9 Ways to have a beach body and still live your life
If you are at a gym, thinking about going to a gym, it’s fair to assume you want to achieve a result. The result could be performance-related such as a better marathon time, back squat, or getting your first pull-up.
Most of those goals are surface goals. If you asked yourself why you want those goals, you would probably come to the conclusion you want to be more confident. Even if your goal is performance-related, achieving a performance goal makes you feel more confident amongst your peers.
With any goal, you usually have to give up something to get something. People who walk around chiseled with ripped abs and a bodacious booty that is magazine worthy give up a lot. They give up social gatherings, unhealthy food, and spend hours on end at the gym. If you are like most of our members that is not the goal, nor is it something that would be possible with high demand jobs, families, and social obligations.
So that brings me to the topic of the article — The obtainable beach body.
Recently, I was at a Starbucks waiting for my morning coffee when a guy walked in who was more fit than I was. I immediately got down on myself. I thought, “I own a gym; I should be in better shape than someone who doesn’t.” I was envious for not being as defined as him. I pondered these feelings I had for a while and remembered I often tell people that I rock the “obtainable beach body.” So what does that mean?
It means that in most cases I am noticeably in better shape than the average person, but you probably won’t see me on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. I watch what I eat, I workout regularly and I’ve continued to do it for many years, but I also let loose and don’t feel bad about it.
The good news is the results I have achieved are obtainable by anyone. YES, I SAID ANYONE! It will take time, work, and it will take consistency, but you can turn heads with your beach body without spending all day at the gym and counting calories.
So what do you need to do?
1. Be prepared. Food prep as much as possible. It does take time upfront, but it will save you time throughout the week and help you make better food choices every day. Schedule your workouts before the week starts. Having your workouts scheduled increases your chances of attending and staying accountable.
2. Eat healthy foods. This doesn’t translate to following a “diet.” Eat 3-4 meals that include a small handful of lean protein, 2-4 cups of veggies, and thumb size of healthy fats. This should be 90% of your meals.
3. Exercise intensely and regularly. Everyone is short on time, but it’s not about having the time. It’s about making the time. When you workout make the most of it, I like to workout 5-6 days a week, but you can achieve a lot working out 3-5 days/week.
4. Don’t focus on cheat meals. Food is meant to be fuel and to nourish your body. When you can eat healthy foods, you will feel better, both physically and mentally. If you follow the rule above and want to splurge, it’s not a cheat meal; it’s just a meal. Remember you aren’t on a “diet,” so cheating doesn’t exist.
5. Stop drinking on the weekdays. I get it. Work is stressful, and parenting is hard, and unexpected stress comes up every day. But having the mindset that you deserve a drink when life gets stressful isn’t a good enough reason to consume extra calories, nor is it a healthy way to manage stress in general. Drinking two 100-calorie drinks Monday through Thursday is approximately 3,465 calories/month and 41,600/year. This equates to about 21 additional days of calories based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Oh and that goes for drinking soda too!
How many calories to burn 1 lb of fat: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calories/art-20048065
6. Don’t tell yourself you workout so you can have an unhealthy diet. If you exercise so you can eat poorly, you are setting yourself up for failure. The average cheeseburger and Fries is about 1,400 calories. Most intense workouts burn 250-500 and maybe 100-200 post-workout.
7. Make smarter food choices when you’re on vacation and holidays.
When it comes to fun, I already said I you should let loose. Unfortunately, doing that for several days straight can reduce your motivation to get back on the wagon. We have a saying at the gym, “don’t eat like an A-hole.” That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, but adding in some low-calorie food and drinks can save 1,000’s of calories.
Check out our PDF that shows the number of calories you can save by making better choices and still having fun!
8. Patience and consistency. There is no goal or finish line when you choose to take care of yourself. Changing bad habits into good habits long term is how you will achieve results. You have heard it before; there is no magic pill just hard work. You’ll need to stay the course over time, but you will have your version of an obtainable beach body and the confidence to go along with it.
9. Don’t stop having fun!
I know I just said there is no magic pill and you’ll need to work hard. But taking everything fun away in your life to achieve your goal will lead to burnout. It’s about making more healthy choices than unhealthy. So go ahead and have that beer and cake at the party. Do it guilt-free. Just don’t make every day a free for all!
If you need help establishing healthy habits, jump-start your fitness journey or looking for something new, click here and fill out the information and we will contact you within 24 hours!
Thanks,
Jake Wandersee
Owner
On the left side is me at 26 before I decided I wanted to make a change. On the right is me at 40 and a proud moment with my daughter after doing our first daddy and daughter partner workout!