This sudden spring heat wave has been putting smiles on everyone’s faces, shorts on everyone’s legs, and flip flops on everyone’s feet. It seems like just yesterday our teeth were chattering as we ran from our car into our house, but it looks like this weather is here to stay. The only problem—bikini season will be here sooner than expected, meaning less time to get in shape! As collegiettes, it can be hard to stay on track to shape up in time for summer when we have a college student budget and are pulling all-nighters. Here are some cheap and easy ways to get the body you want, just in time for summer!
1. Go for a run outside
Most of the time this is easier said than done, but for those of you who are tired of running laps at UREC, an outside run is a perfect way to enjoy the weather while working out. A run outside is more challenging than a run on the treadmill, and due to the hilly terrain of Harrisonburg, you will be working more muscles at the same time. Whether you live in Copper Beech or Fox Hills, there are many pedestrian-friendly areas where it is safe and fun to run through. Using websites like MapMyRun.com are perfect to track how far you ran.
You just mark your route, and the website shows you how many miles you ran. You can also find your friends on it, share and save your routes, and make your own personalized training plan.
2. Track What You Eat
When you are conscious of what foods you eat and how many calories you consume in a day, you will be more aware of what you should and shouldn’t be eating. MyFitnessPal.com is an amazing website for food tracking and exercise logging. The best part? Your friends can be on it too! This site is designed with the buddy system in mind because you can see what your friends ate during the day and how much they exercised. You can also join group discussions about health and fitness topics, and post statuses that your friends can see. If you enter how much weight you are looking to lose, MyFitnessPal shows you how many calories you can consume in a day and how much to exercise per week. When you do not log in, it tells all your friends so they can motivate you to stay healthy. Whether you are looking to lose weight or just trying to stay fit, this website is perfect to keep you conscious of what you eat.
3. Get Rid of the Junk
You will be more likely to eat healthy dinners if they are set up for you. When it comes to snacking, only keep healthy snacks in your house. Instead of a bag of chips, stock your refrigerator with carrot sticks, yogurt, and hummus. The more you stay away from sweet and fatty foods, the less you will crave them. My favorite rule of shopping is to never go to the grocery store hungry!