The sun is shining, your beach body is out, and the barbecue is lit. When the drinks start flowing and the weather is warm, abandoning your fitness goals and workout routine can be very easy to do. Swapping lifting dumbbells to lifting bottles becomes second nature and soon enough you’ve fallen off the wagon and your regime has collapsed. But there is a way of enjoying all that summer has to offer, while still maintaining your health and fitness plan.
Maintain Protein Levels
If your goal is to either lose weight or to gain muscle, ensuring you have adequate protein is key. Experts believe that you should ingest around 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. As you gain muscle and become heavier, getting all your protein needs can be tricky, especially when your diet is presented with heavy carb options in summer. One key way of getting your protein fix is through a barbecue – especially with a lean meat such as chicken. Barbecue food is typically protein heavy – either loaded with meat or vegetarian alternatives once the grill is fired up. There are dozens of ways to satisfy barbecue chicken fixes, such as through burgers or even adding some spice. You can easily hit your protein macros with a selection of barbecued food – and usually, grilled food is healthier than its fried counterparts.
Five Veg a Day
You can easily forget to eat the right amount of fruits and vegetables in summer (five portions a day), especially when various outdoor activities take you away from your usual routine of pre-cooked broccoli. Fitness gurus suggest that of the five a day, there should be four portions of vegetables and one of fruit. Luckily, summer is the typical season for most vegetables – especially those grown in the UK. Shopping around and finding various interesting items of veg that you might not normally try to add to a salad could help combat the heat and provide a refreshing and nourishing meal that hits your veg macros.
Cut Out the Sugar
Refreshing cool drinks in the summer are usually loaded with sugar, which in larger quantities can stunt your fitness goals and encourage you to slip back into bad health habits. To combat this, planning is essential. By finding a variety of sugar-free refreshments to replace the sugary drinks that might be on offer could help ensure your summer is both hydrated and healthy. Try adding some lemon, mint, or cucumber to plain water from the fridge for a thirst quenching drink that doesn’t break any of your fundamental fitness rules.
Summer is the perfect chance to show off the fruits of your labour in the gym, track, or sports pitch. But it’s also a time to be mindful of any possible damage to your hard-earned gains you could cause through reckless behaviour in the heat of the moment. You can enjoy yourself, eat, drink, be merry, and still keep on the fitness path you have worked hard to get onto. Making sensible swaps and being mindful of what your body needs doesn’t need to take away the fun and games that summer offers. Your body will thank you by the time winter rolls around again.
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