15 Practical Tips to Lose Weight and Get in Shape This Summer
As a woman of a certain age—say, somewhere between late 30s and early 60s—your bikini has had its last poolside outing. For the most part you’re fine with that—hey, Christie Brinkley and Jane Seymour are freaks of nature anyway!—but still, you’d love to drop a good 10 or 20 (or 30) pounds. Is that too much to ask?
Of course not, says Dr. Carmella Sebastian (aka Dr. Carm or “The Wellness Whisperer”TM). Not only can you get in shape this summer, you can look—and feel—sexier than you ever thought possible.
“The great thing about being ‘middle aged’—whatever that means—is that you’re young enough to look fabulous yet old enough not to care that you don’t look perfect,” says Dr. Carm, author of the new book Sex and Spaghetti Sauce: My Italian Mother’s Recipe for Getting Healthy and Getting Busy in Your 50s and Beyond.
“I’ve cried my share of tears as a result of the changes my body has undergone over the past few decades,” she admits. “But hey—my body has survived childbirth, menopause, and more. I’ve earned the right not to have to compete with the 20-something gals. And just because my body doesn’t look like theirs, that doesn’t mean I can’t keep it healthy and be proud of it.”
As she recounts in Sex and Spaghetti Sauce, Dr. Carm draws much of her confidence from her mother, who was known to drop her daughter off at school wearing a white tube top…at age 49. (“She pulled it off, too,” comments Dr. Carm.) In fact, the entire book pays homage to the many wellness lessons the author learned from her mother, from healthy eating and nutrition strategies to surviving mental fatigue to (yes!) the importance of sex at any age.
Here, Dr. Carm shares 15 practical ways to lose weight, get in shape, and rediscover your confidence this summer.
Dr. Carm on Eating
Find a balance between “I’m never eating a carb again” and “Screw it all, where’s the doughnut shop?” One of the gifts of being, well, mature is that you know yourself pretty well. You’re not going to stick to a rigid bread-free, sugar-free, fat-free (and flavor-free) diet forever. Are you? We humans aren’t meant to deprive ourselves of major food groups—or even of a reasonable amount of culinary satisfaction!—indefinitely. That’s why Dr. Carm urges you to think about healthy eating as a lifestyle change, not a “diet.”
Know how much is too much. Much of the time our problem isn’t that we’re eating the wrong things; it’s that we’re eating way too much. (Not surprising in the Land of Supersized Plenty!) You’ve probably heard the (depressing) facts before: Three to four ounces of protein is enough, and is about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand. And one ounce of cheese is roughly the size of your thumb.
Choose the fruits (and veggies) of summer. As the temperatures get warmer, green things will begin to grow again. Take advantage of the seasonal bounty in your area and fill up on the recommended seven servings of fruits and veggies per day. Not only will fresh produce be a welcome change for your taste buds after this long winter, it will also help you achieve your get-in-shape goals.
Savor each bite. Summer is a season of slowing down: watching a sunset from your porch, taking a vacation, basking by the pool, etc. So why not extend that attitude to mealtimes?
“Eat slowly,” Dr. Carm suggests. “Take sensual pleasure in the taste and texture of your food and the knowledge that your healthy diet is one of the building blocks of your wellness potential. You’ll enjoy your food more and be more aware of when you’re feeling satisfied.”
Have a BBQ battle plan. Despite its fresh produce and leisurely mealtimes, the upcoming season has one major pitfall: food-centric get-togethers. From Memorial Day barbeques to Fourth of July cookouts, dealing with tables full of tempting treats might be your downfall. That’s why Dr. Carm recommends planning ahead so that you can hit the food line with a strategy.
Drink to shrink. Water. Water. Water. Repeat that to yourself. Water should be your beverage of choice this summer (and every season!). In fact, try to drink six to eight glasses a day. Keep water on your desk to sip while you’re working and within reach when doing your chores. Have a bottle in your car. Take it with you to the park and to the pool, and definitely make sure you take a bottle of H2O with you whenever you’re exercising.
Know your weaknesses. It’s a simple strategy: Don’t keep “bad habit” foods around. You know what they are! Clear them out of your cabinets and stop buying them. If you don’t have that big bag of chips in your house, you’re probably NOT going to run out to the store to buy them. (This is one instance in which laziness works for you!) Don’t worry: The craving will pass.
“If you tend to snack on chips at night, reach for fruit, munch-worthy vegetables, or have a handful of nuts instead,” Dr. Carm says. “And banish the ‘Terrible Trio’ now and forever. That’s saturated fat, processed foods, and refined sugars—especially those found in soda and other bottled beverages. Nothing there but empty calories.”
Cut yourself some slack. One thing is for sure: At some point between now and summer’s end, you’re going to slip up. No matter how strong your willpower is, you’re going to cave and eat a whole pint of frozen yogurt in one sitting. Or no matter how much you want to get in shape, you’re going to give in to temptation and order one of the most calorie-laden entrées on your favorite restaurant’s menu.
Dr. Carm on Exercising
Do some spring cleaning. In Sex and Spaghetti Sauce, Dr. Carm shares that cleaning the house was her mother’s favorite (and only!) form of exercise. Standing at the sink doing dishes gave her the chance to do deep knee bends. Vacuuming the house from top to bottom was her version of aerobics. Since the washer and dryer were downstairs in the basement, several trips up and down those steps were part of her day.
Stop taking the easy way out. You don’t need an expensive gym or piles of equipment to burn calories and tone your muscles. What you do need is a degree of focus and commitment. Opportunities to exercise are everywhere, especially now that the weather is getting warmer! You just need to take those opportunities instead of avoiding them.
Walk your way to confidence. Even if your exercise regimen centers on body sculpting classes, weight training, yoga, or spinning, Dr. Carm says you should also make concentrated walking part of your day. And if aches, pains, or injuries (which, let’s face it, tend to show up once you’ve got some mileage on you) prevent you from doing anything too extreme, walking by itself can be a surprisingly effective weight control tool if you do it regularly.
Let your walks double as bonding time… You’re much more likely to keep up healthy habits if someone is holding you accountable. Plus, walking with someone is far less boring than hoofing it alone simply because you can talk a bit. So grab a friend, partner, neighbor, or even your pet when you head out for a walk.
…or use them as an opportunity to rock out! If you’re a lone walker, consider bringing along your smartphone or mp3 player. Pre-loaded with your favorite tunes, it can be an excellent walking companion. Not only will music make this sometimes-dreary task fly by, but you might even find yourself “busting a few moves”—and burning some additional calories—on your neighborhood’s sidewalk!
“Don’t tell your teenager, but between you and me, their generation’s music has nothing on ours!” comments Dr. Carm. “A classic song with a great beat—and even better memories—can get you moving and keep you moving. If you don’t want to spend money recreating the playlists of your youth or creating new ones for today, there are all sorts of free music apps that you don’t need to be a tech wizard to use. (My favorite is Pandora.)”
Dr. Carm on a Few Other Things
Get your beauty rest. Yes, summer nights are shorter than winter ones. (And you’re probably not complaining.) But it’s still important to get enough sleep. For adults, that’s seven to nine hours a night.
“Contrary to what you may like to tell yourself, sleep is not something you can afford to sacrifice,” confirms Dr. Carm. “In addition to causing car accidents and other injuries, a lack of sleep is increasingly seen as an important health factor. People who are sleep-deprived of¬ten have chronic illnesses such as depression, dia¬betes, obesity, and hypertension.
Get busy. (Yes, that kind of busy.) If you have a willing partner, make love instead of snacks. Nourish yourself and you’ll forget about that craving for ice cream and pie.
“Sex is great exercise any time of the day or night,” Dr. Carm confirms. “Make it part of your routine. Not only will you burn calories in a really enjoyable way, knowing that your partner finds you attractive will cause your self-confidence in your swimsuit to skyrocket.”
As you work on getting healthier, remember to start small. Keep in mind that lasting and successful change is all about sustainability. Work on eradicating one bad habit, then add a good one to replace it, then move on to the next change. If you start taking baby steps now, says Dr. Carm, you might be surprised by how good you look and feel when it’s time to slip into that swimsuit!
“And speaking of your swimsuit, I want to reiterate one more time that even though it might be more ‘structured’ and offer more coverage than the teeny bikini you wore in your 20s, you can still look fantastic in it!” she promises. “Yes, you may owe part of that image to the fitness and weight loss you can achieve when you try. But above all, it’s about being comfortable in your own skin, which tends to happen naturally as you age. When you’re comfortable with who you are and where you are in life, that self-confidence shines through in the way you look. It’s like magic. Confidence is sexy in any season!”
