Summer Weight Loss: Tips for Reaching Your Body Goals

Just when you think summer is never going to come back around, it creeps back in while we’re distracted with our everyday lives. But do not despair, there is still plenty of time to get your body ready for the beach or the poolside. Maybe you want to look and feel your best on that trip abroad, or maybe you simply wish to improve your overall health; your summer weight loss goals are not only reasonable but achievable and, although it may not be easy, it is definitely easier than you may think

One of the most challenging areas to target specific weight loss is the stomach. The best way to go about this is a systemic change to your lifestyle that has a few steps to it. If you follow these steps and stick to them properly, then you should be able to kiss unwanted belly fat goodbye for the foreseeable future. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or a fitness enthusiast, these tips will help you take on this new fitness journey with confidence, allowing you to attain a summer body that you can be proud of and make it one that will last.

These valuable tips and strategies can be explored and implemented all at once, or gradually over the course of a few months. Make sure you take on what you feel you can manage, as pushing yourself too hard can have adverse effects and harm your progress.

Healthy Diet

Changing up your diet can be one of the hardest things to do, but it is crucial in assisting with weight loss and specifically helping you reduce belly fat in a noticeable and manageable way. Try to ensure your diet consists of lean proteins, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Avoid heavy processed sugary foods and drinks as they are packed full of empty calories that your body will use for energy instead of existing fat supplies. Fizzy drinks and junk food are the biggest contributors to weight gain and belly fat.

Cutting “fun foods” out can be difficult, but try to wean off of them over a period of time, as fully withdrawing all at once can be overwhelming, and can even cause your body to crash, negatively affecting your mood and causing you to give up prematurely. Try to switch to healthier alternatives such as fruits and consider making use of meal plans as an easier way to control portion sizes.

Cutting down calories is only half of the equation; the other half is increasing the intake of nutrients that your body needs to perform its functions as efficiently as possible. A balanced diet consists of a healthy mix of proteins which can be found in lean meats, fish, poultry, and beans; carbohydrates which can be found in whole grains, fruits, legumes, and low-fat dairy products; healthy fats which can be found in avocados, seeds, nuts, fatty fish and coconut oil; vitamins and minerals found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products; and fiber which can be found in whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Many of those nutrients overlap in the food groups, so it’s actually much easier to get them all in your diet than you may initially expect. If you are looking for fast, sustainable improvement, it would serve you well to visit a healthcare professional to understand your exact nutritional needs.

Regular Cardiovascular Exercise

In comparison to targeted exercises which are better suited for muscle development, cardiovascular exercise gets your whole body moving and causes your body to use the stored fat in your belly and other areas for energy.

While it may sound simple, regular exercise of any type can often be the next hardest thing to commit to. However, as this type of exercise does not require specialized techniques or machinery, you can set aside a bit of time each day to complete it. The period you set aside for it doesn’t have to be long, but committing to finding the time and utilizing it when you have it is the key to successful exercise. Take the stairs instead of the escalator. Walk to the shops instead of driving. If you find you have some downtime with nothing to do, consider going for a light jog.

Try not to overdo it, but regular exercise is a lynchpin in losing weight, and simple cardiovascular exercises like walking, jogging, light-weight training, cycling, and swimming are best for this. Try to find something you enjoy doing, as that can make the experience much easier for you. All that is required is 30 minutes a day, and you should see a marked improvement quite quickly.

This is especially important as regular exercise produces stronger bones and muscles, which reduces the risk of injury and osteoporosis. It also reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and depression. These are long-term benefits that will allow you to not only reduce belly fat and increase your quality of life but also keep the weight off for much longer, perhaps even indefinitely.

Reduce Stress

Reducing stress is easier said than done in the modern age. Stresses can appear around every corner, and finding some peace and quiet can feel like an impossible task. However, high levels of stress can have an adverse impact on your body’s production of cortisol, generally known as the stress hormone, which causes weight gain as a side effect, especially around the abdomen.

There are a few things that can be done to help reduce stress in your life. Do something that you enjoy, like reading a book, listening to music, or taking a relaxing bath. Meditation is also a good option. Taking the time to sit quietly without distractions and calmly breathe can promote relaxation and positive reflection on your life and mental state. Self-care is of paramount importance in your weight loss journey, and it must never fall by the wayside. You deserve to feel good, so try not to neglect that simple advice.

Gaining the mental energy to actually bother losing weight is one of the biggest steps that one must take in this journey. It is most certainly easier said than done with the stresses that everyday life can thrust upon you. In these difficult times, it's important to find a way to reduce the stress that works for you. Some find objective-based physical activities are a big help, as they can motivate you to exercise without it ever feeling like exercise, i.e., Tennis, Badminton, Dancing, Hiking, Yoga, or Pilates.

Rest Appropriately

You may not be sleeping enough. That probably sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s an important thing to consider when improving your health and overall quality of life. When it comes to weight gain or struggling with weight loss, the amount of sleep you get has a direct effect on it. Sleep deprivation of any kind depletes your energy stores for the day and can cause you to feel hungrier more often as your hunger and fullness receptors stop functioning properly.

In support of weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, aim for roughly 7-9 hours of sleep a night to help your body and mind recover from the day before and prepare for the next.

In conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise, sleeping longer and more soundly will become significantly easier. Aim to get to bed a bit earlier, and make sure you wake up with enough time to prepare for your day. It’s not easy to find the perfect balance, so it may require a bit of testing until you find something you are comfortable with.

Interestingly, when a person isn’t well rested, their body produces higher levels of the hormone known as ghrelin which stimulates your appetite, making you hungrier. At the same time, the body produces lower levels of the hormone leptin, which causes you to feel full. So, by definition, sleeping poorly or less than necessary increases your desire to overeat. It’s a legitimate chemical chain reaction, something that you can only control by resting appropriately.

Water, Water, Water

Not drinking enough water is something that can easily go unnoticed, especially with all the many selections of alternatives found in stores these days. The importance and benefit of regular water consumption, however, cannot be overstated.

Drinking water helps your body regulate body temperature, aids digestion, improves brain functions, enhances your mood, hydrates muscle, promotes healthy skin, flushes out toxins, and supports your immune system. Water is essential for maintaining good health, and experts recommend drinking approximately 8 glasses a day for optimal benefits. You may find you need a bit more or less than that, as it is different for everyone, and it depends on your age, weight, and activity level.

One of the most important things to note when drinking water is that it helps combat fluid retention. When you do not drink enough water and become dehydrated, your body will attempt to accumulate liquids in its tissue, which can quickly cause swelling, puffiness, bloating, and weight gain. Drinking more water means your body is able to function properly without going into a kind of ‘panic mode’ where it doesn’t know when it will next get a glass of fresh H2O, and thus it does not begin retaining fluid.

Generally, drinking regularly throughout the day and making sure to drink water rather than substitutes when you feel thirsty can help you maintain an overall healthy lifestyle and work in conjunction with the steps above to help you reach your weight loss goals.  

At the end of the day, the best way to achieve results is to implement a holistic lifestyle change. No one thing in the list above is going to trim off the belly fat by itself; a commitment to living better and sticking to routines is also essential. That said, these steps are small and can be easily incorporated into fun activities and day-to-day routines. If you make sustainable changes to your diet and exercise habits, that beach bod is never really out of reach.