Now that it is finally summer, cue the sunshine and margaritas! It is time to take road-trips, jet set to far away beaches, and start tackling that summer reading list. For many of us, summertime means relaxation and getting away from the 9-5 workday. Which, let’s be honest, is very necessary a few times a year. But before you jump into that itty-bitty-yellow-polka-dot-bikini and start throwing back margs. like it’s your job, shouldn’t you set some ground rules first?
Ground rules… on vacation? Sounds crazy, right? Wrong. You’ve been working too hard eating clean, cycling at Soul Cycle, doing brupees at Cross-fit and Yoga-ing your heart out for the past 6 months. There is a way to relax and enjoy, while maintaining your rockin’ figure. In other words, literally having cake and eating it to.
Here are 5 ways (and useful recourses) to maintain your bikini body and to staying motivated this summer:
1. Don’t throw out the scale. Instead, trade it in for this one! I am a firm believer that you shouldn’t judge how you feel based on the numbers you see on a scale. But, I am advocate for measuring your weight-loss success based on tangible results and personal progress. When I first heard about Taylor’s Smart Scale, I just had to try it! This Bluetooth enabled Smart Scale is outfitted with the latest technology, features the free SmarTrack App, allowing users to store and view recorded data – weight, body fat, body water, etc. – in a variety of graphs, charts and dashboards – a great tool in the journey to maintaining everyday excellence!
And, SmarTrack is compatible with popular fitness and health apps RunKeeper, myfitnesspal and mapmyfitness, which automatically sync data into the consumer’s preferred app for easy tracking. For me, it really put a new perspective on how to monitor my wellness journey.
The Smart Scale is very user-friendly and more importantly, it retails for $59.99, which is a much lower price point then most scales with these capabilities.
2. Apps & Tools. In addition to using Smart Scale and SmarTrack, there are a plethora of apps and fitness tools you can use to keep yourself accountable this summer. The following is a list of our favorites:
MyFitnessPal – A personal food journal right in your phone! This app is great for logging your food and analyzing the amount of nutrients you receive in each meal.
FitBit Charge HR – this fitness tracker does it all! Counts steps, calories, distance, tracks your sleeping habits, tells you your heart rate, has a clock, tells you floors climbed, has a sleep alarm and stop watch, tells you when you need to get moving and even informs you of an incoming phone call!
Follow Fitness and Food Blogs – I recently had the chance to speak with Shelley Cameron, the wellness and fitness blogger of Sea Shells and Sit Ups, who created her own fitness + workout tracker (which can be found on her website.) Shelley has amazing tips and tricks to share, and throughout the rest of this piece we will share some of her favorites. To start, if you need any workout inspiration, Shelley routinely posts all her workouts of the day to her Instagram account. In addition, some of her go-to workouts consist of Tone it Up workouts, Kayla Itsines’s Bikini Body Guide and the Couch to 5k mobile app for running intervals.
If you feel like you are getting off track with your diet (and over indulging), surf the web and discover new health conscious food blogs, like this one – it is personally my favorite 
. Often a little inspiration is all it takes to get back on track.
3. Keep Your Routine. With a busy travel schedule, weddings to attend and vacations galore, it can be hard to maintain the same workout routine you are accustomed to. According to Shelley, “All the workouts I create can be done anywhere, anytime, and are always under 20 minutes! So, I use them when I’m in hotels, on the road and feel out of my routine.” The best thing to do is to plan your work outs apart of your travel routine.
My personal biggest tip when traveling is to always pack workout clothes and running shoes. You never know what kind of resources you may have access to.
4. Cheat the System. Hey! The weather is warmer and you deserve to enjoy yourself! So cheat… but smartly. For example one of Shelley’s favorite tricks when craving an indulging drink is to order a 1/2 glass of wine when out or at dinner, mixed with 1/2 sparkling water. She says, “You get to enjoy a glass of bubbly with half the guilt; and can even order two (which is really one!)”.
Another great product to “indulge” in is Sealand Birk, a flavored “water” that’s actually 100% harvested from the sap tapped from birch trees in Finland. It has no additives and is USDA organic, and is recommended by athletes and nutritionists as a great pre and post workout drink (a natural substitute to Gatorade to replace electrolytes). Right now, you can try a case for 15% off using ‘bikinibirk’ at checkout. Just visit sealandbirk.com.
Some other tips include: bring your dressing to avoid those harmful ingredients, ask for the meat to be prepared “dry” (without oil or butter), and look for the meals that are inline with your dietary goals.
5. Balance. It is so easy to get off track, give into social pressures and then beat yourself up about it all. But the best thing to do is to set yourself up for success. If you miss a day ( or five), indulge in too many macaroons, and even gain a few pounds, do not get discouraged. You are human and achieving your wellness goals will be a journey. The next morning, wake up, get dressed and jump back on the horse!
“To stay motivated is to set a few realistic, reachable goals for myself once a month. If I try to do everything all at once, it sets me up for failure. By setting a few achievable goals, you get excited when you reach them, which keeps you excited and motivated. I also focus on eating more than working out when my busy schedule swallows me whole! Eating clean(ish) plays a huge role in maintaining my figure, energy, and confidence. A good workout enhances all of that, but abs are made in the kitchen and revealed in workouts” says Shelley.
For more tips and tricks to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, follow Shelley Cameron on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and check out her website!
So tell us, what tips and tricks have you tried and found to be successful? Tweet me at @Jamiedanno or leave a comment below.