Have you noticed how much more skin you’re showing these days? I don’t care who you are or what age, it’s summer – and that means shorts, bikinis, shirts with no sleeves, mesh belly tops (ahahah HOPE NOT!). Summer is in full swing and even though the weather might be calling you outside, most of us have jobs and work that keep us inside.

Our bodies are craving sunshine and movement, but we’re sitting in front of the computer…

How do we infuse ourselves with enough energy to enjoy the summer sun and get work done?
Your daily rhythm might change because your kids are home or you have relatives visiting or your spouse is taking the summer off…but does that mean you have to let everything go?

Well, I say if you can take some extra time off during the summer or alter your work schedule, do it. I found a great a great article over at my good friend The Ohana Mama where she’s dealing with summer:

Well, plain and simple…Summer is kicking my ass. Sorry for the language but booty, butt, derriere, keester…whatever you call it, none of those words do justice for what Summer is doing to me. So ass is it. Forgive me.

When I read this, I was like “… holy mother…I’m there with you!” Summer 2011 is shaping up to be a busy one – from our move from LA to Seattle, to my website re-design and finishing my first book. There’s no time to enjoy the sun…

But this isn’t a bitch-fest. I swear. If you read on in Sarah’s post, you’ll see it isn’t for her either. Most moms know that in order to survive, they have to turn it around, reframe the stress and figure out how to get through it.

My view of summer is one that is tied tightly to my physical body…even now after having a daughter. Making sure I’m working out and eating right are two crucial parts of summer to me…heck they are crucial parts of my sanity. If I’m not movin’ and eating right, I’m crazy mommy.

I can’t think straight, I can’t get anything done, I don’t even know what the right stuff to get done is…I’m lost. So, it’s CRITICAL for me to put my health & fitness on the top of my list.

Trick or Treat

Sometimes all I need to do is trick myself a little to get back on track.

I make my food and drink a celebration every single time I eat or drink. Even down to my glass of water. I love to make a pitcher of water – with lemon, strawberries or other fruit and drink it out of a nice icy glass. I’m not sure why, but even if I’m inside, I feel all summery!

I also make it a high priority to work the funk out….as I like to say. If I’m off track, my 2 go-to exercises that trick me back into shape is Pilates and circuit training with the Valslide. They both worked once to get me in shape and I go back to one or the other (or combine them) over and over with the same results.

Also, you can use the idea of summer to get you in the workout and exercise mode. Start a bikini challenge game with your friends…and then celebrate with a party at the finish line!  If you’re not the bikini type (like me) you might just want to find a race or event to train for – having a solid reason for training is always a good motivator.

So try it…leave a comment below and share a few ways you might trick yourself into enjoying the summer, being active, taking for granted the good weather…or maybe just staying in shape while juggling everything!

I’m about to move next week and we’ll be staying in a hotel for our last few days in Los Angeles.

So, I started thinking…how am I going to keep my head clear and avoid falling off the wagon with my recently renewed fitness regimen?

Since we’ll be in a hotel, it’s kind of like we’re going on vacation…so what better to apply now than my vacation fitness tips!

What about you? Are you planning a summer getaway for you, your family, or friends?
Well, the last thing you want to do is spend time worrying about how you’re
going to look on vacation or worry about how you’ll stick to your diet while
away from your controlled home environment.

Whether you go on a cruise, a low-key trip to the beach, do an all-inclusive
family vacation, or your moving like me, warm summer days are the best time to
get away from it all, decompress…and yes, clear your brain.

But wait – did you know that the average person gains almost a
pound a day while on vacation? Yikes! That’s enough to make me want to
stay home!

Between the missed workouts, extra large meals, endless parade of cocktails
and indulgent snacks, lazy vacation days will quickly add inches to your
waistline.

Sorry – did I bring you down?  Believe me, this is on my mind big time right now too!

I hope not.  I’ve found it’s much better to prepare yourself and get some clear
systems in place to make sure you don’t veer too far off track while you’re having fun.

Without further adieu, here are 6 Easy to Remember Vacation Tips that will help you come home fitter than you left!

Vacation Tip #1: Make a Decision NOT to gain weight and to have a healthy vacation
If you go into vacation deciding to stay fit and not gain weight, chances are you won’t…or your won’t slide a lot.  Decide to have a healthy vacation.

Vacation Tip #2: Get Moving – choose to use your body
Start moving now – and keep the momentum going while on vacation.
Plan activities that get you moving. The worst is planning what I like to call “slug” activities like–go to dinner, go to beach (sit in the sun), meet for drinks…sure, those are part of vacation but plan something active every single day! In other words, move your body baby!

Vacation Tip #3: Indulge with Portion Control – Shut Your Trap
There’s no mincing words on this one.  Don’t eat so much damn food on vacation! Try the 2 bite method where you take tastes of the foods you want to try, but you
don’t eat a full plate of anything.  Your body will thank you later and you’ll actually feel like doing something other than going straight to bed after dinner.

Vacation Tip #4: Eat Natural Sweets
Almonds, raisins. Almonds, raisins.  Not fancy. Maybe not super sexy, but these 2 together are great snacks that will get you through the day. Bring them to the beach,
on a road trip…they sell them every where.  Get baggies and make yourself snack packs to toss in your bag.

Vacation Tip #5: Don’t Eat Fried Foods
Self-explanatory.  You shouldn’t be eating fried foods at home and you shouldn’t start while you’re on vacation.

Not only will these foods speed up weight gain, you’ll feel bloated and low energy after you consume them. Who wants to feel bloated in a bikini…uh not me!

Vacation Tip #6: Do A Hotel Room Workout
If you can’t fit active outings into the vacation schedule, at the very least do some movement in your hotel room.  Even just a 20 minute session will invigorate you for the day, put you in  a great mood and give you the energy you need to chase after your kids.

If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, or if you’d simply prefer the privacy of your room, do this hotel room workout….show me more

Well, now you have 6 tips that will keep away the unwanted vacation pounds PLUS a no-excuses workout to do in your hotel room!

You can believe that I’m going to be doing this work out and planning activities for me and my family too!

I figure I might as well make this more like a vacation, so we can all get through it and feel rejuvenated on the other end of our move.

The side effect to making your health & fitness a priority on any getaway…you’ll return from vacation with so much added white space in your mind & body…

You’ll be able to jump back into the stress of daily life without actually getting stressed. Go figure.

Now…go plan your getaway and get the heck out of Dodge!

Have you ever thought about how many decisions you make every single day?

No wonder we hit our limit sometime during the day and stop making the best choices for ourselves.

Last night on Valerie Waters call for the Red Carpet Ready club, Val shared a nugget which I’m still rolling over in my head (and of course took action on!).

Check out the video and if you enjoy it, leave a comment below!

I hope you enjoyed the video.  Leave a comment below!

Pssst….check out my free course while it’s still available. I’m working on the full interactive digital program, so check out it out while you can.

Earlier this week, I sat down to gab with Health & Fitness Coach Leeanne Hebert.  We were going to do a fun video interview while she was here in LA for Valerie Waters Beauty & Fitness Summit, but we were having too much fun to get any work done!

Leeanne and I met almost 1 1/2 years ago in Valerie Waters’ Red Carpet Ready club.  From day 1, she was one of those core people who provided support, encouragement, and tough love to stay on track once I’d decided to really transform my body & fitness.

Coming into an online fitness program was a bit of a stretch for me, so it was a huge bonus to have Leeanne in there showing me the ropes.

Last year, Leeanne became a Life Coach and now she works with people who need to re-balance their lives and get a plan of action in place.

I asked Leeanne to share some of her secrets for staying consistent and also to give me a peek inside how she advises her clients (and how she continues to use her talents in the RCR forum.)

*I fully admit that the audio is a bit wonky AND I sound like a spaz, but trust me you will get a lot of value from Leeanne’s wisdom, knowledge and experience.

Listen to the audio here:
leeanne

Leave a comment or question below for Leeanne and visit her website:  http://coachingforhealthandfitness.com/.

Thanks and enjoy!

How many of us have secretly started a new diet, looked for a new job, perhaps began dating a person all without telling anyone in our normal circle of friends, family or co-workers?

You lurked around getting some workouts in, submitting resumes, planning meet-ups in off the beaten path places…it was a little bit exciting…

How Did Keeping The Secret Work For You?

Did you lose the last 10 pounds? Did find your purpose? Did you meet Mr. Right?
Perhaps, but I bet your success hit a ceiling at some point and then you simply had to tell everyone who would listen what you’d been up to.

I personally can’t keep secrets–I could barely contain telling strangers the day I found out I was pregnant with Mila.  I like having people know what I’m up to, maybe I like the encouragement or the sense that someone’s watching me (so I better not screw up!) to fuel me forward.

You could probably use some form of public accountability to stay on track, too.

Think about it.

The Wrong People

If people you knew and cared about knew what you were up to, they’d be able to support you, push you when you needed it, question you so you could clarify what you’re doing, and let you know when you might want to change what you’re doing….

Oh wait, those might be the same reasons why you DIDN’T tell them.

Sometimes getting people we know and “trust” involved in our specific goals is tough.  When you have a dream of a better body, a better career, a better life, a better relationship, it’s hard to have someone you care about squash it with a small unintended comment.

But we forget and often spill the beans to the wrong people.

So, if we all need some form of public accountability to achieve success, where can we get it without all the emotional entanglements that our family/friends often come with??

Get support and advice from people who don’t know about your life’s baggage.

I’m going to share one of the best ways to go public with your goal and get the support, advice, and direction you need.

But I’m getting ahead of myself … I think you still need some convincing to make your journey public.

Case Study: Taking Your Fitness Journey Public…Very Public

Ever watched The Biggest Loser?  Well, I watch it.  I love watching the struggle, seeing their emotions, and watching the contestants pushing to change their lives.  Yes, the contestants are in a highly bizarre and controlled situation.  But beyond that…I think the reason why it works so well is because these people have opened up their struggle to us. They are on public display.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good motivation for staying on target.

Now…imagine how you’d feel knowing someone might see you eat that twinkie or miss that workout…or give up running only 1/4 way up the mountain.  Yes, this is an extreme case of being in the public eye, but think about how it works for you now:

You might hide your eating from others.
You might say you go to the gym.
You might say you don’t drink alcohol often.
You might say you live a healthy life.
You might say you plan all of your meals.

But who’s to know if you really are.  You’re on the honor system. Right?

Put up or Shut up.

If you’re ready to get real with yourself and maybe with a larger audience around you, I encourage you to do 1 thing.  No eye rolls, please, this stuff works!

Start a Blog and start blogging. I know a few of you are already doing this…in fact, I’m gonna put you on display right at the end of this post, so keep reading.

Yes, you heard me right…blogging.  It’s a way for you to be in the public eye.  You allow others to see what you are doing without them knowing you’re every life detail or judging you or putting you into your place.  Believe it or not, you’ll benefit from blogging no matter how many eyes read your posts.

And if you are rolling your eyes right now, thinking, Anne I am not starting a blog…consider this:

1. You don’t have to use your real name.
2. You get to share the good & bad about your journey.
3. You choose whether to share your posts with friends, family on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites.
4. You have a built-in food & exercise journal that you can update anywhere–work, home, or vacation.
5. You create a public record of your progress — one that you can go back over to see what worked and what didn’t.  Remember my series on Kickstarting your Weight Loss? You can do it all online.

I’m not going through a step by step on how to blog – you can find a great free video here that helps you get started and is really easy to understand. It says a professional blog, but really it’s a step by step plan to start any blog.  And who knows…maybe you’ll build a following simply from sharing your story…it’s happened before.

As always…have fun with this don’t be afraid to let people peek into your world.