Party Season

It’s  almost  officially  Summer and hot enough to be convincing. Sometimes  when this time of year arrives, all of our hopes and dreams of getting into great shape to rock that bikini begin to drift away. The party mentality of the Season has taken hold. This means different  things  to  different  people.

Lazy Days

For some, it has turned  into  a lazy time. You may say that it’s just too hot to work out and tend to lounge by the pool or just kick back in your recliner under the air conditioner. You may opt for drive-thru food instead of standing in a hot kitchen. Family get-togethers and church socials are laden with cold or frozen desserts and the temptation to try them all, coupled with peer pressure to just join in the festivities seems like an easy excuse to loosen up. You may think that it will be easier in the Fall. Guess again. That’s  when the festivities increase.

Rockin’

If you are the Party Animal then this is the Season of cold beer and frozen Margaritas. Once you have downed a few of these icy enticements, food sounds and looks even better. Your inhibitions are non-existent and it’s all too easy to have one more drink and one more hot wing. The nonstop party action of Summer can easily pile on 20 pounds over the entire Season. A pound is 3,500 calories. One 16 ounce frozen Margarita can be 850 calories, one Pina Colada, 650 calories. a Mudslide 820 calories. Get the picture? There are 806 calories in 10 small chicken wings. Do I need to continue? Maybe not, but let’s not forget pizza and beer. There is 390 calories in one slice of Meat Lover’s pizza and 145 calories in one 12 ounce beer. The point here is ONE. Seriously? Who eats one slice of pizza after having one beer and who ever stops with one beer?

The Problem

If we haven’t met our health and fitness goals by this time of year it’s easy to become discouraged. The reason is that quite often our motivation was a little off in the beginning. If our motivation to get healthy was to look good in shorts, and that hasn’t happened, it’s easy to say “What the heck?!? I might as well “enjoy” the Summer.” and just let everything go to Hell.

Reconfigure

While looking good is an admirable motivation, it’s really not the best one. The best one is to be healthy and to rock your entire life. You can be “skinny-fat” and look pretty good in summer clothes but you won’t be healthy. “Skinny-fat” is a condition that is known as metabolically obese, normal weight individuals who look fit and healthy but, due to a lack of exercise and/or poor diet have health problems lurking. (1) If you want loads of sexy muscle and low body fat so that your blood chemistry is good and you have energy to burn, along with looking awesome, you are much more likely to stick to your commitment of getting healthy this year. Remember, without good health your looks really don’t mean anything. You can’t back it up, Baby. Work towards getting healthy and you will think twice before downing that third Margarita.

Work It

If you are hot and tired and don’t feel like doing anything except lounging, much less cooking, try some of our recipes.  https://davidsway.blog/2019/03/03/low-carb-pizza/  is a low carb recipe for a pizza casserole that is quick and easy to prepare.  Pair that with the Mock Wendy’s Frosty at  https://davidsway.blog/2019/05/31/sugar-free-mock-wendys-frosty/   and you will not miss anything this summer. Being healthy does take a little work, sometimes hard work, but let me ask you, is it easy to be overweight and unhealthy? There is a quote that I love, “Losing weight is hard, Being overweight is hard. Choose your hard.” Spending all of your time and money in the doctor’s office and the pharmacy is the hardest life imaginable. If alcohol is your biggest problem, I strongly advise you to seek medical intervention. The health hazards of alcohol abuse are profound and the end of it is a horrible death. Seek professional help today.

Enjoy!

With forethought  and insight, you can enjoy this Summer and continue to improve your health. If you like to swim or hike, this is a wonderful Season! Get out there! Take advantage of grilled meats and fresh Summer produce. Leave off the heavy comfort foods that provide anything except comfort when you look in the mirror or your doctor comes in with your lab results. Instead of being swayed by the masses of unhealthy precedents that are often set in a social environment, be the example. Show those that you love and enjoy being around that health is a choice, not a chance. Conquer this Season and go into the Fall Festivities with renewed confidence and determination to weather the Winter in a healthy fit body.

(1) https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/are-you-skinny-fat