilities, visit our website and get a free pass to a gym near you.