How to Look Your Best for Summer Vacations
Written by Stephanie Hodges, MS in Nutrition and Exercise Science, Edited by Martin Ebner, head PT and Sports Nutrition Specialist at Ebylife.
It's that time of year again! The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and summer vacation is just around the corner. Unfortunately, while many of us spend the winter months vowing to get in shape for the summer, the truth is that life often gets in the way.
Before you know it, you may realize your vacation is 12 weeks away – or less! But don’t despair, in this blog post, we have steps to get you looking your best for vacation even if you're only 12 weeks, 8 weeks, 4 weeks, or 2 weeks away from your vacation start day.
5 Basics For Getting In Shape Quickly
First, let's cover a few basics. We do not recommend a crazy crash diet plan where you starve yourself, work out four hours a day, or take potentially harmful diuretics or questionable supplements. Not only are these methods unsafe, but they're almost always ineffective.
Instead, whether you have three days or twelve weeks, be sure to cover these basics in your vacation-ready plan:
Get plenty of rest and sleep 7-9 hours per night. This helps you recover from workouts and give you the energy to exercise at a greater intensity. Sleep also helps you keep your hormones in balance and diminish cravings. Being well-rested is also one of the best ways to improve your appearance naturally.
Drink plenty of water. Water helps prevent bloating, puffiness and dehydration. Aim to drink at least 2.5 liters of water a day and more if exercising frequently or in a hot climate.
Eat mainly vegetables and lean protein. Vegetables are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients. This will keep you well-fueled, healthy, and full with fewer calories. Lean protein like chicken, fish, whey protein, tofu and eggs help you build or maintain muscle mass. You need some muscle to look toned in that bathing suit.
Limit or eliminate sugar and alcohol. Conversely, sugar and alcohol are high in calories with little nutritional value. It's also easy to overconsume both! Too much sugar can lead to cravings and energy crashes, while alcohol can quickly dehydrate you, fill you up on empty calories, and lower your eating inhibitions.
Related article: Can you Drink Alcohol Without Gaining Weight?
Create a calorie deficit to lose fat. Being in a calorie deficit means consuming fewer calories than your body needs. This forces your body to burn stored fat for energy, leading to weight loss. We have carefully created a meal plan with a macronutrient split ideal for sustained weight loss.
Now that we've covered these five basics, let's move through your short-term journey to looking your best for summer vacations!
Getting in Shape 12 Weeks Before Vacation
With twelve weeks to go, you have plenty of time to see noticeable and lasting change. If you’re overweight, you can lose 1-2 pounds of fat a week with the proper diet and exercise plan.
Consistency is the biggest key here! Choose a plan you can maintain for twelve weeks that doesn't require you to go to unsustainable extremes. The worst setback at this point would be to crash and burn or injure yourself.
If you're currently at a beginner level, or you've stopped working out, and your diet has much room for improvement, focus on establishing some essential habits during the first month. Get moving and focus on cleaning up your diet.
Initial steps may look like:
Upping your daily water intake
Taking two 10-15 minute walks a day
Strength training exercises for every major muscle group 2-3 times a week
Planning healthy meals (vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean protein) and eliminating junk foods
If you've already got a solid workout routine and meal plan, it's time to up the workout intensity and get serious about your diet.
While sound diet and exercise are a must, you may also want to consider adding an all-natural fat-burner supplement to your regimen for an added boost. When trying to trim down, I always like to take a fat burner before my cardio sessions. While it’s far from a magic pill, it can help to further utilise fat as an energy source. Here's a list of five of our favorite stim-free fat burners for men and women
Getting in Shape 8 Weeks Before Vacation
Do you want to bulk up and add lean muscle or lose weight and slim down? When you've got eight weeks to vacation, it's best to focus on one primary goal. Then you can hone in on doing the correct type of exercise and getting the right amount of calories to support your efforts.
You may have heard the saying, "you can't out-train a bad diet," which is especially true when you're less than two months away from a vacation. While you can still enjoy small treats occasionally, don't go overboard on weekends or at parties because you'll quickly undo your progress. Instead, for the next eight weeks, try to be as consistent with your eating plan all week long.
We have various exercise and meal plans available for both bulking up and losing weight, including:
Getting in Shape 4 Weeks Before Vacation
With four weeks to go, strength training is your best friend! Lift weights that are challenging for you, and utilize the progressive overload principle, to produce visible results (stronger, leaner muscles) in a short amount of time
If you're pressed for time, you can utilize several workout techniques to maximize your results in less time. Examples include:
HIIT workouts: High-intensity interval training is a type of cardiovascular exercise that alternates between periods of all-out effort and active recovery. HIIT workouts are shorter than traditional cardio workouts, but they're more intense. This makes them ideal for people who want to see results quickly.
Supersets: A superset is two exercises performed back-to-back with no rest in between. Supersets are a great way to get a full-body workout in less time.
Compound exercises: Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that simultaneously work for multiple muscle groups. These exercises are very efficient because they allow you to target multiple muscle groups in a single movement.
Fasted cardio: Fasted cardio is a type of cardiovascular exercise that's done on an empty stomach or after not eating for at least 7-8 hours. Performing cardio in a fasted state can help you burn more fat because your body has to tap into stored energy (fat) for fuel.
The month before vacation is also a time to be extra disciplined with your diet. After all, the finish line is in sight...so passing up a morning donut or weekend beer is only temporary.
Don’t think of it as deprivation, Instead, foster the mindset that food is fuel, and you're eating to live your best life (both now and on vacay).
Getting in Shape 2 Weeks Before Vacation
With only two weeks to vacation, the excitement is undoubtedly building, and you may have extra to-dos on your list to get ready and prepare. So take a deep breath and relax; you will be prepared to enjoy your vacation and look your best.
In these last weeks leading up to vacation, focus on reducing inflammation and bloating in your body.
Factors that contribute to inflammation and bloating include:
Lack of sleep
Chronic stress
A diet high in sugar and processed foods
Excess alcohol consumption
Salty foods
Eating too quickly
Chewing gum
Carbonated beverages
Lactose or fructose intolerance
Beans, legumes, and cruciferous vegetables (these foods are very nutritious but can cause bloating, so substitute other healthy veggies as you get closer to vacation)
Try to avoid the items on this list, and be sure to get good sleep and deal with stress in a healthy way. In addition, focus on ways to reduce inflammation and bloating, which include:
Drinking plenty of water
Exercising regularly
Taking a probiotic supplement
Eating anti-inflammatory foods
According to an article on Healthline, some of the best anti-inflammatory foods you can eat include berries, fatty fish, avocados, green tea, peppers, mushrooms, grapes, turmeric, and tomatoes.
Finally, you may choose to boost your vacation confidence and get a smooth, healthy glow with some extra TLC and grooming steps such as exfoliating, getting a spray tan, or waxing. And be sure to get a new swimsuit or clothing that fits well and shows off your best assets.
Looking Your Best for Summer Vacation
Diet and exercise are a huge part of looking and feeling your best for summer vacation. Whether you have 12 weeks, 8 weeks, 4 weeks, or 2 weeks left before your trip, you can take the steps listed in this article to boost your confidence. Start today and in no time you’ll be ready to show off your beach body!
