The Little Black Apron - Fling Into Spring: Getting Into Your Swimsuit

Spring is in the air. The perennials are blossoming and preparing their fragrant bloom for April and May, days are getting longer and the weather warming. Life is good. However, with warmer and longer days come shorter shorts, mini-er skirts and increased swimsuit-time. If you spent your winter maintaining your svelte physique and are unconcerned by spring's wardrobe pressures, then you're ahead of the body-image-crisis game. However, those of us who've cloaked our newly added 8lbs under heavy sweaters, oversized sweatshirts and long pants all winter, know it's time to buck-up and take those pounds by their nasty love handles.

Whether you're hitched or still living the swinging single life, there's always room for improvement in healthy diet, especially when it requires you to showcase most of your birthday suit. Below are ten tactics that are sure to help you on your pursuit of the perfect figure. While these measures are not foolproof that you'll be selected as Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition Cover Girl or Mr. Universe, they'll certainly help you feel healthier.

Along with the "Top Ten Tactics" is a recipe that is the perfect meal to commence your guilt-free life. The low-fat recipe, Miso Marinated Mahi Mahi with Fresh Fruit Salsa (PDF), is chock-full of fiber, potassium, antioxidants, folate, and Omega-3s. Consider this our way of saving you a $5,000 spa retreat to Mexico.

Top Ten Tactics: Getting Ready for Bathing Suit Season

1. Fill up on fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are not only low in calories, but also high in fiber. Fiber is critical to maintaining a healthy diet, as not only does it contain nutrients that are essential to your health, but it also helps fill you up so that you eat less of other foods (i.e. donuts, chips, crackers, snacks, etc.) Most adults do not get the recommended amount of fiber (25 - 30 grams per day) which is thought to be one reason why so many Americans are overweight.

2. Drink 8 glasses of water every day. Even though people often think drinking a lot of water increases bloating, it actually does the opposite. Adequate water intake helps remove sodium and impurities from the body. Some research also suggests that it may help increase your metabolism. So drink up!

3. Limit sodium intake. Water is attracted to salt, so the more salt you eat, the more water you retain. Think about how you felt the last time you ate Chinese take-out - not so hot. You probably woke up feeling "fatter", thinking it was a result of the deep fat-fried eggrolls. Not so. Though eggrolls are packed with calories, your morning Buddha belly is a result of all the sodium in the ingredients which cause you to retain extra water.

4. Eat foods high in potassium. Eating foods high in potassium, like bananas, oranges and potatoes, helps you retain less water. And, those foods help increase your fiber intake (see tip #1 above).

5. Get moving. The best way to burn calories and stay in shape is to do some kind of physical activity. Find something you enjoy so that you'll integrate the activity into your daily routine. Yoga, pilates, walking (shopping is the perfect excuse), jogging (around your neighborhood or at the gym), playing tennis, etc. If you've forgotten your New Year's resolution, then Spring Fever is the perfect excuse!

6. Allow room for some indulgences. Deprivation leads to overeating which leads to not being ready to sport a bathing suit. Therefore, don't make any foods off limits. Just be mindful of portion sizes. Buying portion-controlled foods (i.e. 100 calorie packs of Oreos, Dove dark chocolate squares) is a great way to allow for wee moments of joy in your diet, preventing you from plunge into gluttonous behavior.

7. Get your antioxidants. Even if we live in cities, we spend much of our lives outdoors. Being out in the sun can cause wrinkles and inflammation of the skin. Antioxidants can help decrease some of the damage from the sun. Therefore, it's imperative to include antioxidant-rich foods in your diet. Make sure to choose a wide variety of colors of fruits and vegetables - the darker the color, the higher in antioxidants. Try blueberries, raspberries, sweet potato, seaweed and green tea. (NOTE: Wearing sunscreen is the best preventative for skin cancer, skin damage and aging skin. Don't think that eating seaweed salad and sweet potatoes every night for dinner will prevent you from getting basal cell carcinoma.)

8. Limit alcohol consumption. This is a really sad one, but true nonetheless. Alcohol not only causes dehydration, but is high in calories. If you are going to consume alcohol, make sure to limit your intake - 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. Try a light beer or a 5 oz glass of wine for a lower calorie option. Choose your cocktail of choice wisely when it comes to watching your waistline.

9. Eat vitamin C-rich foods. Vitamin C is important for the formation of collagen, which is essential for healthy hair and skin. As most of us have figured out, having healthy, glowing hair and skin makes us look and feel much more attractive. So, go ahead and eat up those citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers, broccoli and pineapple all of which are packed with vitamin C. And you thought it was a result of Pantene.

10. Choose healthy carbs. Eating a diet that is excessive in carbohydrates (more than about 60% of total calories), especially refined carbs like white bread and cookies can cause you to hold onto extra water. This can lead to temporary bloating or weight gain due to the extra water weight. This does not mean you should eliminate all carbohydrates, as they are an essential part of a healthy diet. It just means to eat sensible amounts of healthy carbs - for example, make ½ your plate non-starchy vegetables, ¼ of your plate a whole grain such as whole-wheat couscous and ¼ a lean protein such as salmon.

Comments

[loril]

I crave this kind of food when the weather gets warmer. Funny, it is always almost exactly 8 pounds that I have to try to lose in the spring. How did you arrive at that figure??

One problem I am having recently is the cost of fresh fruits (and veggies). We eat a lot of vegetables and I spend the money on them so that I can steam them and eat them fresh or in salads. We get some basic fruits, as well, and I love them. When I was younger, I bought a big sack of nectarines, plums and other summer fruits each week and snacked on berries for dessert. It was a delicious and nutritious way to keep my weight down.

Lately, fresh produce costs the earth. We are feeling the pinch at the gas pump and my grocery bill is outrageous. It certainly makes it more challenging to eat the way I would optimally like to eat. I wonder if anyone else out there is skimping on fruits and veggies more than they would like because of the budget busting aspects?