It’s finals week which we all know means two things: getting stressed and pigging out. While our professors would rather have us out of shape so that we’re forced to stay home and read their books, the real solution to surviving finals week is staying healthy! Especially with summer just around the corner, we want to look our best and kick the dreaded bikini season jitters in the butt! Here at Her Campus Adelphi, we believe that every girl deserves to have a healthy body that she feels proud of so it’s time to put down the tubs of ice cream, f’real milkshakes, and slices of pizza and get healthy this finals week! We’ve come up with a few ways to help you speed up your metabolism and tone those glutes for a body that you feel comfortable flaunting all of your bikinis in. Let’s get to work ladies; your body will thank you!
Change That Mentality
If you want to improve your fitness, strength and endurance, you need the right attitude. Those gains aren’t coming overnight, and you shouldn’t expect them to. We’re here to help you start seeing the results, but the rest is up to you. Don’t expect to see changes in your body right away as patience is key. Avoid the frustration and instead tell yourself that your body is going to take some time getting used to the new plan. Try not to see this as a short-term goal only for the summer. Think about it as a lifestyle change in order to get to feel and look fit. Remember, those girls you see in magazines with the perfect bodies aren’t actually perfect. They probably struggle just as much as everyone else whether it’s by working out or eating right. Don’t compare yourselves with them because that will only put you down even more. Your body is a unique one and you need to find out what works for it and what doesn’t.
Find Motivation
I find that what always gets me in the mood to have a healthy meal or workout are seeing pictures of others working out or of their homemade green concoctions. There are a ton of Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook accounts you can follow of people who can help you feel inspired. Something else that might is taking a “before” picture of yourself. You can always have it as a reminder on what you would like to work on and then as something you can look back on when you finally take that “after” picture of all your hard work and determination.
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Detox Your Fridge
I hear it all the time and most likely you have to. Exercising is only 20% of weight loss. The other 80% comes from eating right. Before you hit the gym, take the time to go through your fridge and pantry to get rid of the junk food that you know will tempt and taunt you. You can even have your roommate or someone at home hide them for you to avoid any sort of temptation. Get rid of refined carbs such as white bread and white rice, sugary drinks like soda and fried foods. Then hit your nearest Trader Joe’s for veggies and lean protein. Eating right takes time and your taste buds aren’t just going to miraculously accept all fo that spinach right away. Start off slow and then work your way up into trying the healthier foods. What I usually tend to do is add spinach, celery or the other veggies that make me squirm into my smoothies along with fruits and almond milk. They’re so yummy and you won’t even realize you just took in all those wondefully delicious greens. Plus you’ll get your intake of fiber which will keep you full longer.
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Girl Look at that Body… I Workout!
So what about that other 20% I mentioned earlier? It’s time to get those hips moving and exercise! Finding the pleasure in working out isn’t easy. Trust me, I know the last thing you think you might find fun is dragging yourself to the gym, throwing yourself on the treadmill and gluing your eyes to the clock (because surely you hade to have been on that machine for more than 2 minutes!) What many people don’t realize is that working out is actually an energy booster. You might feel sluggish when you start, but when you’re finished with your workout, chances are you’re going to feel like a million bucks (not necessarily look it … but after a shower I’m sure you will!) If you are going to be hitting the gym, keep in mind that it’s perfectly fine and actually recommended to start off slow. Many fitness experts say that people burn the most fat when they play with their heart rate. If you plan on running on a treadmill, you should start by walking then slowly increasing the speed for a power walk. After 5 minutes, you can start jogging, and if you’re ready to run, you can do that for another 10 minutes. You then should go back to walking and repeat the steps. These changes will get your heart rate pumping properly and will have that metabolism ready to work, work, work! Let’s say that you’ve never really been a fan of the gym.. then that’s okay! Either find any activity that requires movement and will get you sweating or find a workout buddy. When I’m at home and I don’t feel like getting ready to go to the gym. I’ll just YouTube cardio videos from my computer, and that’ll be my workout for the day. Perks are: they’re free, intense, and private so you don’t have to worry about looking like a fool–no one’s watching you! Try to workout at least once a day or every other day. If you’re only working out once a month, that’s probably why you’re not seeing what you want. Don’t wish for it. Work for it!
Psst.. What are the answers?
Cheat a little. Will ya? Definitely not on an exam, but we mean with your healthy lifestyle! Contrary to what many people believe, building in cheat days in your new plan is recommended by many dieting experts. They believe that too much deprivation can actually lead to more craving and cause you to break up with your new-and-improved lifestyle. In addition, treating yourself to something cheesy and saucey (you know where I’m getting with that one) once in a while stimulates the thyroid gland and can “wake up” your metabolism. Dr. Oz advises to have at least 5 days of healthy eating between those “cheat days.” Don’t be too harsh and allow yourself to relax once in awhile. One or two slices of pizza isn’t going to make you a thousand pounds just as working out for four hours straight isn’t going to turn you into a fitness model. It’s all about balance and control.
There ya have it! A few tips on how you can start working on that fit body you’ve always deserved. We at Her Campus believe in you, and we can’t wait to see the happiness in your faces once you’ve achieved those goals. We hope we’ve pointed you in the right direction and motivated you to shut off Netflix (sighs.. I know it’s hard) and get up off your booty because in a couple of months, it’s going to be a nice toned one. Best of luck on finals, Collegiettes! See you on the beach!
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