For me, as for many ladies, the thought of baring it all on the beach or at the pool can be a source of anxiety. I’m heading to Destin for Spring break next week, and after months of living in leggings and oversized sweaters, it’s time to embrace my painfully pale legs and come to terms with all of the cheese I ate this semester. Don’t get me wrong, how you look in a bikini is by no means a worthy source of worry, and the only thing that you need to meet the criteria of a “beach body” is a body that happens to be on the beach. However, it’s always nice to feel as confident as possible in yourself in any setting. While real confidence starts from within, it probably wouldn’t hurt to look like a million bucks in a bikini!
Four weeks ago, I decided I really needed to kick my butt into gear and start exercising and eating healthier. Since then, I’ve lost almost 13 pounds. The number is less important than the fact that I feel exponentially better, mentally and physically. The best part is is that I haven’t gone to the gym a single time. I’ve simply done two things: 1. I’ve tried my hardest to not eat out at all during the week and 2. do an at-home workout challenge every day. Here are a few tips on how to shape up before spring break using my method!
Part 1: Eating out during the week
I love food and I love eating out, end of story. I love everything about it and just typing this is making me reminisce on the burger I got from Scotty’s last weekend. However, because I wanted to save money and lose weight, I knew I had to make a sacrifice in this department. However, I did not want to make this feel like a punishment. After all, I’m not dead yet and sometimes a girl needs a Frisco melt. To keep myself motivated, I decided to stop going out to eat at all Monday-Friday evening. If I behaved throughout the week, I would reward myself with a meal or two out over the weekend at a couple of places I’d craved during the week. Knowing that I could have a fun meal out at the end of the week gave me something to look forward to, and staying strong throughout the week gave me a sense of accomplishment that made the next week easier. Noticing a three pound, 35 dollar difference at the end of the first week did not hurt either. The point isn’t to make your week miserable. It is to make yourself more conscious of how quickly money and calories fly out the door when you eat the majority of your meals out.
Part 2: Daily workout challenges
For those who are not familiar, I’m referring to pre-made 30 day workouts that you can find plastered pretty much all over the internet. They start out pretty easy with just a few reps, and build in intensity as the month goes on. I picked three off of Pinterest, one that targeted each of the areas I wanted to work on: arms, legs/booty, and abs. They were a little slow going at first, but eventually things picked up. If I did not feel like it that day, I told myself it was not a big deal, especially in the beginning. However, I stopped letting myself miss a day. If I missed a day, I forced myself to make up for it the next day by doubling up. Knowing how bad two days of workouts in one sucked was my motivation.
Currently I’m about halfway through my second month of this method, and it has worked better than I could ever imagine. Below are the three workout challenges I started with in case you want to give it a go.
Abs: https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2017/07/shape-2017-laurenconrad-com-30-day-abs-challenge/
Booty/Legs: https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Printable-Squat-Challenge-31141646
Arms: https://www.fitwirr.com/workout/plan/30-day-arm-challenge/