25 May Summer beach body tips: Watch your mouth

To get a summer beach body, most people think about how much exercise they have to do.
However, watching your mouth is just as important. Or, more specifically, watching what you put in your mouth – and why.
Here are three tips to help you resist the food cravings that can lead to spoiling your summer beach body:
1 Don’t use food as a stress reliever – Think about how many times you’ve had a stressful day and used food to help relieve those feelings. Sometimes we eat the worst when we’re trying to calm ourselves down, like devouring half a pizza or going through a drive-through window.
Exercise instead. When cravings start, you should head for the gym, treadmill, exercise bike, walking trail or wherever else you like to exercise. Research has shown it takes just 15 minutes of exercise to increase the chemicals dopamine and serotonin in your body, which will improve your mood.
2 Eat proteins – When you are hungry for a snack, reach for lean proteins. Protein in snacks such as peanut butter and apple slices will fill you up faster – and with good stuff for your body.
3 Splurge smartly – When you do decide to have a treat, do it smartly. But instead of grabbing a snack or dessert loaded with sugar, get in the habit of
making a fruit smoothie with fresh berries and yogurt. Or, instead of french fries or potato chips, instead have hummus and carrots.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com