9 Ways to Get Swimsuit Ready for the Summer

Somewhere in all of last month's travels, I lost site of the fact that summer (aka swimsuit season) was right around the corner and I only recently realized (much to my horror) that I am anything but beach body ready. So I quickly took stock, re-evaluated my diet and workout habits, and reigned it in on things like dessert and alcohol. As I'm sure I'm not the only one sailing along in the summer-is-coming-quickly-I-need-to-do-something-about-this-asap boat, I figured I'd share the 9 ways I'm getting swimsuit ready for the summer. I'd love to know if you've done any of these things or how you yourself are getting ready for the summer. When it comes to healthy habits and fitness, I'm of the camp that there's no such thing as too many tips and tricks, and the more we share, the more we really motivate and help each other. So, without further ado, here are my 9 tips:

Say Bye, Bye, Bye to Sugar & Salt || Ok, who am I kidding?! Hell will freeze over before I ever completely give up on sweets and salt, but I've become increasingly aware of the scary amount of sugar & sodium in literally ev.errrr.ey.thing. Sauces, coffee drinks, savory items, snacks, etc. While I don't eat candy and I typically don't get fancy coffee drinks, I have started using stevia instead of brown sugar in my coffee. Also, I do love my sauces, but I've now become convinced they are only made of sugar and salt. Consequently, I've either thrown many of them out, found ways to make my own, replaced them with something different or use them only very sparingly. Another problem area is pre-made items or meals. We rarely use those, but if you're looking to cut back on sugar and salt, too, just keep that in mind.

Saucy No More || I touched on this above, about cutting out sauces due to high sugar and sodium content, but also because many sauces contain lots of additives and chemicals, and the amount you need to really get any flavor is usually at least 4 servings worth. The long short of it is, that's a lot of calories, sugar, salt and junk. No thank you! I've been relying, instead, on things like fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, olive oil, maldon sea salt flakes, avocado, yogurt, apple cider or rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, fresh herbs and spices to get flavor without a side of unhealthiness.

No Noshing after 10pm (during the week) || I know you're thinking, who eats this late anyways? But after years in New York, where nights include events, late work sessions, hard-to-get-unless-it's-after-10pm reservations, eating late has become a way of life. Consequently, it's hard to always control late night eats, but we're doing our best to at least stick to this rule during the week.

Skip the Liquor (to get slimmer quicker) || I know, I know. Give up alcohol? How boring is that?! But trust me, there is no easier way to slim down. I've cut back to drinking 1-2 nights a week, and even then I'm typically only having one glass of red wine.

Splitting is Better than Quitting || For most of our relationship, the Mr. and I would always split a meal every time we ate out. It was a great way to save calories and money. But somewhere along the way, we recently started ordering more food and splitting less and less (I blame it on #diditfortheinstagram.). We're back to splitting, and my tastebuds are thrilled I'm not completely giving up on things like burgers and fries, but our waistlines (and bank account) couldn't be better off.

Measure...for Good Measure || You know how there are serving sizes on things? And you know how we rarely pay attention to them? (Or, is that just me?!) Well, I'm paying attention to them, at least for certain things. For example, one of my favorite dessert/snacks is peanut butter, chocolate chips and malden sea salt flakes. I used to just eyeball what I thought was a good serving size, but I've now been actually measuring, and let's just say, my eyeball probably shouldn't ever be used for measuring any thing ever.

Ace of Replace(ments) || You'll never ever ever catch me on some crazy, giving-up-all-the-things diet, but if I find a substitute that is healthy and pure (aka it's not just some chemical compound made to taste like something it isn't), I actually find myself using those products more, naturally. For example, almond milk or coconut milk instead of regular milk, or rice pasta instead of regular pasta. For the record, things you won't ever find me replacing- bacon, cheese and chocolate.

Double Time || I've talked about my love for all the free workout videos on Youtube before, but seriously guys, they're so good. I especially love that there are so many 5-10 minute ones, meaning it's easy to fit in a workout on a break. No excuses!

Repeat After Me || When you repeatedly eat the same things, you know what you're getting, and you're also less likely to get sidetracked or spending time munching on something unhealthy while trying to figure out what you should actually eat. For me, that means that, during the week, I always have items on hand to make a few specific breakfasts (avocado toast and a smoothie, Ezekiel toast with peanut butter and a smoothie, avocado toast with an egg, or yogurt and homemade granola) and a few specific snacks (fruit, Lara Bars, nuts, dark chocolate, or homemade energy bites). On the weekend's I'm a little bit more lax, but during the week this is basically a non-negotiable for me.

So let's hear it. What healthy tips and tricks are you doing to get ready for summer?