Oh Snap! Swimsuit Season is Around the Corner- Are you ready?

I was reminiscing about our life in Hawaii and the thought of trying to hoist into a swimsuit right now is a nightmare. Pale with some added holiday baggage-C'mon! Can you say SPRAY TAN stat? Maybe extra tan to make me appear taller and thinner? Anyone? Today is February 4th...we are six weeks away from spring break trips, cruises, island hopping, sun soaking. Reality is setting in quickly and I need to get on the ball.

Many of my friends are making great strides towards their swimsuit bods and I will be joining them in their efforts very soon. I am a realist and a foodie who loves wine on a regular basis. It is critical for me to enjoy every moment of my dining experience even when it's on the go. It is easy to make good decisions once you know what to do. Here are a few quick tips that have always proved successful this time of year when trying to shed the winter "puff" pounds.

Discipline: Decide that you are going to do it. Your mind is the most powerful tool that you have; use it to your advantage. Write a note and put it on your mirror to read every morning when you wake and at night before going to bed. Remind yourself that you are beautiful and strong and this is a small step towards a greater purpose.

Activity: Increase your daily activity by 20 minutes to an hour. It is that easy. Take 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night or designate a certain time of day. Use 20 minutes of your lunch hour to walk around.

Eat your way thin: The choices you make will dramatically improve your results. Limit white flour and white sugar. Don't eat prepackage food. Stop chewing gum, eating candy, drinking pop (yes, this includes diet), coffee drinks and fast food. I understand that Jared was a success story for Subway but my hopeful intent is to motivate you to eat something better that preserved meat with high levels of sodium, processed cheese with saturated fat spread on some crappy white bun. Oh, it has vegetables you say? Hmmm. You can do better than that I know it. 

Use your resources: We are so savvy. Download an App for your IPhone and log your daily progress or count your calories. Go to the Eat This Not That website and play their game. It is so much fun and will teach you better choices. Update your friends and family on Facebook / Twitter etc. to keep the support going. Check out My Plate on the Live Strong Website to see your results. You will be amazed at the outcome.

Battle the late night munchies: Make sure that you are eating enough dinner at a decent hour and going to bed before you get hungry again. For example, if you get off work at 6pm and go to bed at 11pm plan to eat around 7:30pm. If you think that you are hungry, often times we are just thirsty. Down a big glass of water or two. And for crying out loud don't watch the food network at night!

REMEMBER: Tighten the reins. Eat when you are hungry. Stop grazing / snacking out of boredom. Stop obsessing over it you will make yourself hungry. Drink water throughout the day (I take my body weight, divide it in half and try to drink that many ounces). Ask yourself this question before making a poor decision: Is this worth wasting my calories on? if it is, go for it. If it isn't, step away!

Items that are deceiving:  
Dairy: Are you tolerant of dairy products? Many are not but eat them anyway causing digestion problems.
Yogurt: Read the label. Do not buy it if it has modified ingredients. Brown Cow is a great brand. I also Like Fage greek yogurt.
Baked Chips and Pretzels: Baked Lays are loaded with crap.  See their label. Pretzels have hydrogenated oils, white flour and are empty calories that spike insulin levels making you even hungrier and crave more junk.
100 calorie snacks: Let's be serious here. If you are hungry, this little package of air puffed chemicals will not satisfy you. Choose an apple with peanut or almond butter.
Peanut Butter: Choosy Cynner's don't choose Jif. Why? Again, hydrogenated oils. Try Adams or another brand that reads: Peanuts on the label.


If any of you have additional questions, please feel free to email me at sugarlipslifestyletips@gmail.com. You can also find me on Facebook (www.sugarlipslifestyletips.com) or Twitter (sugardollies).