In just about a month or so for most of us college workaholics (sort of), we’ll be more than ready to kick back, relax, and spend spring break in a bikini by the beach or hanging out with old friends from back home. There’s only one thing keeping you from bouncing off the walls with excitement… the added pounds all that Valentine’s Day chocolate left behind. Now’s the time to start getting back to your old healthier, happier self for when you run into close family and friends…and not to mention, you’ll be beaming when you run into some gorgeous new boys. When we feel our healthiest, our confidence shines through to our personality and we send off a more positive attitude. We all could use a little push to get back on track, and here’s some tips that can help you do just that!
1. Grab some friends and take an exercise class. What’s not to love about being around friends while you’re kicking butt in a karate class all together!? Every school offers opportunities to take a group fitness class, full of so much fun you don’t even realize you’re exercising! My friends and I like to test our luck in a cardio kickboxing class every Saturday afternoon and always walk out feeling ten times better than before, even though during the session we were hardly able to breathe. Group workout classes are awesome because you realize that everyone has their strengths, and is in the same boat as you.
2. Keep your fridge and dorm room clear of regretful snacks. If you don’t keep unhealthy foods around you, you won’t be tempted to snack on them when you’re bored! It’s important to only stock up on foods that are not just healthy, but will fill you up so you’re not scavenging for a snack when in reality you aren’t even hungry. So next time you’re out shopping for groceries, steer clear of the cookie aisle and focus on the scrumptious apples, whole grain cereals, and low fat yogurts that are cheering you on toward a fantastic bikini bod.
3. Stay moving throughout the day, even when you’re watching TV. Make your break time an opportunity to burn some calories! Next time you even start thinking about lounging around for hours on end, think about how you can use your favorite show to motivate you to shed some pounds. Watching Modern Family? Take a look at Sofia Vergara! Why sit around just drooling when you could have her same perfect physique with just a couple of squats! Okay, maybe not literally, but this kind of push might just be the perfect ingredient for you to get on your feet. Use the commercials as intervals: hold a plank for one and do push-ups for the next. Use the theme song as a timer for how long you should hold your wall sits. Do 20 crunches every time somebody says a common word like ‘really’ and speed jog in place for 30 seconds every time somebody makes you crack up. Letting yourself stay dormant too long gets you into that habit of laying around. So spice up your workout by doing it while you’re already happy to catch your favorite show.
4. Use smaller plates. One of the hardest things for me personally is controlling portion sizes. For some reason, when I grab food at our school’s buffet style cafeteria, I suddenly have an appetite of a 300 pound football player. I end up grabbing whatever looks edible and bringing it back to my seat, only to feel disgusting afterwards. I’ve found you feel so much better after eating when you’ve had just a pleasant taste of your food, not after binging on an overload of mashed potatoes. So try putting smaller portions on your smaller plate. You may think that grabbing a huge amount of salad is the best thing for you, but really a portion of fruits or veggies, and even pasta, should only be about the size of a baseball. Meats like chicken should be the size of a deck of cards, and cheese should be limited to the size of three dice. This takes a lot of self-control, but just keep telling yourself how amazing you’ll feel after your meal and in the long run.
5. Challenge yourself! Take the stairs up to your room on the 8th floor, speed up the rate you do your crunches, give up sweets, and run that extra mile. You’ll be amazed at how much heart you put into it shows in your results. The more you push yourself, the more you will get out of your training. If blasting music helps, go for it! Just maintain a positive attitude the whole way through. It’s tough at first, but the more you step it up a level, the farther you will go.
Stick to these guidelines and you’ll be turning heads in no time. Just make sure you never say to yourself that you can’t. Keep your motivation alive by hanging magazine photos of athletic and healthy people around your room to remind yourself where you could be in just a few weeks or months. Or, make that cute bikini you’ve been dying to fit into your laptop background to see how you can reward yourself after you’ve worked super hard all these weeks. Of course, a reward for your hard work shouldn’t be an all-you-can eat tub of ice cream, but maybe get yourself a fresh haircut so you’ll be stylin’ from head to toe at the beaches during your awesome spring break, or even just when you’re out shopping with some old friends. Spring break is a time to feel amazing about yourself, and being healthy and happy during it can enhance your week off so much more.