Sticking to a Summer Plan

With summer’s arrival comes hotter temperatures and a more relaxed schedule, which can put your healthy lifestyle in a tailspin. Take a minute to set a plan now so that you have specific goals to accomplish over the next few months. Here are tips from Life Fitness for sticking to a healthy lifestyle no matter what your summer schedule is like.

Make a plan. Whether your goal is to lose weight, tone up or increase your endurance levels by fall, you must set goals. Aim to regularly stay active by scheduling bike trips with friends for specific days and times, or participate in your city’s summer charity races with a few friends.

Set attainable goals. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting a goal like returning to your high school weight – be real with yourself and understand your body’s limitations. Set a reasonable goal like losing 10 pounds, or running a 5k by the fall.

Reward yourself for small successes. Focus on having a good day or week, and break your goal into smaller chunks. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, realize this won’t happen in month. A healthy lifestyle is built in hours, days and weeks. When you lose the first 10 pounds, treat yourself to a new outfit or a fitness magazine subscription. Be creative with your rewards, and don’t skimp on this part of the process!

Be flexible. Life happens. Even the most dedicated athlete gets stuck in traffic or gets foiled by the carpool. Some days will be smooth sailing, and others will make getting out of bed a challenge. But it’s those days that make us stronger, so push yourself and be persistent with your fitness.

This summer, hit your fitness targets by being proactive and keeping on track. Keep fresh fruits and vegetables available, schedule exercise dates, and always keep your goals top-of-mind.

Fit Tips are provided by Life Fitness, the leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality exercise equipment for fitness facilities and homes worldwide. For more information on Fit Tips and other fitness advice and expertise visit www.lifefitness.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lifefitness or join our Facebook fan page atwww.facebook.com/lifefitness.