It is nearly May. Flowers are blooming, you are spending your weekends getting the yard ready for summer BBQs, and your sweaters are working their way to the back of your closet. There’s no denying it: spring has sprung and summer is on the way.
With all the warm weather heading our direction, it is only natural that we start to worry about what we have been hiding under those winter sweaters the past few months. And suddenly our inbox and social media newsfeeds are flooded with invitations to join friends in their attempts to slim down for summer. There’s no doubt about it, this time of year often prompts us to reexamine our diets and physical activity.
So, with all of the talk of diets, cleanses, and workout plans swirling around we want to remind you that the best changes you make this season will be ones you can sustain year round. Be careful of adopting fad diets that will leave you feeling starved after only a few days or joining a gym for the first time and vowing to go every single day. Instead, come up with a plan that is attainable and tailored to your individual lifestyle.
Here are a few things you can start doing today for a healthier jump on summer and healthier you, year round!
- Stay hydrated. Make sure you are getting an adequate amount of water every day. Start each morning with a full glass of ice water as you prep for the day. You’ll be surprised how much faster you wake up and how much better you will feel all day long if you start every morning with this simple step. Then grab your water bottle and take it with you wherever you go! Do this and you will find that your body feels energized, your skin looks and feels healthier, and you feel fuller throughout the day – helping you avoid unnecessary snacking!
- Walk more. Make an effort to get out from behind your desk. Take advantage of the nice weather and spend your 15 minute break taking a walk. Don’t spend minutes searching the parking lot for a closer spot. Take the stairs. Throughout your day, think of the ways in which you can sneak in a few more steps. A lot of us aren’t getting the recommended 10,000 steps/day, but it is so important to have movement in our lives! Need motivation? Purchase a wearable fitness tracker (like the Fitbit Flex, $99.95) or download an app to track your steps wherever you carry your phone (like, Argus, free on the app store).
- Cut out the junk. Simply paying more attention to what you consume on a daily basis can help! We often snack when we’re bored, not because we are hungry. Cutting out unnecessary snacks could spare you hundreds of calories per day. Hundreds. Another place calories tend to hide is in what we drink. Your morning latte? That daily habit could be costing you upwards of 250 calories! Grabbing another in the afternoon to get you through the rest of the day? You just drank a quarter of your calories for the day (based on 2000 calories/day). Now factor in the soda that came with your lunch and the beer you grabbed with coworkers at the end of the day… we don’t need to do the math for you, it isn’t pretty. Switching to something healthier, like water or cold-pressed juice, for even just two beverages a day could save you more than 500 calories! Our recommendation: spend a day eating and drinking normally and write everything down. At the end of the day, add it all up and decide what you could live without. Want to give it a serious try? Check out our current special, the #JuiceNotJunk One Week Challenge, and replace two of your daily beverages with our 10 oz. organic, cold-pressed juices for an entire week! It is a simple way to get rid of those high calorie sippers that are cluttering your diet! Check it out now: http://www.lumijuice.com/collections/all-products/products/juicenotjunk-one-week-challenge
Whatever decisions you make this season, just remember that any step towards a healthier lifestyle is a step in the right direction!
What healthy changes are you making in your life? Share them with us on Twitter and Instagram and use #LumiLifestyle. Taking our #JuiceNotJunk One Week Challenge? Don’t forget to share those photos as well!
Happy (Healthy) Sipping!
LoveUMeanIt!
-The Lumi Team
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