CREDIT: BENESTARFITNESS.COM
Eating right is one half of the path to a healthy body – exercise is important too!

It's the perfect time to get fit; the weather's great and you probably have a lot of free time. But after a few months of being lazy and eating junk food, it's hard to know where to begin.

Christina Matthews is the Program Manager at Fitness 101. She suggested that you start by setting goals. “Come up with a big goal or an event that you want to train for and break it down to really small goals that you can accomplish each week. It might be simple things like walking 10 minutes on a treadmill or drinking an extra glass of water.” By setting a new small goal each week, you will stay motivated, and that is what will eventually get you to your final goal.

If you don't want to go to gym or can't afford it, Matthews said that there are a lot of great exercises that you can do on your own. “It's summer now, so just getting outside and hiking, going for long walks, or starting a running program. You can find some really good beginner running programs on the Internet.” She also added that you can try push-ups, burpees, squats, jumping jacks and sit-ups and find ways to make them more challenging. “Do as many as you can of each exercise for a minute, try to do 20 and do six sets.”

Matthews emphasized the importance of taking the proper amount of rest: one minute between each set, and one or two days in between workouts. Rest is extremely important because if you don't give your muscles a chance to recover, you can cause your body some serious harm — it's called overtraining. “You can lose your appetite, you can start to lose or gain weight, become depressed, become really sick, or develop muscle aches and sore joints.”

Another important thing keep in mind in warmer weather is hydration. Ginette Blake is a public health dietitian at the Middlesex London Health Unit, and she said that water is by far the best choice to stay hydrated. “There are some guidelines about how much fluid adolescents and adults should be drinking, and it's generally somewhere in the area of two to three litres (per day). If someone wanted to drink fruit juice, then I would say choose something pure, 100 per cent natural, but keep the amount small because it can be high in calories. When it comes to sports drinks, they're really only recommended if someone is doing physical activity and maintaining it for 90 minutes in a row. Energy drinks are not recommended to maintain hydration,” she added.

Along with exercising comes maintaining a healthy diet, one that is full of fibre and nutrients. Kim Crowther is a registered dietitian and owner of EatRite Nutrition Services. She said that to stay fit and healthy, you should be including the four food groups in your everyday diet. “This includes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean meats or meat alternatives, and low-fat milk or milk alternatives.”

Crowther added that you should aim for balance at both lunch and dinner. “This means imagining that your plate has dividers. Make half the plate vegetables, one-quarter protein (meat/alternative or milk/ alternative), and one-quarter starch (pasta, rice, bread, potato, corn). This way, even if you choose to have pizza (starch and some protein), have the other half of your plate filled with a nice salad or steamed vegetables.”

If you want to munch on something salty, Crowther suggested pinpointing your craving. “Try Quaker Crispy Minis or a flavoured cracker chip like Kellogg's Special K Cracker Chips or Pepperidge Farms Baked Naturals. Popcorn can be a great substitute for chips too.” Mini bags of popcorn are a great option because it keeps your portion under control while still giving you that buttery taste.

If your sweet tooth is giving you trouble, try fruit, said Crowther. “But if you decide that you've just got to have candy, make sure you limit the portion. And keep the variety to a minimum.” To combat mindless eating, take a small amount of candy out of the original package, place it in a dish, and then leave the original package in the cupboard.

If you're someone who loves frozen desserts, “Look for desserts that are made with yogurt rather than ice cream,” Blake suggested.

One more thing to remember as the days are getting warmer: be careful of calorie-dense alcoholic beverages! “We often make note of the foods that we consume, but turn a blind eye when it comes to our fluids,” Crowther said. “Be careful of sweet drinks such as coolers or blender drinks. A 10-ounce Pina Colada can run you about 300 to 500 calories.”

There are many low calorie options — check out Bud Select, which has 55 calories per 341ml, or Molson 67, which has 67 calories per 341ml. Most distilled alcohol contains around 90 calories for 1.5 ounces — if you mix that with 12 ounces of diet soda, you'll stay at 90 calories for the whole drink.

Keep in mind the amount of drinks you consume: low-risk drinking guidelines recommend no more than 15 drinks per week for men, with no more than three drinks on most days, and no more than 10 drinks for women, with no more than two drinks on most days. One drink is 341 millilitres of beer/cider/ cooler, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled alcohol. “Plan non-drinking days every week to avoid developing a habit or an addiction,” Crowther suggested. Keeping fit and eating healthy will lower your risk for chronic diseases (like diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers) later in life, so get out there and get active! Not only are you making yourself feel good, but you're also benefitting your body. Stick to your exercise and maintain a healthy diet and you'll have that “beach ready” body sooner than you think.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN SEASON:

June: Asparagus, Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Caulifl ower, Cherries, Cucumber, Lettuce, Peas, Radishes, Strawberries

July: Beans, Beets, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Caulifl ower, Celery, Cherries, Corn, Cucumber, Lettuce, Onions, Peaches, Peas, Peppers, Plums, Potatoes, Radishes, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tomatoes

August: Apples, Beans, Beets, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Caulifl ower, Celery, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Grapes, Lettuce, Nectarines, Onions, Peaches, Pears, Peas, Peppers, Plums, Potatoes, Radishes, Raspberries, Squash, Tomatoes.

A list of seasonal vegetables and fruit in Ontario can be found at harvestontario.com/seasonal.php.