The sun is shining, winter coats are tucked away in the closet, and bright and colorful clothing has made its debut. This can only mean one thing: that beach days are right around the corner! Summer isn’t just about having the perfect body, it’s about having a body that reflects exceptional health, allowing us to live the best moments of our lives in every season.
We have gathered all the necessary steps for you to make a positive impact on your health, image, and day to day life. Are you ready? Then let’s go!
Be realistic
Be honest with yourself. Do you need to lose a few pounds, or do you have a serious weight issue? It’s important to face our health with honesty. If you have more than 10 pounds to lose, consult your doctor immediately for a personalized plan under medical supervision. This is especially important if you are overweight and suffering from diabetes, hypertension, asthma, high cholesterol, or something similar.
Get organized
If you have just a few pounds to lose, get going by first finding the motivation and reasons why you want to achieve this goal. Oftentimes, wanting to ‘wear a bikini’ is simply not enough, as it can’t sustain your willpower in the long run. It's a good reason to have, but your resolutions need to go further, such as wanting to improve your health, lower your cholesterol, be able to keep up and play with your children, avoid illnesses, feel more confident and, of course, reduce the risk of developing basic diseases that complicate respiratory infections such as COVID. Doesn’t that sound more motivational already?
Put pen to paper
Memory can sometimes fail us, so let’s give it a little push. A practical suggestion is to write down the concrete steps that can lead you to achieve your short-term goals! Do it on your phone and put a copy on paper in a place you see every day, like the bathroom mirror. Write down things that will help change eating habits, create new routines, increase physical activity, and get better quality rest. Divide these steps by days, weeks, and months, to make them easier to carry out.
Spring cleaning
Clean out the cupboards, refrigerator, and even your closet of anything that is not useful! For example, get rid of oversized clothes that inspire you to fill them up. Go straight to your kitchen and throw away all those processed foods loaded with sugar, flour, artificial products, salt, and fats. You don’t need any ‘temptations’ pulling you back into old, bad habits.
Prepare your new grocery list
If you need guidance for a clean and healthy diet, check out our Santo Remedio 28 Day Flat Belly Diet. There you will find a guide complete with shopping list, step-by-step recipes, and smoothie suggestions to make the process simple and tasty. The diet was designed by Dr. Juan and leading nutritionist Sabrina Hernandez Cano, with a special focus on fighting dangerous fat. It covers all the nutritional bases while keeping you satisfied with fun, flavorful dishes. Eating right can be delicious, quick, and easy.
Protein, the secret weapon
One of the fundamental aspects of nutrition to lose weight and keep your body structure and muscles strong, is protein. Gyms usually sell protein supplements to support exercise for this reason. Look for whey protein, which so far shows the best results due to its high concentration of fast-absorbing amino acids. (1)
Commit to exercise realistically
When we want a change, we usually start off eager and passionate. After a couple of weeks, though, this motivation can deflate just like a balloon. That's not the right idea if you are trying to make a real change in these pre-summer months. There is a Chinese proverb that says, ‘Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid of standing still.’ In other words, don't jump into a boot camp type of training program if you are not ready for it. It’s more advisable to go step by step, steadily. Studies show that it can be more effective to exercise more often (5 to 7 times a week) than to exercise for hours at a time less often. (2)
The Santo Remedio 28 Day Plan also includes an exercise guide that Dr. Juan named El Diezmo, which allows you to exercise in small daily intervals any time, any place.
Don't let fatigue get the best of you
Lack of energy will probably be a stumbling block at first, so knock that out of the way! Supplement your diet with products such as ginseng, maca, or CoQ10 – all excellent allies in generating energy and fighting fatigue, both mental and physical (3). One study shows that a particular function of maca is to increase energy by increasing hemoglobin levels in the blood (4). Supplements can help you meet your daily goals, as well as keep you focused on them. (5)
Rest like a queen
An essential part of weight loss and health improvement is getting adequate sleep time and quality rest. If you have trouble falling asleep, check out our blogs to find helpful suggestions.
Educate and motivate yourself daily
One of the best ways to stay focused on a goal is to make sure your mind is up to par. Understanding the foods and supplements we consume, as well as the exercise we are incorporating, is fundamental. So is staying inspired. Although it may still be premature to physically join support groups, we can still stay motivated via social media, listening to podcasts by specialists, or reading articles that inspire us to continue.
Consider this period the most important opportunity of your life, because taking control of your weight will have an impact on your entire health. In just 3 months, you can create a foundation of new habits that will last the rest of your life.
Let's be truly healthier, together.
Your Santo Remedio team
