You may not be ready for swimsuit season, but it is creeping up quickly. As a busy college student, you probably don’t have time for hours of exercise and probably feel too stressed to follow a diet. But you’re in luck! Here are five easy things you can do to help you toward your summer goals.
1. Speed up your metabolism by eating small meals every three to four hours.
This one should be easy for students who are always on the go and don’t have time to sit down for a nice meal. By eating consistently throughout the day rather than waiting five or more hours between meals, you are keeping your blood sugar levels consistent to prevent insulin spikes that cause weight gain while also allowing your metabolism to continue working all day long.
Shoot for six meals each day and divide your daily caloric intake by six to figure out how much to eat for each meal.
2. Get 8 hours of sleep each night.
You’ve probably heard by now that getting enough sleep is important for your concentration and performance in class, but did you know that it helps keep you slim? Sleep loss disrupts the secretion of the hormone in charge of appetite, so people who don’t sleep as much are more likely to feel hungry and eat more. Sleep loss also affects the body’s ability to break down carbohydrates, leading to increased fat storage.
To make sure you get enough sleep at night, try not to nap during the day and do your best to create a peaceful sleep environment, something that can be tricky in college dorms and apartments.
3. Start doing interval workouts once or twice a week.
If you have an exercise routine of doing the same cardio activity, whether it be running outside, running on the treadmill, biking or using the elliptical, it gets boring after a while. Intervals spice up your workout routine and you burn more calories when you increase the intensity, even if it may be for only a minute. As an added bonus, intervals have been shown to shape your butt and abs, so you get to skip the sit-ups, planks, and squats for the day!
Most treadmills and ellipticals come with an interval workout on them, but if you want to create your own, start with two minutes at a relaxed pace and then one minute at more of a sprint. Depending on your fitness level, vary it up and try longer sprints or shorter, more intense ones!
4. Drink water. Like all the time.
If Ed Sheeran can do it, so can you! Replace your sodas, lemonades, and sweet teas with water for several reasons. Unlike the beverages listed, water has no calories, carbohydrates, or anything to make you gain weight, and it still fills you up! Drinking a glass about 15 minutes before a meal will make you less likely to overeat because you will feel full sooner. Staying hydrated also keeps your energy levels up, so you can power through that interval workout! The Mayo Clinic recommends that women drink about 2.2 liters per day and men drink about 3 liters per day.
If you’re the kind of girl who just can’t get herself to hydrate, considering infusing fresh fruit and herbs in the water. In the evening, cut up oranges, strawberries, lemons, cucumbers, mint, or whatever ingredients you want and put them in a bottle with water to let the flavors infuse overnight. In the morning, you can grab the bottle and head to class with a refreshing drink in hand!
5. Chew your food.
Yes, you heard us correctly. As a more immediate way to feel proud of your bikini bod, you can reduce bloating just by chewing thoroughly! If you don’t think healthy eating is for you, chewing is the best thing to do while continuing to eat what you want.
You may be in a rush to fit a meal or even just a snack into your day, but focus on crushing your food completely before swallowing. Digestion begins right when food enters your mouth when proteins in your saliva break down what you have eaten, so chewing well leads to better digestion later. Proper digestion means you are less likely to be bloated.