Easy Summer Weight Loss

Summer is the season to lose weight. If you have been carrying around a few extra pounds, now is the time to make a commitment to improving your body composition, your health, your fitness, and your entire life! This can be the summer of YOU!

Summer weight loss is easier for many reasons. First of all, during the longer days surrounding the Summer Solstice, we receive more sunshine. More light stimulates the pineal gland, helping us feel more awake, have more energy, and sleep better at night. We can spend more hours outdoors being active, even after a full day's work. Soaking up the sun gives us the Vitamin D our bodies need to be healthy, to help ward off many types of cancer and disease. (People with below-normal levels of Vitamin D are more likely to get many types of cancer, including breast.) While the winter darkness and cold weather make us want to huddle under blankets and hibernate, the summer sunshine makes us want to get outside and move!

Another big benefit of summer is the heat. The hot weather naturally reduces appetite, allowing us to eat less and still feel satisfied. At the same time, we tend to crave lighter fare--salads, shakes, and fresh fruit, for example. I know I find it much easier to drink water in the summer, when I tend to be hot and thirsty. In the winter, I have to force myself to drink enough.

The warm weather is also wonderful for our muscles and joints. As we get older, we tend to feel stiffer and achier in our joints. Warm weather diminishes this stiffness and makes all kinds of movement more pleasant. Summer is a great time to take up yoga in order to enjoy stretching those muscles, but many different physical activities will be easier and more enjoyable during the summer months. If you melt in the heat, try exercising indoors in a climate-controlled environment.

Another fantastic factor which makes dieting easier in the summer is all the fresh, local produce. Farmers markets are everywhere, and the freshly harvested fruits and veggies are abundant. Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, Mediterranean, Atkins, Keto, or Zone-follower, fresh greens and berries are a vital part of EVERY diet! Fill your plate with veggies, add some protein, a touch of fat (or more if you follow a ketogenic plan!) and chow down. Watch the pounds disappear!

As you can see, losing weight this summer is a no-brainer. You can do this! And if you need help, I am here for you! I offer one-on-one personal training, weight-loss coaching, private instruction in yoga, Pilates, bootcamp, and more. Need a hand? Leave me a message in the comments.