Summer is a time of year where it’s easy for things to snowball in the direction you were already pointed.  If you are already on a good trajectory with your workouts, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle, summer is a great time!  Your momentum tends to pick up while you have the best summer you can remember feeling great and showing off your hard work!

If you’re not on track however, Summer, is an easy time to gain more weight, get out of shape, and fall further behind.  The BBQ’s, social events, and long weekends all provide ample opportunities to eat the bad food and drink the bad drinks.  It’s okay to have a treat.  But treats aren’t all the time.  “Everything in moderation.”  Yes but moderate consumption means you consume an amount that doesn’t make you sick and die 2 decades too soon, which is what a lot of people are on track to do in this country.  

The notion that the only way to “enjoy” summer is binge eating/drinking is a silly one we can get over.  Summer isn’t as fun hung over and feeling crummy from poor choices and overindulging.  Honestly is gaining weight fun?  I didn’t think so.

Summer is a time to enjoy the long days, relax in the sunshine, and use our bodies outdoors.  Long rant short, how do we navigate the BBQ scene successfully? 

1. More grilled chicken, fewer hot dogs.  Grilled chicken is delicious!  Especially if it’s marinated.  I’m a big fan of the steakhouse chicken from Carls Meat Market.  I’d like to be one of their sponsored athletes but apparently that isn’t a thing.
2. More burger, less bun.  Assuming there aren’t other meat options, a burger or two is fine.  Just skip the bun.  We can be pragmatic here.  Carbs aren’t the enemy but many of the carb sources at a BBQ tend to just not be worth it.  I’m talking about cheap buns and store bought macaroni salad, both loaded with added sugar.  You won’t miss them.
3. More fresh watermelon, less store bought cake.  Store bought cake, store bought cookies…The sweets at a BBQ are rarely worth it.  That said, does anything hit the spot on a hot day better than watermelon?  Have as much of that as you like!  Yes, I am aware there is sugar in watermelon.  No one has ever developed a weight problem from too much watermelon.  You’ll be fine : )
4. More water, less booze.  You will thank me in the morning.  Drink at least a cup of water between alcoholic drinks.  If you’re a real pro, you’ll come prepared with some seltzer water or other flavored drink.  This helps us from overindulging on the booze and keeps us hydrated in the hot hot sun.
5. More movement, less sitting.  Get a walk in at some point.  Don’t get me wrong, I like to relax and a comfy chair and read in the sun, but at some point I will make sure I hit 10K steps.  With the longer summer days, it’s a lot easier to take a post dinner stroll or a post coffee stroll on a weekend morning.  
6. More enjoyment, less stress.  You do get to enjoy yourself.  Thats actually my whole point.  When we binge on stuff that makes us feel physically terrible, we also stress mentally about it.  When we make enough half decent decisions, we still get to enjoy plenty of delicious food, without the guilt of knowing we overdid it on junk.  
7.  

With plenty of healthy options among the typical BBQ fair and ample opportunity for physical activity, a good BBQ might just be your secret weapon this summer!

If you want to learn how to workout and make healthy choices more often, we should chat!  Fill in the form at the top or bottom of this page and I will be in touch : )

Our first location serves Portsmouth, Kittery, and the broader Seacoast community.  Our new location serves Kingston and the broader southern New Hampshire community.   We help people strength train, walk daily, and eat real food.