With the sun making an appearance, our minds naturally shift towards the summer holidays. If you’ve been feeling in a bit of a funk lately, your motivation has slipped, or you are feeling the pressure to get “beach body” ready, you are certainly not alone. But before you start worrying about trying a quick fix, let’s talk about what stepping into summer feeling fitter, stronger, and incredibly confident actually looks like.
The Truth About the “Beach Body”
“I want to feel beach body ready and more confident this summer. Where do I start?”
Firstly, I just want to say this: if you have a body and you have a bikini, you already have a bikini body!!
A lot of people associate feeling good and feeling confident with having a quote-unquote “beach body.” But actually, confidence is an internal thing and that can happen no matter our size. When you go to the beach or you’re on holiday, no one is actually taking any notice of you, they are all way too busy thinking about themselves!
However, I completely understand the desire to go into summer feeling a bit more toned, in shape and healthy. Working on ourselves really does help build our confidence.
So, what can we do right now to feel our absolute best, strong, radiant and energetic going into the summer?
5 Focus Areas to Build Your Summer Routine
If you want to get that healthy, lean look and feel fantastic, here are the foundational habits you need to focus on:
1. Prioritise Strength Training
To get that toned look and build shape in your body, you need to be strength training using weights. Focus on upper body strength, lower body strength and booty band sessions at least two to three times per week.
2. Base Your Meals Around Protein
In order to help your muscles recover and maintain that lean shape, you must eat adequate protein. Protein also keeps you feeling fuller and more satiated for longer. Make it a foundational habit to base every single meal around a protein source.
3. Carry Your Water Everywhere
It sounds easy, but are you actually doing it? Stop trying to wing your hydration. Get a water bottle and carry it around with you everywhere you go to ensure you are hitting your daily targets. (Need a benchmark? Check out the NHS guidelines on daily water intake to make sure you’re getting enough!)
4. Protect Your Sleep Hygiene
Getting enough sleep is difficult, especially if you have little ones! But you have to control the controllables. Protect your sleep hygiene where you can:
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Turn the TV off instead of watching that extra episode on Netflix.
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Stop answering emails and messages after a certain hour to let your brain wind down.
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Try going to sleep just 15 minutes earlier than normal. It makes a massive difference!
5. Never Underestimate Walking
Walking isn’t a replacement for your workouts, but it is a brilliant addition. Getting your steps in is incredible for your mental wellbeing, keeps your body mobilised, aids digestion and significantly reduces bloating. Keep walking, everyone!
Why You Must Ditch the Crash Diets
I want you to focus on nourishing your body, not punishing it.
So many people panic when they realise they have six weeks until their holiday. They go on a shake diet, try extreme fasting, or massively under-eat to drop weight quickly. They stick to it for a couple of weeks, but because it’s completely unsustainable, they end up miserable, totally burnt out and with zero energy.
That is starting your summer from a place of depletion, which is the exact opposite of what we want!
Remember that your body isn’t a bin. What you put into it fuels it. When you nourish yourself properly, you will actually want to work out, walk, and keep eating well because it feels so good.
The 70/30 Rule and Portion Control
If you are on a weight loss journey and want to lose body fat before summer, do not cut out the foods you love. Life is for living! Use the 70/30 Rule:
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70% of the time: Highly nourishing foods (vitamins, minerals, proteins, complex carbohydrates).
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30% of the time: A little bit of what you fancy (a glass of vino, a bit of chocolate, or a slice of pizza).
Instead of restricting, simply try reducing your portion sizes by about 20%. Keep your meals balanced with a palm-size of protein, a fist-size of carbohydrates, and a thumb-size of fats.
Beat Decision Fatigue with Structure
When we try to “diet” for the summer, food noise increases. The best way to combat this is to create dependable systems.
Try alternating between just one or two consistent breakfasts and lunches. When your breakfast, lunch, and fruit snacks are already planned out, that is so much of your day you don’t even need to think about. It removes the decision fatigue entirely!
Ready to Draw a Line?
Getting ready for summer isn’t about restriction; it’s about building a routine that makes you feel vibrant, energetic and powerful. If you are ready to take messy action and get some structure back into your days, I have some very exciting news.
Our 21-Day Summer YES Challenge is starting this Monday!
This is the perfect opportunity to draw a line in the sand and kickstart your routine. We have a brand new platform, daily 20-minute morning workouts, fresh nutrition guides, and a dedicated community forum to keep us all accountable. It is open to everyone (even non-Squad members), so grab a friend to do it with you and click here to sign up for the challenge!
Join the Squad!
Want full access to all of our workouts, resources, and live Q&A sessions? 👉 Head over to www.lornamariefitness.co.uk to join the Squad! Let’s get strong, build unshakeable confidence and step into summer feeling our absolute best together.
