Summer Glow Up

When we think of summer, we think about sunny weather, swimming, and for some of us a vacation. We think about tanning on the beach, while drinking a pina colada. For some of us though, summer is just a reminder that you don't fit into bikinis like all the other girls. For some of us, it's a time of sweating to death from the long pants and shirts.

I used to be one of those people. I used to never wear shorts because I didn't like my legs, and never wear the swimsuits I wanted to wear for fear that I looked fat. I have been one of those people, but I have now evolved into someone confident and involve with herself.

I want to help you do the same.

Whatever your insecurities may be about yourself, I want you to picture your goal in your mind. Picture the ideal you, whether that be toned abs, a big bum, or a healthy lifestyle, picture it.

The first step to anything you really want is knowing your goal, and knowing how you're gonna get there. It's important that you know what it takes to get there.

The second rule is to NOT GIVE UP. I can't stress this enough, but you will want to give up at some point of your journey and the best thing you can do for yourself is to keep pushing. When everything is done you will thank me and yourself for not giving up.

Now for how to get there.

Below I have all my tips for working out, meals, drinks, and more.

Fitness

You may have tried working out before and not known what to do and how to do it, or you currently work out and need help, but these tips are sure to help you push your limits and achieve what you want.

There are so many machines and different things you can do there that can be more beneficial than at home workouts.

1. I would recommend joining a gym and working out there.

There are so many machines and different things you can do there that can be more beneficial than at-home workouts.

2. At the gym, you want to have some essentials.

I personally always have:

• water bottle
• BCAA's
• a bomb workout playlist. This will motivate you to keep working out and will keep you uplifted

3. If you're working towards a bigger bum...

Make sure you are doing glute isolation exercises.

4. Drink tons of water, and consider using pre-workout.

5. Push yourself hard.

6. Try HIIT workouts for losing weight.

Diet

Here are some of my favourite snacks and meals that help me lose weight and retain muscle.

Snacks:

• whole grain bread with almond butter
• smoothie with protein powder
• hummus and vegetables
• nuts
• fruit
• water (always drink water)
• green tea (great for weight loss)

Consider Intermittent fasting. This is really good for weight loss and overall health. Keep reading to learn more about this.

Meals:

• tuna wrap with avocado, cheese, tomato, & lettuce
• pasta and ground turkey/chicken with sautéed vegetables
• chicken with quinoa & rice mix and baked sweet potato
• vegetable curry with quinoa & rice mix and vegetable side dish
• baked salmon with quinoa, green beans, baked potato fries, salad

These are just some of my meals you can mix and match to your personal choices.

How I Lost the Weight

I never liked how I looked enough to feel comfortable in a bikini, or in shorts, crop tops, see through shirts, etc. Now I rock these every day.

I started my journey by changing my mindset. I changed my mindset into "you are living a healthy lifestyle now, you're going to love how you look after," and it worked.

I did very minimal cardio, usually 2x a week or 3. I walked at a setting of 4 on a super incline treadmill. These are great; you burn lots of calories in a shorter amount of time and I found it better than a regular treadmill. I usually set my incline to 15 for 5 minutes and increased to 25 gradually.

I ate all healthy food, drank tons and tons and tons of water, drank lots of green tea, and did minimal cardio and that was it. A cheat day here and there are okay but 99 percent of the time I ate frequently every few hours when I was hungry. When I was hungry from boredom or stress I would drink green tea. I kept myself occupied doing things so I wouldn't want to eat, always kept water with me everywhere and ordered nothing at stores but water. I ate only until my stomach was starting to get full, never overrated. I also intermittent fasted. This is when you choose a period time to not eat. For example, you would stop eating at 8 PM and then not eat until at least 8 AM the next morning. You would have fasted for 12 hours, and this keeps your metabolism going and your body health maintained. This method is very good for weight loss. I also drank apple cider vinegar 1-2 times a day. Apple cider vinegar has been scientifically proven to aid in weight loss. It also cleaned out your system and helps your organs. I took 1tbsp with 1tbsp of lemon juice and a tiny bit of turmeric and some water. I could see the results from this very fast and it worked better than exercise or my diet.

This is pretty much how I lost it, but the most important part of all this is your mindset. Keep your mindset on your goal and how to get there, and you will get there.