Ok, we get it. The cold winter winds of January are blowing outside, well, maybe not really, but it is colder than you would like it to be. But are you using the cold as an excuse to dial back on, or putting off your exercise routine now that it gets dark earlier, and a little frosty outside?

Well, whether you know it or not. Since Christmas, the daylight is taking a rebound, and each day will see a minute or two more of sunlight. Yes, the natural order of things is still working. And that means you can count on the high summer sunshine to bring that heat come July and August in the northern hemisphere, and sooner if you pass through Florida and places south.

If you want to make sure you look good in that suit this coming summer, and not embarrass yourself so that you need to have one of those 3 sizes too big t-shirts on, as you’re walking down the sands of the beach. You need to get yourself in gear and commit to working on getting that body toned and defined so you feel confident as you walk down that beach, who knows, you may even turn a head or two as you walk by. That is of course if they’re looking for all the right reasons and not looking at you because there is soooo much of you!

It may be the middle of January but before you know it, it’s going to be time to book that vacation to sunny places. And with January here, you have 6 months before most of us are thinking about getting “This Year’s” swimsuit! For the procrastinators, who put off dialing up the exercise routines, the time to think about a spray-on-tan will be here before you know it!

So, what do you do? Well, if you’ve been working out now and then during the warmer months of the year. Nothing has really changed. If that is, you used to go to the gym on a regular basis. But maybe with the holiday season that just ended, so did your gym membership. Well, you need to do what you did last year and shop around. But you need to hurry, because most of the gym membership sales will soon be going off. After all, they are geared to taking advantage of all those New Year resolutions that have just been made and offering their memberships at a low discount rate, at least for the first 1-3 months.

So go and shop around if your workout routine means taking advantage of all that in-house weight reduction equipment. But if you are a workout at home type of person. Who has a few weights at home but use them mainly to help give your muscles some tone, and are usually hitting the streets, or mountain paths on a running or jogging routine. Then you don’t need to worry about looking for any membership incentives. Your whole incentive is just plain getting yourself back in shape so you won’t be embarrassed when that guy kicks that sand in your face out on the beach.

Planning: Nothing just happens, if you’re working towards the goal of getting yourself back in great shape in time for the summer sunshine, you need to “Plan for it!” If you’re going to a gym, plan ahead on what your routine is going to be and then get in there and do it! You need to make yourself accountable for the time and money your spending at that “Meat” processing plant. Cause that’s just what it really is. A good gym processes the raw material (your body) into a finished product. In your case, a well-defined, toned muscle based package that will be ready for the beach come July, early June if you really work at it.

Most gyms will give you the option to meet with a physical trainer, take advantage of this and ask questions and inform, him/her what your goals are, and what they recommend for the best machine circuit to help you achieve your goal. Pay attention to them, after all, this is what they get paid to do. And it might be a good idea to get on their good side, this way, they are more likely to offer some free advice if they see you are really trying to make good on their recommendations!

Accountability: This is the "keyword" in your whole arsenal of getting fit. You need to plan for that goal of getting your body in better shape and you need to have a tool that will track your daily routines so you can see your progress or lack thereof. The best way to go about this is with a good Activity Watch or one that provides a Heart Rate Monitor so you can see just how well your body is performing based on the amount of stress and physical activity you are subjecting it to.

One that I like and recommend to anyone who is serious about getting themselves in good overall shape is the Garmin Forerunner 920XT Multisport GPS Watch The Forerunner 920 offers the most advanced training features into one unit, like VO2 Max, running dynamics, and live tracking. The 920xt even has smart notifications to keep you connected on the run!

Another great, accurate Activity Monitor that also has a wrist-based heart rate monitor is the Garmin Vivoactive HR Strapless Heart Rate SmartWatch Your every active moment like running, swimming, (indoor pool naturally), and skiing is carefully monitored with built-in sports apps. With smart notifications, the status of these activities will be displayed on the colored touchscreen of this smartwatch. Apart from vigorous workouts, it also silently collects information like daily steps, floors climbed, sleep cycles and intensity minutes.

Taking your body-makeover routines seriously means a commitment on your part to follow through with making this fitness regimen a part of your normal, daily activity. Only in this way will you stay the course of getting your body in the shape you are looking for when that sunlight shines down on you, while you're enjoying those sandy beaches!

So, are YOU committed to getting that body of yours ready for summer? 

I know I am!

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