ULTIMATE PROM GUIDE fitness Prom preparation prom tips

Prep for Prom: 10 Tips to Get Super Fit

prom-tips-to-get-fit-by-camille-la-vieProm is near so it’s time to put down that bag of chips and hit the gym! If you want to look your best in your fabulous prom dress, it’s important to start developing a healthy lifestyle now. Not only will it make you look great for prom but will also help you stick to a healthy routine in the future. Getting started and staying motivated to workout and eat right everyday can be hard, especially if this is something you don’t normally do.

But don’t worry; here are the top 10 tips to get you fit and healthy for prom!

1. Switch it up! At first you might notice that doing the same exercise daily is showing results but after a few months or even weeks your body will get used to that exercise – what they call "hitting that plateau". That’s why it’s important to change up your routine daily to get the best and fastest results. If you alter your workout schedule, your body is always being challenged and you will burn more calories. For example, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays focus on your legs and do the treadmill, elliptical, stationery bike etc. and on the other days focus on arms and lift weights.

2. Sleep more: I know you might like staying up late but sleep is extremely important if you want to live a healthier lifestyle. The average person needs about 8 hours a day of sleep so make sure you adjust your habits so you are getting this amount daily. Sleep is especially important when you add daily workouts to your routine. It gives the body and muscles the time they need to recover and heal to be ready for the next day.

3. A little goes a long way: If you generally eat unhealthy but ready to make a change to your diet, don’t dive in too fast! It might be hard to completely cut out all unhealthy foods at once. So start off by saying you wont drink soda for one week and then next week cut out soda and chips and so on. You will be eating better in no time!

4. Satisfy those sugary cravings! The next time you have a bad craving for something sweet, stay away from the candy and chocolate. Instead choose a healthy fat food such as avocado, nut butter like almond butter or coconut butter. These kinds of food are filled with natural sugars that will satisfy your cravings and leave you full longer.

5. Grab a buddy! A workout buddy is extremely helpful for staying motivated. Find a friend who loves to workout or is looking to start an exercise regimen together. You will both be able to motivate the other on lazy days and will push each other to work harder.

6. Monitor your eating habits: In general there is breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some people might cut out one of the three and eat two big meals. But this is a bad habit! You are actually supposed to eat small portion meals throughout the day, roughly about every three hours.

7. Flavor it up! Sticking to a healthy diet can be hard, especially when you’re eating a lot of the same foods. Stock up on plenty of fresh herbs and spices to add while cooking to switch up the flavors.

8. Chart your progress: To stay motivated, keep a log of what you have been doing and sets goals for the week to accomplish. Seeing your progress overtime will encourage you to continue with your health lifestyle. Tracking your progress is a lot easier with great apps like My Fitness Pal and Argus, and products like Nike+ watch.

9. Start slowly: Especially if you are just starting to work out or took a long break it is important not to overdo it. Your body and muscles will need time to adjust to this change. Start off by maybe walking a half hour a day and slowly increase to 40 minutes and so on. After a few weeks your muscles will be stronger and you can start increasing your routine.

10. Make it fun! It’s important to make sure you enjoy working out; otherwise you will feel incredibly unmotivated and inconsistent. If you are the type of person who hates running on a treadmill then try signing up for a sports team like soccer or a class at the gym like Zumba, Yoga or Pilates. You will still get your workout in but you also have a good time doing it!