Summer is underway—it’s time to enjoy the sun and warm temperatures! Whether you’re heading to the beach, pool, lake, ocean, or even having a staycation at home, there are lots of tips and tricks you can try out to keep yourself healthy and enjoy a toxin-free summer.
From taking good care of yourself with work outs and healthy eating to opting for toxin-free products, there are lots of ways you can keep toxins out of your life this season.
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Take a closer look at our favorite tips from leading experts to help you have a fun and safe summer:
Tip #1: Lifting weights changes your shape
from Beyond Fit Mom
If you want to change your body shape, you absolutely have to lift weights. This summer, focus on a program that incorporates a balance of activities including leisurely walks, some sprints/metabolic conditioning, plenty of stretching, core training, and also weight training.
If you really want to take your fat loss to the next level, adding some heavy strength training will be key. Cardiovascular exercise may get you bigger or smaller, but you will stay the same shape– weight training is the #1 way to change the shape of your body. Make it your goal to do do strength training 3 times a week for 30 minutes. This will increase hormones that help burn fat long after your workout is over and will go will a long way toward speeding up your metabolism, tightening and toning. I believe this is the most often missed secret in fitness for women.
Tip #2: Stop counting calories.
from Dietitian Cassie
To lose weight, you’ve been told time and time again to count your calories and make sure you’re burning more than you’re taking in, and if you’re not, then you won’t lose weight. Counting calories is the LAST thing you want to be doing. Calories are energy that fuel our bodies and help them run; just like gasoline fuels our cars.
You wouldn’t expect your car to run better if you take away the gas, so why would you expect your body to work better when you deprive it of calories? That’s why restricting calories for weight loss doesn’t make any sense! When you deprive your body of the energy it needs, it fights back and actually conserves energy by slowing down your metabolism.
Quiz: Is Your Body TOXIC? Take the Test...
(personalized report)
That’s why when you follow a calorie-counting diet, you feel tired, irritable, hungry, have outrageous cravings, frequent headaches, and low energy levels. Not only do you not attain the desired result, but you also feel awful in the process and horrible about yourself! It’s a battle you are destined to lose.
The opposite is true as well: when you fuel your body with what it needs, it works for you; you are satisfied, your metabolism is boosted, and you lose weight. So, eat fewer calories and your body burns fewer calories. Eat more and your body burns more. Cheers to no more calorie counting!
Tip #3: Make sure you are snacking!
(also from Dietitian Cassie)
Snacking between your meals is a great preventative measure to stay off the blood sugar roller coaster. When you don’t snack, your body learns to live in “starvation mode,” and your metabolism slows down as your body adjusts and compensates. Your body then hangs onto extra energy at meals by turning it into fat because it’s expecting that it will need that fat in case you don’t eat for a while again. Snack on protein, healthy fat, and vegetable and fruit carbohydrates every few hours to keep your metabolism high and to stay in fat-burning mode
Tip #4: Remove processed foods.
(also from Dietitian Cassie)
Your body doesn’t recognize foods that have been chemically processed and made from refined ingredients, which results as a slowed metabolism. If you don’t have the ingredients in your kitchen, and if you couldn’t fathom how it is possibly created (think Cool Whip vs. real whipped cream), then it’s probably a processed food. Processed foods will never be able to compete with the nutrients we receive from whole foods. Strive to eat like your great grandparents by staying away from packaged and processed foods because real food always wins.”
Tip #5:Mix up your workouts.
from Jessica Kellner, Mother Earth Living
Summer is the perfect time to try some new workouts—warmer weather makes outdoor pursuits of all kinds more appealing, so consider mountain climbing, trail biking, swimming laps, outdoor yoga, long hikes, row boating, sand volleyball, rollerblading, anything that’s not a part of your usual workout regimen. A diverse workout mix challenges more muscles, builds stamina on a broad array of measures, and prevents boredom. Diversity in our workouts also gives us alternatives to turn to as we age and our abilities change, helping set up for a lifetime of fitness. Finally, researchers have found time and again that exercising outdoors is more beneficial to our overall health, including our mental well-being, than exercising indoors, so make sure to take advantage of those sunny mornings and long evenings.
Tip #6: Eat healthy food.
from Teresa Jungling, Living Natural Today
Summer is a great time to eat healthy, real food and to take advantage of your local farmers market! However, before making a purchase at a farmers market, be sure to ask the farmer questions about how the food was grown so you can avoid as many toxins as possible.
In regards to produce, were pesticides and herbicides used on their crops? Do they follow organic standards? If they don’t follow organic standards, do they use non-gmo seeds and are the foods that you want to purchase on the Environmental Working Group’s Clean 15 list? When purchasing meat and poultry, ask the farmer if their animals range freely and what they use as feed. Are their cows grassfed? If you are able to ask a few questions at your local farmers market, you can go a long way to minimizing toxins in the food you and your family consume.
Tip #7: Wear non-toxic sunscreen
from Time to Cleanse
Most sunscreens contain chemicals that have proven to be harmful to your overall health. One excellent way to keep yourself toxin free this summer is to choose a nontoxic sunscreen alternative. There are many holistic brands that offer sun protection without all the toxins, like Honest Beauty and Goddess Garden. You can also make your own sunscreen at home, like this recipe from Wellness Mama.