These 5 Strategies can help your Health
With summer right around the corner, nothing’s better than getting together with friends and family at a cottage. Having a blast on the beach, BBQ’g and enjoying the outdoors is the best! It’s important to remember that things on these long weekends can get overwhelming and all of your hard work in the gym may be at stake in just a few days.
Staying healthier this summer by using these 5 strategies:
1. Plan Ahead:
Your eating habits will stay under better control when you’re prepared. We’ve all been faced with times that healthy 
options either aren’t available, or they seem complicated to make; it’s very easy to grab for a bag of chips or grill a hot dog up when this happens. Creating a menu and even making a few dishes for the weekend a head of time will help keep you on track with your current nutritional regime and you’ll be less likely to overindulge. Wash and pre-chop all of your veggies and fruits beforehand, this will make them easy to grab!
2. Portion Control:
When you overindulge, you will probably notice your energy levels drop the next day. Try to have healthy snacks ready to go each morning to start your day off right. Measure out most of your meals in advance to avoid overeating. Measure and pre-package your meats, more decadent salad items (ie. nuts, cheese and salad dressings) and sauces (ie. spreads, oils, sour cream and hummus) a head of time.
3. Be Creative:
Don’t pack chips and cookies – you know most people will show up with these items. Instead, have some fun and surprise your friends by being creative. Bring Edamame, roasted seaweed, kale chips or eggplant/zucchini chips with you. If you want a sweeter treat, try making chocolate chia pudding, sweet potato bread or black bean brownies. Checkout my earlier Facebook posts or reach out to me for the recipes.
4. Stay Hydrated:
Water is important for our health and yet often overlooked when we’re pulled from our routines. Bring your favourite
water bottle with you, so you can track your intake easily. Trying packing some fun add-ins like berries, mint leaves or cucumber to make water more fun and festive to drink.
5. Stay Active:
Sitting around watching TV is not what cottage time should be about! Have a wide range of activities available for you and your friends to partake in. We enjoy beach volleyball, bocci ball and croquet to name a few activities. Try throwing in a game of charades at night vs just sitting around playing cards. We have great sunsets at my parent’s cottage in Grand Bend, so going for an evening stroll along the beach during dusk, is also a favourite activity of mine.
I, of all people know how hard it is to stick to a healthy regime 100% of the time. I’m a firm believer in the 80/20 rule – stay focused on being healthy 80% of the time, but the other 20% of the time, let loose and enjoy life! On a cottage weekend stick to the same philosophy, allow yourself to indulge that 20% of the time – just enough to give you instant gratification while ensuring that you have a healthier summer. Now go enjoy your May 2-4 weekend everyone!
Author: Lindsay Atkinson