Everyone dreams about that perfect beach body. Not only achieving your goals, but maintaining them as well takes work. Millions of women all over the world struggle and compare themselves to unrealistic people, like models and celebrities. Everyone is different and the same goes for our bodies.
You need to think of your body as always under construction. Your building a new, healthier you. In this article we’re going to give you some tips to help you build the perfect beach body diet guide, for you.
Contents
Beach Body Diet Tips
In this day and age there are many people who would be more than happy to provide you with all kinds of healthy recipes and meal plans. For a price.
All About The Water
There are many myths behind water, especially with bloating. The reality is, not hydrating often enough actually causes you to retain water beneath the skin's surface which will result in a puffy look. As an experiment try cutting out diuretics such as caffeine and alcohol for 72 hours and replace them with six to eight cups of water a day. You should appear slimmer and more toned because your body will have created a reserve for water below your muscles instead of skin. This will press out the muscles and add definition.
End Your Affair With Carbs
Carbs are probably one of the hardest temptations to resist. However, test out your willpower for a few days and watch the difference it will make. If your body can’t rely on carbohydrates for energy it will turn to burning fat. Try sticking with lean proteins such as fish, chicken, eggs, and vegetables. With this change however you will most likely feel hungrier so you should aim for eating five to six meals a day.
Everyone thinks since fruit is healthy it’s a good meal decision. But fruit contains high levels of sugar, and even though it’s natural, you should limit yourself to just one or two pieces at most. Also try eating them before 2pm. This will give your body enough time to fully digest it.
Now we aren’t saying cut out all of your favourite foods out because they aren’t the healthiest option. This will just leave you with cravings and mood swings leading to failure. You can still eat that cookie, just not the whole box. Everything in moderation is key.
Here are some simple, healthy meals to help you with your summer diet goals:
Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast really is one of the most meals of the day. It’s the starting off point for your body to get energized for the day. If you don’t feed it, it doesn’t get the energy it needs.
Sorry, coffee doesn’t count as breakfast.
For those of us with crazy mornings, here are a few easy and quick recipes:
Smoothies
Smoothies are always a quick and easy breakfast idea. You can put anything in them which allows you to fill them with lots of fibre, protein powder, and even your daily serving of fruit and vegetables.
Mango Smoothie:
- 1 cup chopped ripe mango
- ½ cup low-fat milk
- ½ cup ice
- ¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions:
- Place the mango, milk, ice, yogurt and honey in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.
- Kale Smoothie With Pineapple and Banana:
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 cups stemmed and chopped kale or spinach
- 1 ½ cups chopped pineapple (about ¼ of a medium pineapple)
- 1 ripe chopped banana
- Combine the coconut milk, ½ cup water, the kale, pineapple, and banana in a blender and puree until smooth for about 1 minute. You can add more water based on the consistency you’re looking for.
- For more healthy smoothie ideas feel free to check out this website.
Healthy Lunches Save Lives
We know that sometimes working through lunch sounds like a good idea, especially to those of us trying to cut corners for that bikini body. However, skipping lunch really revs up your appetite later in the day which can cause you to over eat or choose quick and usually unhealthy options.
It’s also been proven that those who regularly skip out on meals actually weigh more than those who eat proper meals throughout the day.
BLATs (Bacon-Lettuce-Avocado-Tomato Sandwiches:
- 8 slices center-cut bacon, halved
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon finely grated or minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 8 slices sprouted-wheat bread
- 1 medium tomato, cut into 8 slices
- 4 romaine leaves
- 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
Instructions:
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Meanwhile, mash avocado in a medium bowl. Mix in basil, mayonnaise, garlic, salt pepper. Toast bread.
- Spread about 2 tablespoons of the avocado mixture on 4 slices of toast. Top each with 4 pieces of bacon, 2 tomato slices, 1 lettuce leaf, ¼ cup sprouts and the remaining toast.
- For more recipes like this one for quick healthy lunches, check out Eating Well.
Delicious Dinners
Chicken Breast with Mushroom Cream Sauce:
- 2 5-ounce, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
- 2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
- ¼ cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens
- Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.
Instructions:
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent it from burning. Once the thickest part registers at 165 degrees fahrenheit after being cooked for 12 to 16 minutes transfer chicken to a plate with foil to keep it warm.
- Add shallot to the pan to cook and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Pour in either vermouth or wine; simmer until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 mins. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
- For more easy and healthy recipes for dinner, check out the Eating Well website.
Other Tips To Help Your Beach Body Along
Walk The Walk
Knowing how to walk properly isn’t just good for your posture, it’s also good for your self confidence. If you are more conscientious to how you're walking your body will follow. Standing tall and holding your head up high can make a major difference and you’ll naturally be more graceful.
Sleep Off The Calories
We’ve all used the beauty sleep excuse to get to bed a bit earlier. Well now that statement is truer than ever, especially when it comes to reaching your beach body goal. It’s said if you want to help speed up your metabolism you should get at least six to eight hours of sleep every night. Your body restores itself while you’re sleeping so it can process things such as digestion. Sleep off those calories and wake up one step closer to that beach body.
Burning Away The Fat
Don’t run from fat, run to burn it off. Cardio is a very important part of your beach body guide. It not only helps your heart prepare for your exercise. It also helps speed up your heart so that it can push more oxygen through your body which your muscles need. 10-30 minutes of cardio before a workout will also help speed up your metabolism.
Cardio will also help you burn more calories, no matter which kind of exercise you choose.
Another reason for cardio is that it can improve your hormonal balance. It releases “feel good” hormones that will help ease symptoms such as depression and fatigue. It also releases hormones that will decrease your appetite.
Those who do cardio are often known to have a much more positive outlook on life as a result of the stress relief benefits of the cardio they’re doing.
There are certain types of cardio which also have benefits after you’ve performed a hard gym session. Especially those workouts when you’ve been using weights. A couple rounds on the treadmill, or elliptical, can help to remove some of the stress weights have put on your body.
It can also help with your DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) and help bring more oxygen packed blood to the muscle tissue. This will aid in the repair and rebuilding process of your muscle tissue.
When trying to lose weight or maintain it there can be many obstacles. We want to help you get that perfect beach body you’ve been dreaming of. You just have to remember that fit isn’t a destination, it’s a lifestyle. We hope this beach body guide will help you live a stronger, healthier life.
