As summer quickly approaches, I know so many women are looking for quick fixes to help get ready for swimsuit season. But Sister, let me tell you – fad diets are NOT the way to go! Maybe they show promising results at the beginning, but they are not healthy in the long run and you’ll find yourself yoyoing back and forth with your weight and sanity.

Instead let’s join together and start working towards that healthy state of mind! To help you jump start your health journey, today I’m sharing 5 things that have helped me to get to my healthy place – a sustainable lifestyle that is formed from healthy habits formed over time that has given me the confidence and ability to love myself and my body the way He made me to be!

1.  Drink More Water

As it begins to heat up, be mindful about what you are fueling your body with! We all know that there are so many benefits to drinking water… one of the most important is that it can help curb your appetite and help keep your body fueled!

One trick that has helped me train my body to drink more water is when I’m tempted to grab a soda or drink that I know isn’t great for me, I challenge myself to drink one full glass of water FIRST. A lot of times that does the trick and is what my body was wanting in the moment, my brain had just been trained to think that sugary drinks were the answer instead!

2.  Get Moving for 30 Minutes a Day

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… it doesn’t matter what you do, just find something that you love that gets you moving and your heart rate up for 30 minutes a day! So whether that is joining the Fit Strong Mama online bootcamp, or a yoga class or a bike ride around town – get out there and DO IT!

I cannot stress how important it is to your body to be moving and active. If you struggle with this, make sure you build in accountability! That might mean letting your spouse know so that they can make sure the kids are occupied during the time that you’ve scheduled for you to workout. Or maybe that’s scheduling to check in with a friend once you’ve worked out. At Fit Strong Mama, our members have a daily check in that they’ve done the workout – and it’s great encouragement & accountability for us all to stay on track to make sure we get our 30 minutes of movement time in!

3.  Start Intermittent Fasting

Recently we featured a post about Intermittent Fasting and the benefits of it. If you are looking to really jump start a healthy lifestyle – this is the way to go! By limiting your “eating” hours, you’ll find yourself cutting calories and carbs, PLUS fasting will help your body begin to use up your stored fat reserves as fuel! By doing this, combined with an increased water intake and movement, you’ll see your body and energy levels begin to change in such great ways sister!

4.  Make a Plan

I’m sure that you’ve heard the phrase “If you fail to plan, you a planning to fail.” And this is so true! Sister, in order to be successful on your weight loss journey, you NEED to plan. Here are a few things to consider and to plan into your schedule:

1.  Schedule your movement time (even if it’s just 30 minutes before every one in your home wakes up!) – Write it on a calendar, put it on a sticky note at your computer, wake up a half hour early… do whatever it takes to at least get 30 minutes!

2.  Plan your eating schedule for the week. Think about what your goals are… if you are intermittent fasting, schedule family dinners early so you don’t miss your eating window. Think about when you tend to snack, go for the soda or extra coffee and prepare for that! Make sure you have healthy snacks on hand to help curb those cravings! When planning your menu, to start, don’t stress about counting every macro or calorie! Instead start simple and focus on these two things when grocery shopping: up your greens and proteins (fruits, vegetables, meats), and try to lower your whites (bread, pasta, excessive carbs).

3.  Go grocery shopping at the beginning of the week. Try to go during a time that you aren’t hungry, have time to browse the aisles, check out labels, and make great decisions while you are there.

5.  Take your measurements, weight & pictures… then stay off the scale!

It’s SO great and encouraging to see pictures of you on your journey, but I’ll be honest, there have been times that the scale has thrown me of on my fitness journey! You are NOT defined by a number on the scale. Instead, I want you to think of your journey to happy and healthy as a state of mind – not a number! If you are constantly looking down at the scale, you might be missing the non-scale victories that will come quickly with the steps above! So be sure to celebrate the little things, like your jeans fitting a little looser and having enough energy to do the trampoline with your kiddos. So do your weight, measurements and pictures for your starting point, and then consider checking in after a month of sticking to these steps! You’ll be surprised at how quickly our bodies start adapting to things and your mental state of mind will be SO much better when you are not worried about the number!

Ok Sister, there you have it. My top 5 things that I would recommend to anyone looking to jump start their weight loss/ journey to healthy! It may seem surprising that I didn’t recommend you count every carb, or calorie, but the goal here is to set you up with healthy habits that can last a lifetime and bring you to YOUR happy and healthy place!