How to Slim Down by Memorial Day
Ah, Memorial Day Weekend -- aka, the official start of SUMMER. Growing up on the East Coast, that means the first weekend traveling to the Jersey Shore. It may be too chilly for a bathing suit, but the tank tops and shorts are in the closet.
If you've given up on your initial 2017 Resolution --- or never made one, don't fear. Here are my 5 tips on how to slim down by Memorial Day Weekend.
1. Make a schedule and plug into an accountability group.
Set a start date, and make a specific goal that you want to achieve by the time you leave for vacation. Then break that goal into weekly goals, leading up to your Memorial Day Weekend.
Decide how many times you want to exercise a week, what days you will meal prep, and how much weight you want to lose per week to reach your MDW goal.
Your plan won't matter if you don't stick to it. Research shows that people who have someone to keep them accountable are MUCH more likely to stick to a weight loss plan. So find a gym buddy, or link up with a Coach (like me) to make sure you stick to your plan!
2. Create a visual reminder of your goal.
Print out a picture for your fridge, or put it as your background on your phone. You could even buy that perfect bathing suit in your ideal size as motivation.
You need to remember the long term WHY you want to be healthy the next few weeks,
3. Make exercise a priority.
Make sure you are moving your body and staying active leading up to your vacation! You can join a gym or stream workouts at home (hey, Beachbody On Demand is free for 30 days). Shoot to be active 30 minutes a day
4. Clean up what you eat.
Do you best to stick to whole foods, and recipes that only include one ingredient foods (aka no processed carbs, frozen dinner meals, or juice cleanses). Need some inspiration for what to eat? Download my Free Clean Eating Guide with 25 healthy recipes.
As a general rule of thumb, do your best to have the following every day: 4 servings of protein, 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of carbs, 1 serving of healthy fats.
5. Easy on the booze...
This is probably the tip that you want to ignore, ha! But the fact is, alcohol contains only empty calories and has no nutritional value.
In addition, your body can't store alcohol and metabolize it right away. As a result, other metabolic processes suffer. Your body won't metabolize sugars and fats as efficiently during the metabolism of alcohol, and drinking heavily can cause your metabolism to slow. This can contribute to weight gain, as can the empty calories found in alcohol.
Consider taking the weekends off (or every other weekend) leading up to your vacation. The sacrifice NOW will make the reward of feeling great on vacation that much sweeter (with a drink in hand).
If you are going to drink alcohol, try to limit what you drink and go for the less sugary drinks. Personally, I love a vodka soda with lime. Skip the Long Island Iced Teas, margaritas and frozen cocktails.
Need some extra help slim down for Memorial Day Weekend? Shoot me a note on how we can work 1:1 to help you reach your goals.
