With the cold, wintry days looking like they are finally behind us, we’re now starting to really look forward to our Summer holidays as they suddenly don’t seem that far away. Panic stations set in Holiday beach body on a budgethowever, as we realise that we haven’t revealed our bodies for six months, and now they are pasty white and are carrying the extra few pounds that all that hearty, winter food brought us. It served its purpose and kept us warm during the winter, but we have no desire to retain that weight during the hot summer, particularly when we are strolling across white, sandy beaches in nothing but a bikini! For that reason, I have compiled some top, money saving, summer body tips that will help you towards your weight loss goals.

1. Get A Cross Trainer or Exercise Bike

Who has the time to go to the gym every day? Not I, and I don’t even have kids to juggle in my life. For working Mums, a daily gym work out or exercise class is just a physical impossibility. One thing you can do though, is bring the gym to you and exercise in the home. With a cross trainer or exercise bike in the home, you can jump on it for ten minutes each day, with little inconvenience to your own daily routine. You can keep an eye on the children while you are exercising and even watch TV while you are doing it. Try and feature in a longer session at the weekend that really pushes you. Look out for regular discount codes for Treadmill Fitness, as they often release deals on Cross Trainers along with other gym equipment.

2. Get A Home Workout Video

Another way of exercising in the home, keeping time spent exercising and costs to a minimum, is to work out using exercise videos. There is something on the market for everyone these days, from Zumba fitness, to Yoga, to extreme dance workouts. You will be able to find some of the best prices for workout videos from Amazon and occasionally WHSmiths.

3. Diet

There are so many diet plans on the market these days, that when you are coming to make a decision about which diet to choose, you could be overwhelmed. The best advice is usually to go for the tried and tested methods, most of which we list here on Love My Vouchers. In my experience, Weightwatchers always seems to come out top. They are a huge organisation with women all over the world following their plan in some respect or another. Whether you stick rigidly to the plan, using all of the online and offline tools they provide to help you measure and monitor your eating, or whether you simply try and loosely stick to their points system, their methods have certainly been proven to work with many. We also list Weight World, who occasionally list voucher codes, Weightplan.com, who currently have a voucher code running for a 14 day free trial, and Rosemary Conley, who we often have special offers listed for, amongst others.

4. Food

Of course, following a diet plan is one way to lose weight, but often simply switching to healthy foods and eating out less often can make a significant impact. Take pride in preparing your own meals, using fresh organic produce and putting in slightly less oil than you will find in restaurants. Remember there can be more fat in your starter alone if you eat out than an adult is recommended to eat in a day. Doesn’t bode well for the summer body! Get some healthy recipes, even subscribe to a magazine that gives you tips on how to eat healthily, read my blog post on the perfect salad, and I pretty much guarantee you will be well on your way.

5. Exercise Belts and Machines

Last on the list is the lazy option: machines that stimulate your muscles, exercising them and supposedly making them toned and trim in the process. That said, it is ill advised to opt for these alone as your way of shaping up for the summer, and generally speaking, combining these with physical exercise is more likely to have the desired effect. You can get abdominal belts and lean machine pads for less from Stress No More.

 

Remember that no one way is better than any other, particularly as everyone is so different and responds to these methods differently. The best thing that you can do is eat healthily and exercise in a way that you can incorporate into your lifestyle and therefore stick to. And if you don’t shed the winter pounds – who cares? Strip off and enjoy your holiday anyway!