Before I get into it too much, this isn’t gonna be a summer glow up where I put on a face mask, make green juices and aesthetic breakfasts. I know myself, and I also know this is gonna be more difficult than everyone makes it look online. I’m not really into veggies except for maybe broccoli, spinach, and carrots, it’s been forever since I actually stuck to my fitness routine. But, I also know I want to feel comfortable with my body come bikini season (which tends to start earlier in sunny South Florida). I’m hoping that documenting the process here will keep me accountable and prevent me from giving up, as I’ve always been very goal-oriented when it comes to exercise.
Summer Glow Up Step 1: Let’s Get Active
The biggest thing for me in getting active is convincing myself to get in the car and go to the gym. Once I’m physically there, the work is easy. I fall back into a routine I developed when I was training for my 2020 Spartan sprint, and I leave feeling much better than I entered. I’ve found out in recent months that I’ve gotten lazier. I don’t have the energy to get up at 5 AM to go work out anymore so I set a later alarm, but I don’t go to the gym after work because I feel wiped out from the day.
The way I want to defeat this is to start doing Blogilates workouts from home again. I had jumped on her New Year’s challenge last year and loved it; so hopefully I can re-convince myself that a 20-minute workout in my room is better than nothing. Baby steps to lead back up to going to the gym that early.
Summer Glow Up Step 2: Eating Healthy
I already know this will be the hardest part for me. I’m a reformed picky eater, but I still have an aversion to most vegetables, and I’ve had so much chicken over the years I almost never want it anymore. The game plan, for now, is to find flavorful vegetarian meals without pasta in them. That way I’m forcing myself to eat more veggies and not having pasta every day of the week. For the record, while I’m not vegetarian, I’ve found looking for vegetarian recipes helps broaden my culinary horizons.
I don’t drink soda, so the main source of sugar I’ll have to work on cutting back is the amount that goes into my coffee. There are few things in life that taste as good as the first sip of coffee in the morning, and cutting back on what goes into it will be at least a little difficult for me.
Summer Glow Up Step 3: Wardrobe Adjustments
Even though I’ve been better at it recently, I’m still prone to wearing a t-shirt and yoga pants every day (I work from home, so comfort is key more often than not). By the summer I’d like to have a more refined and grown-up wardrobe if you will, nearing the age of 27 it’s probably time for me to retire some of the college t-shirts that collect dust in my dresser. Past looking closer to my age, I’ve also found I feel better when I dress nicer, so hopefully clearing out my closet/dresser and slowly getting new pieces will aid in boosting my mood as well.
In my own aesthetic journey, I’ve found more than one style that I like, which has been both good and bad. It’s hard for me to make up my mind, and I find myself wanting something different in terms of aesthetics almost every day. I’m hoping by gathering versatile staple pieces over time it’ll allow me to continue exploring aesthetics without too many extra purchases each time.
Follow Along with my Summer Glow Up Journey
If you’d like to keep up with my journey you can watch this space or follow me on Instagram @glamgeekguru! For more content like this, click here.