14 June 2023
A lot of you will have social events coming up, holidays and it can be easy to fall off your routine. Before you know it, you are heading into Autumn feeling like you are back at square one. If you feel like you are giving up on your fitness/gym goals during the summer, here are some tips that can help:
For example:
You may normally workout 4 times a week but during the summer months because you have holidays etc, you change your non-negotiable to 3 times a week, that way you can still commit to the plan and manage to maintain your current strength/fitness levels.
You make going to the gym easy: I think a lot of people get FOMO during the summer, especially in the lighter evenings when there is a bit of a buzz and people are outside enjoying the sun. Be realistic with yourself, you are probably not going to want to be stuck in a hot gym in the evening so instead switch up the time of day you train. Start getting up a bit earlier with the lighter morning and getting to the gym first thing when it is cooler and you have the whole day ahead to enjoy. This can give you a well-needed boost heading into the day and free up time in the evening.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! If you have social events lined up and haven't planned how you will navigate around these, then likelihood is you are not going to be hitting your goals. Instead, time block these events out. If you’re eating out a few times in the month, could a couple of those times you look at the menu ahead of time and make a choice which aligns with your goal? Pick and choose the nights you drink at. I'm not saying to avoid alcohol completely, but if you’re going out every week and drinking every time you are out, that could have a huge knock-on effect on your whole month. If you enjoy some drinks at one night of the month rather than multiple, you are far more likely to have a much more enjoyable time.
Stay as active as possible during the summer: There is no excuse during the summer to get your steps in and participate in outdoor activities with friends and family.
Holidays: Could you align a week abroad with a deload from the gym? I actually find holidays are a great opportunity to take a rest from training but keep your active recovery up through steps, swimming, and other activities. If you want to keep on track with your nutrition goals, you could take a bag of protein in your luggage and make sure you are hitting your protein goal every day by having a double scoop. Personally, when I'm away, I like to try local cuisines and not worry about tracking, so you could think about keeping your food choices lighter for breakfast and lunch then enjoy an evening meal and a dessert. I think this becomes easier the more in tune you are with your body's nutritional requirements and building good nutritional habits.
I hope some of these tips help you, and if you need some accountability and continue to make progress throughout the summer, fill out an enquiry form below.