It is the perfect time to take your SUMMER FITNESS up a notch!
SUMMER FITNESS can start today, tomorrow, or next week. What matters is that you start! Are you ready to supercharge your summer fitness? Your winter workouts may have left you feeling bored. It is time to break through the boredom barrier with the sun-filled sky. Just moving your workouts outside will put a little more spring in your step.
This post is all about how to supercharge your summer fitness.
5 SUMMER FITNESS TIPS
Hey, I get it! The struggle bus is real. Winter knocked the wind out of your workout sails. Boredom has settled in and you stumbled upon this summer fitness blog! Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and let’s walk through these summer fitness tips.
1. Set the Goal
What do you want this summer? Are you ready to run your first race? Maybe you want to nail 50 push-ups? What about trying out a brand new sport, possibly pickleball, Zumba, or swimming? Indeed, the possibilities are endless. Yet, what’s most important is finding a goal specifically for you – not what your best friend is doing, not what that health guru on social media is saying – something designed to move you toward a better you.
How do you set the goal? First, where are you today? Have you been running 5k races every summer since you can remember? Are you constantly doing cardio and skipping the strength training or stretching? Second, where is your best self headed? What would you like to see as the result when the summer winds down? Last, connect where you are today and where you are headed with a bridge full of fitness to challenge you for the summer.
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Luckily, my summer fitness goals naturally unfolded after a spring marathon. Where am I? Unfortunately, strong as a runner but weak in core strength. Where am I headed? My lifelong goal is to live an active, vibrant life until I’m 100+ years old, so I need a strong core to support my posture, active lifestyle, and fall marathon. My summer fitness goals include daily core breathing exercises, 2-3 strength training sessions, and my marathon running schedule.
2. Create a Challenge
Undeniably, fun challenges to compete against yourself and with friends are a must for supercharging your summer fitness. Nothing catapults your routine to a new level like signing up for something YOU’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE! What is new and exciting for you? Never done a 5k – sign up now! You can decide if you want to walk, jog, or try walk/jog intervals. Come on, are you ready to join the half-marathon or marathon club? It’s not as scary as you might be telling yourself. What about a triathlon or cross-fit competition? What is something that makes your skin crawl, yet also brings excitement and joy? Sign up for that!
What’s the big deal about a challenge? Maybe you prefer the same ole same ole! Well, your brain loves a challenge. According to Harvard Health Publishing, physical exercise promotes growth in our brains, stimulating new connections. And when you learn a new sport or add depth to the sport you already love, you are protecting the brain from potential changes that cause dementia. (Godman)
So, whatever your summer fitness goal, be certain to add a challenge. My summer challenge involves my children! Hey, I never claimed the challenge had to be hard, I stated it should be fun. Besides, trying paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, and pickleball will not only keep my kids active but will also challenge me to use different muscles. Challenges combine fun, new muscles, longer endurance, and boost your brainpower.
3. Shift Your Mindset
Mindset Basics
Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, defines mindset as a self-perception that you hold about yourself. In the area of fitness, you may believe “I’m a fast runner” or “I’m the slowest swimmer.” You may be aware of the beliefs you hold about your fitness. Yet, sometimes the beliefs you have are buried in your subconscious. The thoughts that run on repeat in your mind about yourself are everything in fitness and every area of your life.
So, why is important for you to shift your mindset to supercharge your summer fitness? Well, if you focus on being slow, weak, and the exercise is too hard, you will never change. Is that what you want? I know you want something to change this summer if you’ve made it this far. So, keep reading! Furthermore, when you constantly beat yourself up, you will not be motivated to put on your swimsuit to swim laps, lace up your trainers for a run, or grease up your chain for a bike ride. Likewise, every time you repeat the negative mantra in your mind, you will collect more evidence of being slow, weak, unhealthy, or not capable.
Simplest Mindset Tool
Come on! Jump into the pool and clean that crap off! Let’s start with a fresh mindset for your summer fitness. Mel Robbin’s book, The High Five Habit, is a must-read to solidify your new mindset this summer. I’m going to summarize a few ideas to help you get started. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
If your goal is to run a marathon, how would a marathon runner show up on the first day of training? How would she show up on the 10th week of training? How about when it’s pouring down rain? My guess is she shows up no matter what, even when she doesn’t feel like it. She believes “I can put one foot in front of the other.” She doesn’t talk smack at herself because she doesn’t feel like it. She’s already visualizing the easy days, hard days, and finish line.
Breaking news! You cannot think your way to a new summer finish line! You must set out your workout gear, sign up for the challenge, and show up one day at a time to put in the work. And guess what? You will collect evidence that you are strong, faster than you think, and capable of crossing whatever finish line you’ve decided to cross.
4. Get Your Plan in Place
What’s your training schedule going to look like? Heck, do you even know where to find a schedule? Let me give you a little clue, google is a great place to gather ideas! Couch to 5k, training plans for walking or running a half marathon, cycling guides, and so much more. Find a plan that works for you!
Then, pull out your calendar! Block your self-care summer fitness plan! Yes, I stated “self-care” because this challenge is not selfish, it’s a non-negotiable essential for your summer sanity! Set your alarm! Show up like you said you would with your new mindset, even when you don’t feel like it. And move, your body will follow!
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5. Accountability
In my opinion, this is the most important summer fitness tip listed. Even if you love to run alone, like me, having a buddy to share your celebrations and struggles with makes the journey a thousand times more fun. Maybe you are the only person in your friend group signing up for the cross fit challenge, do it anyway, and find an online community to hold yourself accountable. Better yet, what if you create your own group for trail runs and have a meet and greet every Saturday at a different park? Think outside the box; create a dynamic duo of fun and accountability.
Personally, I create a combination of accountability strategies so I stay focused on my target. First, I sign up for an event with a friend, even though we train differently, and will cross the finish line at different times. Throughout the week, we check in with each other on how training plans are progressing and cheer each other on. Second, I join multiple online communities for inspiration. Some are for women only, some are specific to the event, and some are related to the sport. Lastly, I sprinkle in workouts with friends that do not share my goals, races, or challenges. This helps me keep things light and reminds me to have fun along the journey.
To summarize, set your goal, create a challenge, embrace a new mindset, put your plan in place, and find a friend or group to celebrate your journey. Your summer fitness will be supercharged and when the kids head back to school, you’ll embrace fall with a whole new perspective.
This post was all about the best tips to Supercharge Your Summer Fitness.
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