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Top 5 Ways to Get Bikini-Body Ready for Summer

By on April 17, 2011

1. Treat yourself to a motivational piece of clothing.

I know this article is supposed to be ‘bikini-body ready’ but I realize that not all of us woman feel comfortable in bikinis for whatever reason, so this selection of clothing does not necessarily have to be a two-piece teeny tiny bikini. It could be that skirt or summer dress you’ve been eyeing up since the summer collections hit the store windows. Even a pair of shorts or jeans…

Whatever it is that will get you excited about slipping into it! This will serve as a little dose of motivation to keep you on the right track and ensure you hit that pre-summer body goal you’ve set for yourself. The satisfaction of fitting into your favorite new addition to your closet will get you up and to the gym and keep those high calorie snacks out of your fridge.

2. Step your game up!

Now that you have a little bit of motivation, you need to take the extra steps to reaching your goal. Whatever your current work out regiment is, take it up a notch! Whether you never hit the gym, go once or twice a week, or even for those of you who are at the gym faithfully (like myself) five to six days a week– it’s time to go even harder. Add an extra 20 or 30 minutes to your daily cardio routine or toss in an extra run to your weekly schedule.

For those of us who are already loyal gym visitors, up your level on the treadmill or elliptical trainer, and maybe add extra pounds to a few of your favorite weight-lifting work outs. Our bodies inevitably become accustomed to our diet and exercise plans, which can cause our progress to hit a bit of a road block. This is why it is important to regularly switch up your routine and continue to challenge your body. If you find you have hit a plateau in your weight loss, this very well could be the reason.

Try challenging yourself with an extra work out a week, or jacking up the incline on the treadmill to get your body back in the zone!

3. Make sacrifices!

This is a very important part of reaching any goal. I challenge you to chose five things in your life that are keeping you from where you want to be and cut them out!

The first five that come to mind are:

i) eating out at restaurants or ordering food in

ii) drinking alcohol

iii) having an extra helping at dinner

iv) midnight snacks

v) drinking sugary, high calorie drinks like juice and pop.

These five things are HUGE, and most of us are guilty of one or more of them.

Eating out/ordering in is DEADLY when it comes to reaching a body goal. You have NO IDEA what is in that food more times then not, or how the food is prepared. Even items that may seem healthy on menus can have a crazy amount of calories. Grocery shopping and preparing your own meals can cut your calories down immensely, plus it will save you a ton of money! Win-win!

Consuming alcohol is something almost all of us are guilty of from time to time, but nothing kills your body more than alcohol. Plain and simple, it is a load of empty calories with zero benefit! CUT IT OUT, (at least until summer and all the fabulous pool parties begin!)

Portion control is SO important in weight loss. It is the difference between losing weight and, well, not. Enjoy the foods you love, but pay attention to the amount of calories your portions have. Regulate each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner,) to a count of no more than 350 calories.

Midnight snacking is something I personally have a major issue with. I do so good all day eating healthy foods in controlled portions and then at night all will power and my voice of reason just flies out the window. That being said, cutting out midnight snacking CAN BE DONE! Remind yourself of how good you did all day and that the delicious slice of white bread that has your name written all over it is what is coming between you and that brand new bikini you just bought. If you really MUST have a snack, keep healthy options on hand like apples, or bananas.

A lot of people don’t realize that most of their caloric intake can sometimes come not from the foods they eat, but the beverages they drink. A glass of juice or pop can have the same amount of calories in it as your entire meal, doubling your intake! This sacrifice is simple, cut out the juice and pop, and have a nice cold glass of water. Drinking a glass of cold water has more benefits to it then you may think! Cold water causes your body to work a little harder, and therefore speeds up your metabolism burning extra calories. Isn’t that fabulous? It’s like hitting two birds with one stone. (Not that I would go around killing birds with stones.)

4. Make substitutions.

If you simply MUST eat out at a restaurant or have that glass of pop or alcoholic beverage, then please, do it the smartest and healthiest way possible. A few obvious options are having a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing (or lowest calorie option,) on the side with your meal instead of french fries, diet pop or crystal light instead of juice or regular pop, making your favorite sub into a salad or have a glass of white wine mixed with some sparkling water instead of that mixed drink or beer.

I personally switched up whole eggs for egg whites and bacon for turkey or chicken bacon; both immediate ways to not only cut your calories in half, but lower your fat intake and are all around healthier choices.

5. Take a walk on the sunny side!

Pick up a bottle of your favorite sunless tanner (my personal favorites: Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Golden Perfection and Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream,) or take a stroll down to my favorite downtown Toronto tanning salon Sol’Exotica (and tell them I sent you!) for a quick and painless Versa Spa spray tan. Both options offer great instant results and if your anything like me, you just FEEL better when your skin has a nice bronzy-glow.

A tan immediately gives the illusion of a tight and toned figure, making even your ‘problem areas’ look almost flawless. Bottom line– a tanned body looks HOT in a bikini! Life is better tanned after all, right?

I challenge all my fabulous Toronto City Gossip readers to follow these five easy steps and I promise you will be ready for bikini season in no time!

I’d love to hear all about your experiences, so please feel free to e-mail me at aly@torontocitygossip.com or tweet me @TdotTweetHeart on Twitter. Questions and comments are always welcome!

Good Luck!

About AlysonK

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