I’ve been working one on one with clients for over 12 years and every year there are two seasons that can knock them off track. Christmas holidays and summer. We will leave the first for a few months from now but let’s take a minute to talk about summer and what it does to our routines.
The months leading up to summer everyone is busting their asses to get to achieve their beach bodies. ‘This will be the year I will wear a bikini’ is a phrase I hear on repeat and then my clients proceed to cut out sugar, alcohol and spend hours at the gym. Frankly, our bodies are already perfect, but I get the pressure to want to look the best you possibly can. What I don’t understand is what happens once summer hits, and I am definitely guilty of it too. Workouts get replaced with patios, hot days prevent us from exercising and summer vacations are void of most things healthy.
I confess to all of that right now and I am definitely feeling like I’ve let things slide. I mentioned this in a spin class I was teaching just the other day, how the middle of August is when I always feel my worst. I’m sick of the heat, I’m tired from the heat and the fun I’ve had all summer is weighing me down in my workouts. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who is in this boat.
How do we fix this? Well, you just slowly start pulling the reins back on yourself, but not too tight yet because we still have a few more weeks to enjoy some nice weather, and if you live in Canada like I do, you have a long long winter coming your way.
Start by making your workouts a priority. They don’t have to be as long or as intense as they are during the rest of the year but make a point of just showing up, because if you wait too long to reacquaint yourself with your favourite treadmill class it’s going to really sting when you get back. If you’re a busy mom with lots of little ones on summer vacation, download a fitness app onto your phone and wake up 15 minutes earlier than everyone else and do it. Even if it’s in your pyjamas.
If you’re constantly running out after work to meet coworkers or friends for happy hour, limit the amount of happy hour snacks you have and try to make choices that aren’t fried or covered in sauce. Also, limit yourself to one drink and when you get home fill up on fresh seasonal vegetables and a lot of water. Not only does the heat dehydrate you but so will the salty foods and alcohol. Also, don’t skip your workout. If you can’t get it in after work then do it at lunch. I teach a noon Pilates class and lately it has been packed! I think it’s because you can squeeze it in without having to shower after and it burns just enough calories to enjoy a glass of wine without feeling bad.
And don’t be hard on yourself every time you have to put a bathing suit on for the rest of the summer. Again, my hand goes up here with a bit of shame. I’m very guilty of judging my body at the end of summer and almost becoming angry with myself for allowing those few extra pounds to creep on. Simply look at it like memories of time well spent with people you love and make a promise to pick things up come fall.
I feel like we never really lose the childhood feeling of summer and freedom from all responsibility. It’s like we only get two months a year to have fun because once September rolls around it’s back to school and responsibilities. So enjoy these next few weeks but know come September I’m not going to be so easy on you.
Remember, I’m always here to answer questions so please email me at hayley(@)laineygossip.com.
Attached: Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt leave a yoga session in Santa Monica on August 15, 2019.
