As we slough off the stupor of winter and pull our summer clothes out of the back of the closet, we realize that over the winter we gained a little weight. Here are a few simple rules to live by that will keep your body summer-ready all year long.

1. Write it Down!

You’d be amazed at how much better you’ll eat if you make yourself accountable—even if that means making yourself accountable to a list of what you ate that day. Start keeping track of what you eat and when you exercise each and every day—especially weekends! Keep a notebook next to your bed or start a journal on your computer that you can keep adding to. Before working with a new nutrition client, I always ask them to write down what they’ve eaten for two weekdays and one weekend day. After we meet, they tell me they’re always surprised to see what they eat over the course of the day mapped out in front of them. It keeps them on their toes and makes them think twice before going for that extra piece of chocolate.

2. Moderation, Not Deprivation.

If Aunt Beatrice went out of her way to make her famous pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream, go ahead and have a piece! One piece of pie (or any dessert for that matter) is probably not going to do any harm. It’s the daily dose of dessert that gets you down and your weight up. Deprivation can be just as bad. If you deprive yourself of the occasional dessert, you’re much more likely to overindulge later.

3. Liquids Count, Too!

Juice, soda, alcohol, coffee drinks and just about every other beverage with the exception of water contains calories. Your body stores these calories in the same way it stores calories from too many cookies or chips. Calories your body doesn’t use get stored as fat. It’s easy to forget about calories in what you drink, but remember, it has just as great of an impact as what you eat. A good rule of thumb is to drink one small glass of water before you drink anything else — especially the drinks that have a tendency to dehydrate, including those that are alcohol, caffeine or sugar-packed.


4. Don’t Slow Down.

Don't stop your exercise routine no matter what. Once you are in the habit of going for a jog, going for a bike ride, or whatever activity you choose, keep it up. You don’t have to do the same type of exercise day-in and day-out, but working out at the same time will keep your motivation up. One thing that will make your life easier through these warm summer months is a gym membership. “It’s too hot outside …” is no longer a valid excuse if you’ve got someplace to workout indoors. If you don’t belong to a gym already, several health clubs throughout the city offer convenient month-to-month memberships that will take you through the summer. As soon as you break your routine and fall off the wagon, it’s a lot harder to get back on and build up momentum! Be good to yourself and get moving today.

5. Don’t Throw in the Towel.

So far you’ve stuck to your plan of eating well without too many foods that will throw your diet out of whack. Suddenly you find yourself eating a much-too-large piece of chocolate cake followed up by a cookie. Do you: a) Call it a year and figure it’s easier to start fresh in the New Year, or b) get right back on track chalking the cake and cookie to a lesson learned. Hopefully you answered “b”—don’t sabotage your efforts because of one or two bad foods. Besides, there’s no better time than the present to start eating right!