Stay on Track with your Workouts this Summer

Never underestimate the power of planning ahead… or a bad haircut.

But seriously. Things are about to get hot in here, and by hot, I mean summer is just around the corner.  For some people summer might not mean any schedule changes what-so-ever, but for many people that’s just not the case.

The kids are out of school, the weather is beautiful and that weekly happy hour is now more enticing that it’s out on a patio.  Baseball season is in full swing (and while I love my Cardinals, there are ALWAYS games, which can lead to “reasons” to get out of your normal schedule) as is vacation season, and music/movies/outdoor theatre picnic season!

And I LOVE IT!

However, as wonderful as the summer can be, if you’re not careful your well-being and waistline can suffer.

Enter the schedule.  This is the time; right NOW is the time to start looking ahead to your summer plans. Are you going on vacation? When, how long, and how are you getting there? Are you going to be unable to resist Friday afternoon Happy Hour… which, it so happens, conflicts with your normal workout time? Will Wednesday evenings be spent at the Botanical Gardens with jazz, snacks, and wine?  No judging here, I’m for ALL of these things (everything in moderation!), as long as you plan ahead! 

We’ll talk about nutrition ideas later, but for now- let’s talk summer workouts.

5 WAYS TO STAY ON TRACK WITH YOUR WORKOUTS OVER THE SUMMER

1. Flex your Gym time. Yes, I know, you love your 5:00 post-work sweat sesh, but if you’re going to miss it because that patio happy-hour is calling, or you’re headed to the Cards game, get up an hour early and workout instead. (Don’t groan at me. Suck it up buttercup! It’s only one day, and you’ll feel WAAAAY less guilty at happy hour. Trust me!)

2. Workout at home. Sometimes you really don’t have time to go to the gym.  After all, between drive time, finding a parking place, and actually having to get dressed- it really can take an extra 30-45 minutes just going to the gym.  However, you don’t have to go to the gym to get a great workout. There are lots of things you can do at home with or without equipment. Not sure what to do at home? There are TONS of DVDs and videos out there for purchasing or streaming. You can get full programs or single workouts in a variety of styles from kickboxing, to weight lifting; dance to PiYo (<3). 

3. Include exercise in your activities. Grab a friend, significant other, or the family and get moving. Go for a bike ride, work in the yard, go swimming (and actually SWIM!), arrange a pick-up game of your favorite sport with your friends and/or kids. Or how about an afternoon at the zoo? There are lots of non-traditional ways to add exercise in your schedule.

4. Take a walk. In my opinion, walks are highly underrated. They’re a great way to spend some time with people you love and care about. While you’re on your walk you can find out about each other’s days, go over your upcoming schedule, plan your upcoming vacation, or just be together. Bonus! We’ve got TONS of awesome parks in and around St. Louis… and as I mentioned before, the Zoo (in STL) is free so you can’t go wrong with a day checking out the Polar Bear!

5. Think about what’s coming next. Do you have a vacation coming up? A reunion? A wedding (for yourself or someone you know)? While I try to stay away from the “vanity” of working out, we all want to look good for special events- if I met someone who said they didn’t, I’d be vaguely suspicious. Remind yourself of all the hard work you put in already this year- do you really want to have to re-do that work? Yeah, I didn’t think so.