Summer is arriving and it's time to get ready for shorts and swimsuit weather!  If you are like me, swimsuits are a scary thought!  But there is no reason to miss out on all the fun in the sun!  I don't think we should try to look like some picture of an airbrushed fashion model or lose weight for some guy, but it is good to be healthy and feel good about yourself! (By the way, you don't have to be a 100-pound size 2 to look good and feel great.)

Here are some helpful tips to get your body ready for the summer. You've got to fight this battle on two sides: nutrition and exercise.

On the nutrition side, with trading out a few of your current eating habits for healthier choices, you can lose one pound per week.  All you need to cut out is 250 calories a day to lose one pound a week.  How much is 250 calories?  A medium size order of french fries has about 370 calories! So if you normally eat fries at McDonald's, choose the bag of apple slices (without the caramel dip) instead and you will save you about 310 calories.  There is your 250 calorie cut for that day!

The nutrition plan:

1. Stay away from anything fried
2. Trade all white breads and pastas for whole wheat.
3. Eat colorful meals.  Your plate should have at least 1 bright color at each meal.  Add a fruit to breakfast and a veggie to lunch and dinner.  
4. Stay away from processed sugar like candy, cake, soft drinks.  Processed sugar is not only empty calories (calories with out nutrients) but it will also swell your abdomen!  

On the exercise side, get 30 min of cardio (walking, running, swimming, biking, roller blading, etc) 3 times a week and do some strength training moves 2 times a week.  Check out this awesome strength training video to get a beach body at FitnessMagazine.com

Following these tips for one month will get you looking great and feeling great for the summer!

-Kara