Summer Slim-down Challenge!

Summer is right around the corner, and if you’re like me – you can use a little help (or a LOT) in getting swimsuit ready. Let me take a second to introduce you to Chyna Bardarson, who is here to challenge us to slim down for summer!  Chyna is someone who knows exactly what she is talking about. Her entire life, she has been very active and involved in some type of sport- anything from dance, track & field, volleyball & yoga to running, weight-lifting, and kickboxing. With such an active lifestyle she has definitely gone through her fair share of life phases. She says she has gone across the spectrum of not caring about what she ate, to caring too much; from not caring about what people think about her to caring too much. It is a common struggle that many women deal with and she wants to help women grasp the fact that as long as you are living a healthy lifestyle and working hard you should grow to love your own body and forget about comparison! Take it away, Chyna!

Week 1: Determine your goals and GO!

Summer is just around the corner and we all know what that means….. Swimming suits! Whether we like it or not. Summer of 2015 is a new year and my goal is for each and every one of you to be happy and comfortable with your body while catching some rays! That’s why I have come up with a Summer Slim-Down Challenge! That’s right- this is a challenge, which means we need to determine our goals, set a deadline, and motivate ourselves to achieve these goals the right way.

Now before embarking on this slim down challenge I want to make sure you figure out the right goals for your body. Growing up steeped in technology and then developing a career during the social media age, I have really observed and understood what drives people to improve their health and fitness. Unfortunately, most of those motivations come from comparing themselves to others. Analyzing why so many people struggle with maintaining proper health is a fairly simple exercise – they are exhausted from struggling to measure up to some external ideal. Before paving your personal fitness journey, ask yourself a few questions. What am I looking to get out of my workouts? Is it solely vanity and self-image based? Are you searching for improved strength, coordination, self-confidence and overall well-being? These questions are important because success has a different definition for each individual. If you first define what your success is, you will have a much better chance of achieving it.

Step 1:

Write down your goals. Share your goals. Look at your goals every morning.

I cannot emphasis enough the importance of physically writing down your goals. Once it’s written- it’s a new type of commitment. Sharing your goals would take it a step further. Share your goals in the comments below, message me, whatever you have to do to cultivate community and encouragement!

Step 2: 

Breakdown your goals. Rather than focusing on your far far away goal that you would like to achieve by summer. Break it down into two categories: Daily goals & Weekly goals. Write it on your calendar!

• Weekly goal example: Workout 5 times a week- lost 2lbs- only go out to eat once.
• Daily goal example: 20 minutes of sweat in some way or another, drink at least 8 cups of water, eat healthier more greens and protein (we will talk about what ‘health’ eating really means in a future post)

Step 3:

DO IT!

Now it’s time to go for it! I will be giving fitness and health tips to help ensure you reach that summer Slimdown goal! Follow me on twitter & Instagram to keep the conversation going and look for work out or nutrition tips each day! The summer Slimdown Challenge ends MAY 15 so it’s time to get started!

This week’s tip to get you jump started on that summer body? 

Full body workout using only a stability ball! Watch ‘week 1’ video to find out how!