Memorial Day weekend is but days away. Warm weather, sunshine, lazy days at the beach and endless barbecues on long summer nights all mean more opportunities to party in way less clothing. Yes, that means that possibly, starting next week, you may have to remove the winter layers and reveal ... well, your winter layers.
Bikinis, shorts and sleeveless tops are an inevitable reality of your soon to be humid life!
If you haven't begun the fitness grind yet, no need to fret ... there are lots of little tricks to make your body look and feel its best while under no cover of parka or snow pants.
Numero uno: stop the hand to mouth. That means YOU with the Twinkie! Put down the chips, people. Halt the mindless munching. If you've been in a feeding frenzy to keep your layer of warmth on ... CEASE FOOD FIRE.
Shedding pounds and fat is pure math – eat less, and you'll lose weight.
And while you're at it, cut the crap. You know when you pull up to that drive-through window, that a quadruple Whopper with a large side of chicken fries washed down with an Oreo cookie shake and a Diet Coke is not helping your situation.
Make better choices, filling your plate with fruits, veggies, lean proteins, nuts and small quantities of whole grains. Drink lots of plain water and unsweetened green tea.
Indulge – but, in small portions, savoring treats and enjoying the social moment of the meal.
Number two: start moving. Yes, get off the couch, remove yourself from in front of the computer and do ANYTHING. You don't have to go to the gym or get a trainer, buy fancy videos, wobbly shoes or tons of equipment. Walk, jog, dance, ride your bike, take the stairs ... just start expending more calories than you consume.
Next, start wearing body conscious, fitted clothing. Throw out the baggy sweats and roomy tops to hide the overhang or extra chub. Embrace your current physical situation and wear clothing that shows your shape and makes you want to stand up straight, roll your shoulders back and down and suck it in. If you can see it, you are going to be more motivated to change it.
Finally, get an airbrush tan. I've never seen anything as magical as transforming an insecure, pasty, shy Sally into a bronzed, confident goddess as fast as a fake bake can. A faux tanned skin is like getting instant full body lipo, disguising flaws and making it look like you instantly dropped 10 pounds. For instant gratification, this is the bomb diggity.
There's one more thing ...
With all those fun, sweltering summer events come cocktails, beer and wine. And if there is one thing folks don't want to sacrifice, especially here in Wisconsin, it's their booze.
I hear it time and again ... "I work out, I eat right – I just drink a bottle of wine every night with dinner." Or ... "I run marathons and I drink beer every night, all night, all weekend." Even, "I am a dedicated yogi and I have a couple of martinis EVERY night when I come home from work."
Truth. I swear. Each of these phrases has been uttered to me more than once by people looking for advice on how to achieve their fitness/weight goals.
(Admission: I have also BEEN all of those people and muttered those, almost, exact words.)
The fact is, you have to limit your alcohol consumption to lose poundage. Alcohol has a lot of calories, and when added in to a days worth of nutritional, even sensible food, still pushes that caloric level past OK and into the overload zone.
Plus, no matter what the touted health benefits of wine, I estimate that 90 percent of people who come to me to "lose weight around the belly" are avid consumers of vino. And let's face it, most wine enthusiasts don't swish and spit or savor ONE 4-ounce glass.
So, be real with yourself regarding the sauce.
I suggest really trying to limit yourself to one drink of the standard serving size two nights per week.
The best choice for that cocktail (in my humble, boozer opinion) is clear, hard liquor mixed with soda water and the citrus of your choice squeezed in.
Here are some signature LGizzle cocktails you'll see me imbibe:
- Patron over ice with a splash of soda and tons of fresh limes squeezed in
- Kettle One and soda with a twist
- Hendricks and soda with a lemon AND a lime (oooh, getting crazy there!)
You see the theme ...
Remember: liquor is quicker and will get you on your way to where you want to be, both buzz-wise and body-wise.
Lindsay Garric is a Milwaukee native who calls her favorite city home base for as long as her lifestyle will allow her. A hybrid of a makeup artist, esthetician, personal trainer and entrepreneur all rolled into a tattooed, dolled-up package, she has fantasies of being a big, bad rock star who lives in a house with a porch and a white picket fence, complete with small farm animals in a version of Milwaukee that has a tropical climate.
A mishmash of contradictions, colliding polar opposites and a dash of camp, her passion is for all pretty things and the products that go with it. From makeup to workouts, food to fashion, Lindsay has a polished finger on the pulse of beauty, fashion, fitness and nutrition trends and is super duper excited to share that and other randomness from her crazy, sexy, gypsy life with the readers of OnMilwaukee.com.
