by Millie Tulle

Created on: July 19, 2010   Last Updated: July 20, 2010

Summer is the ideal time for renewal. Without having to structure your life around classes, you can create your own routine and make an honest effort to get into a habitual groove. However, the long summer days invite that extra hour of sleep in the mornings. There is a tendency to lounge around a lot, whether it be by the pool or in your backyard as you barbecue. The key to achieving your ideal back-to-school body is to integrate relaxing summer activities into an overall health and fitness plan.

This plan, of course, revolves around diet and exercise, the two ultimate tests of willpower. The summer is the best time to embark on a diet, as there are plenty of delicious summer fruits and vegetables to keep temptation at bay. If you have sugar cravings, mangoes are a sweet compromise. In the heat, frozen raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries can taste incredible. There are also plenty of simple ways to experiment with veggies. Sprinkle fresh tomatoes with salt, pepper and basil. Create chutneys out of herbs, and use them as a dip for steamed broccoli or raw carrots. Make cucumber sandwiches with light cream cheese and mint. Keep protein levels up by cracking in a raw egg in your smoothies. It sounds questionable, but it gives a silky consistency to the drink, and you will not taste a thing. Try ceviche, a delicious South American dish made of lime and fish, where the citric acid cooks the fish.

For a diet to really work however, sugar should be minimized as much as possible. Most of the fat stored in our bodies is not because of the amount of “fat” ingested. Rather, sugar is the main culprit of weight gain. On a daily basis, you should have 15 to 25 grams of sugar in total. A soda alone can be chock-full of sugar at 65 grams. This excess sugar is converted to triglycerides stored in adipose tissue, or fat cells. However, a simple substitution for a soda is an iced fruit smoothie (hold the sugar!) 

Ultimately, keep your meals light and fun. Nature offers a host of juicy treats to keep you satiated all summer long. During the school year, food is often a means to an end. Use the extra time now to be creative with your food. Eat calmly and with relaxation and enjoyment. Soon you'll feel light and healthy, and will begin to achieve a much leaner look.

Exercise is diet's sister because it can really speed up your metabolism, doubling the effects of your diet. Also, while diet will help you lose weight, exercise is what you need to

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