Five Tips for Staying Bikini Ready Year Round

I know Summer is coming to a close and sweater weather is upon most of us butttt if you live in SoCal like we do, it’s pretty much bikini season almost year-round. You girls really seemed to like my last Honeybee Health post I did with my 5 Lifestyle Tips so today I’m sharing 5 Tips for Staying Bikini Ready Year-Round…

If you’ve been following along here on The Honeybee over the years you girls know I’ve never been into fad diets and any quick fix gimmick. I am all about consistency and making small lifestyle choices that you can stick with for years and years to come. That being said, I also love a glass (or two) of wine and I’m not willing to give that up (especially after having two kids -Ya feel me?!). Sure, if there’s a vacation, reunion or special event coming up I will probably kick up my workouts and cut back on certain things but most of the year I just try to stick to a few basic rules/guidelines and also live life too!

Discipline

First and foremost, I hate to say it but it truly is about discipline. We’re faced with hundreds of choices a day and you really have to make a conscious effort to pick and choose what is worth your splurges and what’s not. What are the things you truly love that are totally worth the splurge for you? For me it’s a cocktail/wine, a cheese plate or one of my favorite desserts (buttercake, susie cakes etc, etc). If your co-workers bring in bagels, donuts or cake…just try to decide if that splurge is something you would have splurged on normally or if you’re just eating it because it’s there. We’re in the stage of back to back kid’s birthday parties and that’s always a challenge because they pretty much always serve pizza and chips. I try to eat a healthy lunch before I go so I don’t end up eating them because that’s just not one of my splurges. It’s just being aware of all the options throughout the day and trying your best to make consistent healthy choices. If you have wine at dinner…skip the bread. If you’re going big on a dessert splurge then tack on 20 extra minutes of cardio the next day. It ultimately boils down to calories in vs calories out so you just have to consciously weigh your options daily.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Okay, without risking sounding like a self-help book…honestly be kind to yourself. No one is perfect. I’m not immune to those negative thoughts we can have inside our heads about our bodies but I make a conscious effort to stop myself in my tracks and appreciate my body for all it has done. We can be SO hard on ourselves and it’s so unnecessary. I am pretty athletic and no matter how lean I get my body type it’s just my body type and I will always have a little “slimmmm thick” (as @photovincent and I like to call it ;)). Again, another thing I used to be insecure about and now that I’m older i’m learing to loooove a little slim thick ;). I hope it’s comforting to know that there are many of us out there that have things we don’t like about our bodies but just do what you can and go easy on yourself. Staying focused on the positive changes I’m seeing with my workouts (no matter how small the change) always encourages me to keep going and push a little harder.

Change Up Your Girlfriend Outings

Okay this one is tough because I lovvvve a good girls’ night out (aka wine night) but switching up your meet ups to something more active is a great way to connect with friends and benefit health-wise too. As the kids are getting older, we’ve become so much more social (and maybe just need a little more wine to get through the days lol) but I feel like we definitely indulge in adult beverages more than before. I’ve been switching it up and meeting girlfriends for intense workout classes followed by healthy breakfast dates and am loving that! I get my workout done and get to catch up with my girls. Whether it’s spin class, yoga or even checking out new trails/hikes….try switching up some of your girlfriend meet ups to more active ones.

Check Your Portion Sizes

This is a huge one for me as we eat out a lot more than I would like to admit and you know restaurants really go big on the portion sizes. It’s like that book I read where Bethanny Frankel said “cancel your membership to the clean your plate club” and it’s so true and has always stuck with me. I take a good look at my meal and can kind of visualize how much of the meal I should really have and try to stick with that.

Skip the Late Night Snacking

And lastly, one that has been a work in progress for me butttt try to skip that late-night snacking a few times a week. With Mom life in full swing over here, we eat dinner pretty early with the kids so come 8:30 -9:00 pm when I’m watching shows with hubby on the couch I’m hungry again. I try to hold out and skip that late-night snack at least a few times a week (because sometimes you just want those munchies with your man and your favorite show). I’ve recently really been into flavored sparkling water (I know, I know…. before you give me the eye roll and the “this girl and her flavored water” lol  I promise it works!) I can’t do La Croix but I started drinking a couple other ones that have more taste to them and they usually kick that late-night snack I would usually be headed for! I can share the ones I use if you’re interested just let me know!

Okay I hope these tips were helpful for you girls and as always I love to hear what your tips and tricks are! If you have more questions feel free to leave them below and I’ll answer them for you!