Summer Diet Tips

The summer season is upon us, it’s time to trim that winter belly! As the temperature rises, you have to work extra hard to tone and define your body. Let’s face it, the hot, humid weather makes exercising a lot less desirable. Don’t fret! In today’s post, we are listing down healthy summertime diet tips to whip your butt into shape:

Morning Jogs

Nothing beats an early morning jog to get the blood pumping and the heart pounding! Summer’s the perfect time to start working out early in the morning. During this time, the weather’s cooler, less humid. Jogging at least 30 minutes per day can burn more than 100 calories. A morning jog is a great way to tone the legs and break out a sweat. Research shows that working out in the morning will also energize the body throughout the day!

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables

Instead on noshing on preserved fruits, colas, and sweets, focus on seasonal fruits and vegetables. All the colorful fruits come out during the summer months! We recommend loading up on apricots, apples, carrots, fennel, sweet bell peppers, cantaloupes, and cherries during the summer season. These fruits and vegetables are low in sugar and carbs and high in fiber, vitamins and antioxidants! Even better, seasonal produce is much cheaper than off-season vegetables and fruits.

Don’t Miss Breakfast

Never skip meals, especially breakfast. Breakfast doesn’t just give you the energy you need for the day. It will also kick start your metabolic rate. Research shows that people who habitually miss breakfast are more likely to gain weight than those who eat breakfast consistently.

Of course, the quality of the food you eat is just as important. If you’re watching what you eat, don’t turn to pancakes, donuts or bagels for breakfast. We recommend eating wholesome grains, nuts and fresh fruits instead. These foods will fill you up for longer without the unwanted calories.

Drink More Water

If there’s one thing you should never get enough of, it’s water. Always hydrate yourself especially during the summer months regardless if you’re working out or not. Drink more than 8 glasses of water especially when it’s hot and humid. Water replenishes lost fluids from sweating. It also cools the body down.

Avoid High Sugar Drinks

Avoid colas, sodas, carbonated water, sports drinks, flavored water, and specialty coffee. Most fizzy drinks contain unwanted calories and a cocktail of preservatives. Some drinks are also acidic and act as diuretics. This will cause the body to lose more fluids than normal. Worse, colas actually lead to brittle bones. That’s because fizzy drinks boost the phosphorous levels in the blood. This causes displacement of calcium from the bones and into the blood.  Simply put, sodas won’t do your body a lot of favors.

Eat High-Quality Protein

It’s not enough to eat protein to lose weight or maintain the figure. You have to get protein from healthy sources. Instead of eating red meat, consume more oily fish, grains, and nuts. These foods contain lean protein and healthy fats. They are also lower in calories than red meat!