Spring is in full swing and summer is nearly upon us. Many people are starting to head to the beach, although in some areas the water might still be too cold to take a long dip. Either way, there’s a good chance that you’ve begun to unpack your bathing suits and the like.

Unfortunately, you might find that your bathing suit is fitting too snugly and for all the wrong reasons. It’s easy to accumulate extra weight during the long, dark winter months. That’s why we’re going to offer several exercises and diet tips that you can use to get your body ready for the beach.

Start Doing Full Body Workouts

If you have a gym membership, it’s time to start using it. In order to get your body in shape for the beach, you’ll need to work out all of your muscles. It’s easy to focus on legs, arms, and what have you, but a fit beach body means paying attention to the full body.

Start paying attention to your core muscles, back, calves, handlebars, butt, and everything else. If you’re not focusing on your full body, you’ll struggle to get yourself beach ready.

Of course, lifting weights might leave you sore. If so, make sure you check out our sports injury healing kits. Even if you’re not injured, they can help you recover more quickly.

Start Hitting the Bike

A lot of cardiovascular exercising will help you burn calories. One of the best ways to do that is to get on a bike. Bicycles are easier on your knees than jogging but you can still burn a lot of calories, potentially 500 calories or more, in an hour.

Nowhere nearby to ride a bike? If your gym has a swimming pool, take a dip. Swimming is also easy on the body while helping you burn calories.

It’s Time to Look at Your Diet as Well

No matter how much you exercise, if you consume more calories than you burn, you’re going to gain weight. You need to take an honest assessment of how many calories you consume per day. So start with a food journal where you write down everything you eat.

Next, look for things you can replace. Drink four sodas a day? Start by switching two of those sodas out for flavored sparkling water. Eating a candy bar every day? Switch out for an apple every other day.

[Also, try this weight loss formula from our partners at Jadience!]