Let’s start walking through the process:

1. EXERCISE PROTOCOL

This is the step-by-step guide on how I’m going to be staying in the best shape that I can this summer, without much restriction or effort. Partly because of the habits I put in, but also because a lot of this is pretty easy to do. If you know what to expect and how to structure it.

When it comes to movement and exercise, there are some simple guidelines to follow. Summer is a time of great weather across the board so it’s great to take advantage of that, especially first thing in the morning when the sun is out by going on a walk.

You could go on a walk while fasting if you feel good doing that Getting some early movement in gets your blood flowing, and you’re able to think more creatively throughout the day.

Getting some sun on your skin early in the day also helps you sleep much better at night because it helps re-regulate your circadian rhythm if you have struggled with that.

Along with sleeping, walking is simply the most effective way to ensure that you’re continuing to lose fat or maintain fat loss. Although it’s as boring as sleeping, it’s incredibly important, and making sure that you’re always staying on top of your steps, and getting a head start with them earlier in the day is only going to make this entire process easier for you.

Building off of that point, find some way to move every single day regardless of the intensity of it and because it’s summer, doing it outside is always going to be more enjoyable than doing it inside and you’re going to feel a lot better and more accomplished for doing it as well.

When I say movement, everything counts, including:

• WALKING
• JOGGING
• RUNNING
• BIKING
• PLAYING SOCCER
• PLAYING BASKETBALL
• GOLFING
• SWIMMING
• PLAYING VOLLEYBALL

These are all fun ways to get some extra calorie burn and stay moving throughout the day. They are
also, a good way to bond with people closest to you.

Exercise protocol in the summer isn’t complete without doing some sort of working out. This is going to be the best in the gym. StoopidFit typically recommends lifting 4 times a week, but 3-5 times a week is going to be fine. If some weeks are busier than others and you can’t hit the 4, doing 3 is good enough for that week but hitting four is usually the ideal sweet spot for a majority of people. It’s going to get your heart rate up and get the muscles burning, some sort of circuit hit or sprint intervals.

Do that a few times a week to consistently have good shape with your body, because your muscles are constantly being used and pumped as well as to maintain calorie burn.

The key to having an ideal physique throughout the summer is doing what you can to maintain it. Just like when you buy a house, you’re not done because you bought the house. You still have to make mortgage payments to continue living there and, in this case, that is going to be maintaining your movement, working out a few days a week, and keeping your nutrition in check.

If you’re going to be actively losing weight during this time, going through a fat loss phase, going through a diet phase, tracking your calories, and tracking your meals at least the majority of the time. Once you’ve tracked for some time, you know how to maintain portion sizes, and make better food choices for the long term.

You can start by downloading an app like my fitness pal or chronometer and using that a majority of the week, whenever you can, tracking what you’re eating in your intake can go a long way.

If you’re not ready to track or if you’re sick of tracking because you’ve done it for so many months, here are some simple guidelines for you to follow that are going to make being healthy, and getting in the nutrients you need so much easier.

2. NUTRITION PROTOCOL

• DRINK AS MUCH WATER AS YOU CAN

Starting your day with a glass of water and then going on a walk as we talked about earlier can be incredibly effective for energizing you, helping you feel great, and just making better choices down the line.

•  STRUCTURE

Every meal you have should revolve around some sort of protein source and some sort of color source. Add in whatever else you want to eat alongside that, but make sure you have those as staples in every meal that you’re making, and anytime you’re presented with a meal or you’re going out to eat somewhere, make sure you only eat the foods that you want to eat.

Don’t just have food because they’re there or because they’re at some sort of event that you’re attending. Make sure you want to have what you’re going to be eating. A lot of people in the summer will go to events that have extravagant dinner tables or food options and they’ll just load up their plates with things that they see just because they’re there, make sure the food choices that you’re making are mindful.

In this instance, if I go to a barbecue, I’m going to have hot dogs because I love hot dogs, and freshly grilled hot dogs are awesome. Something I won’t always take advantage of is having potato salad, macaroni salad, or other side foods.

Although I like them, I don’t love them and I never actually want them that bad. Sometimes I do and I’ll permit myself to have them at those moments, but if I don’t want them, there’s no reason for me to throw them on my plate just because it’s there.

There’s going to be a lot of movement in the summer. Traveling, working, having days off. Having staple meals, and staple snacks ready, and at your disposal in your fridge will help make getting your baseline nutrients so much easier for you, maintaining progress or continuing to make progress that much easier.

There are three things that I, personally, turn to during the summer to help ensure this.

• • Greens drink

I always have my greens drink first thing in the morning, before my morning walk. I usually mix it with 12 ounces of water so that I’m being hydrated, getting boosted with a bunch of different micronutrients that are going to help energize me and make me feel good, and I also get some movement in at the same time.

• • Protein shakes

Having protein shakes ready, both from protein powder and already made ones that I can buy in bulk from any store at my disposal. I have a quick boost of protein at any point in the day to help keep me full and replenish my protein needs.

• • Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt with fruit is my favorite pairing, especially as a post-workout stack, always make sure that I have that in my fridge so it’s easy to access and take advantage of.

These things that I just mentioned are really easy to pack for travel, or to get once I travel somewhere. You should find that thing that works for you, and look to incorporate them into your day. Keep it in your routine so that no matter what, you have guaranteed access to these nutrients for your daily nutrition.

Those are general guidelines for you to follow daily. There’s some semblance of structure, so you have a solid foundation every single day, to get some movement in, and get your nutrients in, without it being a hassle.

If they’re easy to access, it’s easy for you to move, it’s easy to fit into your routine, it’s going to be easy for you to continue to do, so find ways to start incorporating from now, so that by the time mid-summer rolls around, it’s easy for you to continue to maintain these habits, and continue to feel great doing it.

This isn’t realistic to do every single day, especially on the weekends in the summer where more events are going to be happening, you might be traveling or some other third thing.

We’re going to go through some simple parameters for you to follow on weekends to help ensure that you’re still doing the things you need to do while still being able to enjoy the fun summertime.

3. HANDLING WEEKENDS AND EVENTS

• Have A Routine

The first tip is having a morning routine, and front-loading your nutrients earlier in the day.

When you start your day by making good decisions, it’s going to lead to a  domino effect into making better decisions the rest of the day. Not only that, if you end up not making as good decisions the rest of the day it is bound to happen from time to time.

You already did the work early on to get the baseline nutrients you need to be successful with this going forward. Start your day with some movement, and some key nutrients, like a protein shake, an egg scramble, or an omelet in the morning.

High protein picks me up with some sort of fruit and vegetable is a great way to put yourself in a healthy mindset early on to continue making healthy decisions later in the day. If you want some ideas for some really easy, high protein, low-calorie breakfast download the free Stoopid Simple Cookbook.

• Have Some Sort Of Plan

Another tip for the summer weekends is, always make sure to plan and know what to expect. You can’t expect every single thing that’s going to be happening, but you know when the big events are going to be happening.

You know that you’re going to be attending a barbecue that has a lot of food or attending a wedding that has a lot of desserts, a lot of food, or going to a buffet on a trip that you’re going on.

When you know that these events are coming, you can allow yourself more flexibility by planning for these events, if you have 2000 calories for the day, for instance, you can allocate 1500 calories for that event if you want to have the flexibility to have all these different foods, and by allocating those 1500 calories you know that you only have 500 calories to start your day with, to get in as much protein as you can, to get in as much fiber fruits and vegetables as you can, and do the things you need to do nutritionally so you can have the things you want to have later on.

It just becomes a balancing act from there, if you know that later in the day you’re going to have a really big meal that means your breakfast needs to be a smaller meal.

If you’re going to be going out to brunch and that’s going to be a big meal that means your dinner needs to be a smaller meal.

Just knowing what to anticipate and balancing things out so you’re never overindulgent by the end of the day where all your meals were huge meals will help you stay on track for the entire summer, and continue to stay lean and look good.

• Know Your Priorities

Another important tip to have when going through your weekends in the summer is to know your priorities for each event before you get to it. For some events, you want to fully enjoy the moment and just have a great experience with your friends and you’re going to make great memories.

In those times, I highly encourage not tracking your food but just still being mindful of what you’re eating, that way you’re fulfilling the main priority of enjoying that time with your friends, and still being mindful of the second priority of eating well, and serving your body, whereas in other moments (i.e at home, when you’re not doing anything fun or memorable like working) you can prioritize eating foods that are going to be helpful to your goal, being in a calorie deficit, having high nutrient density foods but just recognize what that main priority is and put your energy toward that main priority at that moment and be fluid in this approach.

A little bit of forethought before heading into any moment, before any decision that you’re going to be making can go a long way over the days and weeks of summer, and lastly don’t focus on perfection, focus on good enough whenever possible.

• Good Enough Is Better Than Perfect

Perfection day in and day out with every single decision that you’re going to be making is an unrealistic expectation, especially in the summer months when the idea is having as much fun as possible.

There are going to be variables that are outside of your control, whether it’s the food choices you’re presented with, the drink choices that you have, or the amount of activity that you’re able to do.

Some events are going to have limited options that aren’t going to be your ideal so being good enough in those circumstances will always be enough in the grand scheme of things because at the end of the day one “bad day’’ isn’t going to set you back for months of great progress.

So looking whenever possible to have lower calorie drink options, protein selections, and chicken versus ground beef for instance, or going with a diet soda versus a regular soda. Small decisions that are good enough for that moment in time, not ideal it’s not having water or having the meal you cooked at home, but it’s something to still keep you on track and have you enjoy the moment as best as you can,
given the circumstances.

On a bigger scale, this is incredibly important to know. When deciding your priorities for that moment, it’s also important to take into consideration the trend of the priorities that you’ve had up to
that moment.

If you’ve had an entire week where you’ve been letting loose, and trying to enjoy the moment and not making as good decisions because you’ve been a little loose for too long, and likewise on the flip side of things, if you’ve been super rigid with hitting everything perfectly on the mark, it’s okay to be a little bit looser that next day making those decisions, not to be completely wild, eat whatever you want, and pig out to make those decisions that you’ve been avoiding making over time, not to say that you have to earn making good decisions but just knowing that you need to balance things out, to both enjoy yourself and enjoy having a healthier body that you like living in for the rest of the summer.

All this advice I just mentioned applies to people that are already in pretty good shape, and have had and developed really good habits up to this point.

These are good guidelines to follow some days for people that have a lot of weight to lose, but for those same people, you’re going to want to spend some time buckling down and zeroing in on fat loss and prioritizing it for a short period.

When you’re able to do that, you free yourself up for a longer period to be able to have this flexibility and make the decisions you want to make for the rest of your life.

You have to earn that first, dial in and focus heavily on fat loss and make that a priority first before you get to that point.

Working with a coach to hold you accountable and give you a battle-tested and proven plan will help expedite this process so that you can have more time enjoying your summer, and less time loathing the way you look and the decisions you’re making.