Happy Fall ladies! It’s that time of year when the leaves start turning and the animals start packing away their food for winter. But as tempted as we may be, we need to remember we are not bears! We don’t need to pack away fat to keep us warm! We have cute knit sweaters and scarves that do that for us! So here are some tips and tricks to keep your summer body during these cold winter days!
1. Keep a Food Journal
Since we’re in the age of technology, this has become a no brainer. There are tons and tons of apps that you can use that tell you the calories of something and track them. Even if you don’t track every day or actually put it down and follow a certain intake, it’s important to be aware of just how much you’re consuming and how many calories things actually are, because you’d be surprised!
2. Don’t Guilt Yourself!
What some girls do (I’ve done it too!) to stop themselves from eating bad is to make themselves feel bad about that one m&m they ate or that bite of cake they had. This is not the way to go ladies! If you make something off limits, you’re just going to want it more and more and then eventually you’ll end up binging and going on a whirlwind affair and eloping to Vegas with that food. Let’s not have any surprise weddings. Allow yourself one treat every day! Sometimes just that one tiny bite can satisfy you! And don’t feel bad if you want a lot either, we all have cheat days. There’s no use making yourself feel bad about it. It’s a downward spiral from there! What may work for some people is to make your treat every day almost like a reward. If you ate pretty well that day, you get to have the piece of candy or chocolate or the cupcake. But, if you ate really awfully that day, skip it. That may help motivate you and keep you on track during the day, but you’re not restricting yourself from having a party in your tummy either!
2. Jazz Up Your Health Food
There are a few ways to make your healthy eating a bit more fun. For salads, that would be toppings. Sometimes, the toppings are so good you can skip the dressing (which is always good because the dressing can add a lot of unnecessary fat, oils, and calories.) Whenever you can skip the dressing, try to. Another trick that I like to use is by heating up my sandwich. I get the same thing that I normally would, just heat it up! It melts the two pieces of cheese on there and just makes it feel a little more decadent. Another way to jazz it up is by trying new things. Yes, the ol’ salad is tried and true, but have you ever tried quinoa? Or tabouli? Doesn’t ring a bell? Go look it up. They are delicious AND nutritious. You can even add them to your salad and get the best of both worlds.
4. Group Fitness Classes
As Adelphian’s, we are very fortunate to have group fitness classes available to us. Take advantage ladies! Most of them are only an hour or less and its so much better than just running on a treadmill for half an hour. You work out more muscles and stretch them, as well as getting some cardio! These classes offer everything you could want and there is definitely a class for everyone. My personal favorite is yoga with Suzanne, it rocks my world. It has changed my life. Yoga definitely isn’t for everyone, and yo don’t need to be some super spiritual person to get into it either, but I highly recommend that you girls at least go try it! It’s a great and positive experience that makes you want to improve yourself and also love your body the way it is all at the same time. I am not kidding you. It’s amazing. Want to find out more?This link will provide you with class descriptions and times as well! http://students.adelphi.edu/campusrec/groupfitness/
5. Accept Yourself
My most important tip for today is to not make yourself miserable. Every body is beautiful. and I mean every body. Just because that girl is super skinny doesn’t mean that you should be too! Focus on being healthy, being able to walk up the stairs without losing your breath, set little goals like that. It’s not about the number on the scale or the size of your clothes, those are all arbitrary. What’s important is how you feel physically and how you feel about yourself. By setting positive goals, you’re more likely to stick to the regimen because it makes you feel good. You’ll be less likely to stick to something that makes you feel guilty and like you’re not good enough. Nobody wants something that makes them feel that way. Turn exercise and eating right into a positive lifestyle change, not just something you’re doing for the moment because your “thighs are the size of jupiter.” We’re all beautiful in our own unique way, don’t compare your body to someone else’s, compare your body to itself and what it could be and what it can do. Your body can do amazing things if you let it. It does amazing things every day by keeping you alive! Let’s show it some appreciation by treating it right.
There you go my college ladies! Those were a few basic tips and tricks to make this fall/winter a little more fabulous. These are not for everyone, different things work for different people, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work for you. Play around and find your thing! Also, if you want to gain those ten pounds, you go glen coco. You gain those ten pounds and wear them proud. Just remember, love yourself and where you are at the moment, because the present is what you have, don’t worry about the future or the past, it’s all about today. Stay fabulous ladies!