5 Tips To Staying Healthy During the Summer Months

I'm as much doing this blog post for me to remember, hey, just because you have a cookout Thursday night doesn't mean that your whole week is pig out week. I sometimes think that it is ok to blow my healthy eating habits all week long if I know I have an event with limited food selection one day that week. HELLO stupid thinking.

I hate that I have such an all or nothing approach to the healthy lifestyle. My caloric consumption varies so much from day to day that I give a new meaning to the term swing dieter. One day I bet I'll only consume 900 calories then the next day 2900 calories because I'm so flipping hungry from the 900 calorie day.

My friend Lisa and I spent last past year working out religiously 2-4 times per week doing fun classes like Turbo Kick and Zumba. Upon moving to Dallas I lost my workout buddy, and clearly my motivation for keeping fit. By some grace of God, I have not gained too much weight since I moved here, but I have lost muscle and that makes me feel terrible about myself.

I'm waking up this Tuesday morning and saying, GET IT TOGETHER SARAH.

I'm not an expert, I'm not a nutritionist, I'm not skinny, I'm not pretending to know it all. I'm just an every-girl that struggles. But I'm an every-girl that knows what works, and what doesn't work. Here are my tips and tricks for staying focused and fit during the hot, event-filled Summer months, and well, really any time of year!

1. Utilize your iPhone: Track, track, track, then track some more. The best app I have on my phone is My Fitness Pal. I just went through and friended as many random people as possible so I have people cheering me on, and vice versa. Who cares if I don't know them, in fact, that may even make it better because I can be more honest! I update my weight every monday, and when I lose weight, it gets announced in my "news feed" (and all my friends start to congratulate me on my weight loss!) Whoo! Friends or strangers, encouragement and congrats are always fun to receive.

2. MOVE: Move somehow. Do something. During the summer, don't stress out about not being in the gym for an hour. Do a 30 minute spin class instead of an hour of turbo kick. Do 15 minutes of abs. Walk the dog for longer than normal. Go to Zumba instead of spin if you just can't fathom being on a bike for 45 minutes. I know that is so hard for me sometimes. Run around in circles in your apartment... regardless, just move, then you can have more wine!


3. Fear the most common misconceptions: Tip: When at a restaurant, let the server know that you have an allergy to butter and oils. Restaurants take allergies very seriously and I assure you there will be no butter or oil on your food. Will your food taste as good? No, but you will look fab in your bathing suit.

Yes I know vinaigrette is spelled wrong, but I didn't save the file and this post took me long enough to write already.

4. Take Pictures: Pregnant women take pictures of their belly growing and post it on Facebook every week. Well, take similar pictures and watch yourself shrink. I try and pick the worst possible outfit that makes me look super heavy on day 1 of a health overhaul. My go to is usually this purple bathing suit. Nothing is more revealing, or makes you want to lose weight more than a bathing suit. I update my picture each week to see my progress! I don't post them on Facebook, OBVIOUSLY! Don't nobody wanna see that. If nothing else, your before and after could make you (and your blog) a Pinterest sensation.

..... and I've clearly lost my mind for posting that. Hey turbo kick, how ya doing? We clearly need to hang out soon.

5. Don't live an all or nothing lifestyle: If you mess up at a catered work lunch, don't dwell, your day is not shot. Eat a salad for dinner! Those who wander are not lost! This is the one I have the hardest time with, hands down.

And the same goes for treating yourself. If I were to say to myself, "Self, you may never have chips and salsa or sweet treats again, if you want to be thin" what do you think self would then go do? Eat a bag of chips and salsa with birthday cake remix from Cold Stone on top.

I was lucky enough to have Fruttare ask me to review their frozen fruit bars.

Content provided in partnership with Fruttare.

I loved this product because first and foremost, it was totally delicious. I tried a box of both the strawberry and the mango. The mango was hands down my favorite. In the 109 (yes I said 109) degree weather, it is so hard to get cooled off. It's easy to turn to high sugar sodas or ice cream. This is the best alternative to refreshing yourself without totally ruining your healthy day.

Content provided in partnership with Fruttare.

The best part is that the bars I tried, mango and strawberry, are only 60 calories!! YES, 60! You could even have two, feel like you are totally indulging, but you've only consumed the amount of calories you would burn off in a 30 minute casual walk.

And the best part is Fruttare gave me a coupon for a free box of frozen fruit bars for one lucky reader to try! Just to make this deal even sweeter (pun of course intended) I'm going to throw in ESPN sized ad space too. All you have to do is comment and leave me a tip you use to stay healthy in the summer months. I'll use random.org to pick the winner. You have until Thursday at 5:00pmCST to enter!