Late spring means summer vacations, beaches, and relaxation are fast approaching OR… at least they should be. For those of us who might have let the winter months create an excuse to skip leg day(s), we might need a bit of extra motivation to create a summer body workout plan. So, if you’re looking into how to get a summer body, here are our top 5 tips to get you ready for vacation.

1. Eat Right & Drink Water

Yes, this is pretty standard advice. Why? Because it’s true. Proper exercise is important (and we’ll look into it soon); however, exercise can only get you so far in getting your fit summer body. Why? When we start to slim down, our body sets off the ‘famine’ alarm and starts to preserve energy and calories. This is why during the first week or two of a weight loss diet, we will see pretty good results. However, once our body notices a change in behavior, it will make a ‘course correction’ to slow down how it burns fat, in turn, causing weight loss to slow down. That’s why it can get frustrating sometimes to lose weight. Eating right is the key to determining the type of fats and the number of calories our body has to break down. After all, your body can’t preserve calories if there isn’t an overabundance. This isn’t to say you should eat less. Rather, you should eat smarter — choosing healthier, more filling options over unhealthy ones. Many times, we interpret thirst as hunger. So drink some water first. Not only will it hydrate and replenish the health of your skin, but drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal can make you feel less hungry, so you’re not as likely to overeat.

2. Limit Alcohol Consumption

An adult beverage here and there isn’t so bad. But beer and other alcohols are empty calories. Even mixed drinks — composed of alcohols with a lot of calories — are usually made with mixers that contain a lot of sugar. Look, relaxing by the beach with a pina colada here and there won’t hurt. But take it in strides. Your summer body will thank you.

3. Get More Sleep

How does sleep help you trim down and get a summer body? Rest is key to getting you more energy to power throughout the day. A study on sleep found that people functioning on less sleep snacked more to help compensate for their overall lack of energy. Losing sleep doesn’t only affect your eating habits. You’re also less motivated to be active throughout the day, opting for elevators over stairs, heading for the couch over the gym, and more. If you do get to the gym, you won’t be as motivated. You should to be active and win your time at the gym, so get your recommended daily allowance of sleep – at least 8 hours.

4. Meal Prep

The art of meal prepping requires you to plan what you’re eating throughout the week, and ideally, prepare your meals in advance. Some people take this very seriously — going as far as to measure out and plan everything they’re going to eat each day — right down to the snacks. Simply knowing what you plan on eating for lunch at work and/or dinner helps you avoid eating out and loading up on unnecessary carbs or sodium. Knowing what you’re eating and sticking to your schedule can help you get a summer body, so get organized and prep away!

5. Add a Summer Body Workout Plan

OK, the workout doesn’t have to be intense. But creating a way to stimulate your body and work it out in unique ways is key to good health and getting that summer body you want to achieve. A summer body workout plan should not be the same day in and day out. When it comes to sculpting our bodies, our biggest enemy can be our body itself — the body gradually trains itself to get used to a fitness regimen, so results slow down. That’s why it’s critical to switch up what parts of your body you work out from one day to the next.

6. [BONUS!] Consider CoolSculpting

The only FDA-cleared fat reduction cooling technology, CoolSculpting is a nonsurgical procedure that can target the areas where you need help getting that beach body. How does it work? The non-invasive CoolSculpting treatment targets depleted pockets of fat cells and effectively freezes, then kills fat cells. Over time, they’re naturally carried out of the body. With results available as soon as 2-3 weeks and full results visible 2-3 months afterward, CoolSculpting is an ideal solution to consider adding to your strategy to achieve that ideal summer body!