Thanksgiving break is a slippery slope. Time spent with family and friends centers around the kitchen table and your healthy regimen just doesn’t apply to these few days. When you finally manage to pull your head up from that pumpkin pie, you return to school for the best time of the year – finals crunch time! We all know that stress eating is the worst thing you can do, but we all do it. “Study snacks” are our saving grace during that period of library hibernation. And when we finally survive finals, it’s time to return to our friends and family yet again for a full month of Christmas cookie baking, endless meals out, and lots and lots of quality time with the remote, the couch and the fireplace.
Basically, we’ve been on vacation from November to January and Spring Break is creeping up on us faster than we can handle. It’s a perfect time for a healthy New Years resolution – along with, perhaps, a little bit of spring break online-browsing. Certainly, there’s nothing more dreadful than bathing suit shopping but we’ve got some pointers to help you make these elements of spring-break-prep a little bit less painful. Here are a few simple steps to whip yourself into shape (the healthy way) and take care of some essential spring break shopping without going crazy.
Avoid crash diets. Firstly, you’re going to need a whole lot of energy for spring break. You aren’t flying all the way to Mexico to be a cranky, head-ached mess. Second, crash diets are incredibly unrealistic. Because, after all, deprivation equals craving. Eat well-balanced meals and try to cut out boredom-induced eating, whether it be the late night Yoforia or a post-Maggie’s binge.
Take some time to check out the tips from Shape Magazine’s “The Best and Worst Foods for a Bikini Body.” The good news is that eggs are on the list. The bad news is that this doesn’t give you permission to continue your bucket list of must-try brunch places around Atlanta. The even worse news is that sushi is off-limits too! Or at least no fancy sushi – the sauces and shrimp tempura can be extremely caloric. Stick to simple foods, preferably home-cooked (with limited salt and oil) so you know exactly what’s in your food.
Get cute outfits, without breaking the bank. This rule especially applies to flip-flops. As much as you want to toss them in the sand and hit the beach, so does everyone else. They’re bound to get lost/stolen/mixed up, so it’s just not worth blowing a lot of cash on the perfect outfit for each night out. Stick with what you’ve got in your closet, and just add a few fun shirts or accessories to spice things up for vacation. But, think twice before doling out too much money on the shoes you’ll wear out at night. Spring break is no different than Maggie’s – they will get spilled on.
Invest in a great pair of headphones. The hum of the airplane is never fun to listen to, especially on the way home when your head is already pounding. Also, you’ll find that no matter how much you thought you’d be partying day and night, it’s nice to find an hour or two to take a nap on that lounge chair (with sunscreen, of course). It’s definitely a good time for a chill-out playlist. Plus, a relaxing playlist and a pair of quality headphones are two things that will never go out of style.
Refrain from excessive online shopping from the obvious go-to sites (Nasty Gal, Urban Outfitters, etc.). You and the rest of the world will be perusing the web for easy spring break outfits, so chances are you’ll all pick the pieces that just look best on the models. If you don’t want to match, you should probably stay far away from these websites and take the time to hit up some of your favorite boutiques. Also, the spring break essentials like shorts, skirts, and classic pair of wedges need to fit perfectly. The chance that this happens when you order online is slim to none. Take the time to actually go to the store and try things on for yourself – you’ll feel much more confident wearing items that you hand picked yourself, and know look good on you. Trying things on is definitely worth it, plus you’ll feel much cooler when you don’t match with 7 other girls.
Well, the countdown has begun and there are less than 2 months to get beach-ready. Follow these simple guidelines to get a head start – otherwise find yourself spending way too much money on overnight shipping for that last minute bikini while subjecting yourself to eating celery for 10 days straight.