Let’s face it. It’s practically summer, and there will be days were no amount of Maya Angelou quotes or Oprah photo timelines will make us feel better about getting into our bathing suits. Really, when we strip away all the superficial, we all have two choices. First being the easier of the two, and involves good old fashioned denial and some Ben and Jerry’s fro-yo (because… it’s like healthy right?) or we could go with the second option and get proactive about feeling and looking healthier.
I’ll be straight with you guys on something, because you may be a little suspicious of a male writer talking about weight loss, and I get that there is probably a pretty legitimate need for me to establish some street cred. I am a personal trainer, but I do happen to be a gay guy in his 20’s with a group of best girl friends most people only dream of. That being said, I know first hand the kind of pressure guys and girls put on themselves to look good, and how most of the time this process ends up biting you all in the butt you are trying so hard to work on.
The first piece of advice we should take in is to be realistic. There really isn’t any health related need for you to look like Gisel Bundchen. We all come in different shapes and sizes, and our weight loss goals should be grounded in feeling healthier and happier, and should not be connection to trying to get J-Lo’s butt or Michelle Obamas arms.
That being said there’s nothing wrong with being honest with yourself and identifying your “trouble areas”. Madonna’s trainer, and business partner recently said in an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine that she tells her clients to walk around in a bikini while hanging around in the house. The idea behind that is that you have more range of motion to have an impromptu solo dance party, and also get used to being comfortable wearing less clothes. She also sneaks in the idea that if you hang around in bikini you have more of an opportunity to get to know which parts of your body you would like to work on, and can plan your workouts accordingly.
The best advice I have actually applied is linked to friends. Studies have shown that people lose weight and keep it off when the people around them are also making an effort to be healthier. So for most people, having your friends also commit to making healthier choices makes a huge difference.
My friends and I were really honest with ourselves and realized that our daily glass of wine was non-negotiable, and was not going anywhere, but to compensate we all started cooked dinners together that we healthier and less calorie dense. Whether its prioritizing whether to eat or drink calories, or setting up a gym buddy date, friends are key in looking and feeling better.