Sometimes you need Motivation. My motivation? MIAMI.

I have 24 days- yes, 24 days to be bathing suit ready for a spur-of-the-moment trip I decided to take with some girlfriends to Miami. Am I freaking? Maybe a little....ok, yes I'm freaking A LOT. Over the past 2 months I have been terrible to my body by eating all the typical holiday food and not keeping up with the gym. Things are turning around TODAY. As I'm sure most of you have the same goal, or should I say- New Years Resolution to be healthier- I am going to share my plans to get back into shape with you all...without killing myself trying.

1. Start counting. I know it can be a disaster trying to count all the calories of everything you eat, but it's the only way to really control your intake. One of my girls told me about the MyFitness Pal application for Droid/iPhone which actually counts your calories for the day. It's a God send. Seriously. I've become addicted. You enter your height, age, weight, and how much you want to lose and it tells you how many daily calories you are allowed. AND- the best part about it- it's a FREE download. Upon entering your meals and snacks, it subtracts the calories from your daily count and tells you how many you have left. Totally awesome.

2. Hydrate. Drink Lots and lots of water. Add lemon to your water to help slim your waistline. They say you need 8 glasses of water a day. Aim for 8 if not more. If you have run out of calories for the day and are still hungry, fill yourself up with lemon water. Plus, water is GREAT for your skin :)

3. Cook. Eating at restaurants when you are trying to stay on track can be very tricky since you don't see for yourself whats added to the food. If you love to eat out, limit yourself to once or twice a week and opt for a healthier plate like grilled chicken or salmon. And yes, I'm no Rachel Ray and have caused a few kitchen fires in my time (Hell, I tried to make chocolate pretzel rods over Christmas and I ended up with a burned finger, a broken glass and a fire in the microwave....don't ask), but I have been slowly learning to cook so I have total control over what is added to my food. I visit sites like Bettycrocker.com all the time to get recipes since I have NO clue on what foods to cook together...other than meat and potatoes...which I will not be making for awhile....

4. Commit to exercise. Now you don't have to do anything drastic and sign up for the Zumba Advanced or Body Pump with 50lb weights class since you think it will help you work harder. Starting off with a hard workout will just lead to frustration if you cannot complete the exercise and make you want to quit. Start out easy and work your way up the scale. I got this recommendation from InStyle.com and it totally made sense to me. If you have trouble going to the gym and exercising for 45min straight (I do, I get pissed on the treadmills when I'm about to hyperventilate at 20min running at 5.0 while the person next to me is running at 10.0 for 45min with NO problem. PSH- overachievers) then break up your exercise. Do 10-15 min of running/walking in the morning, a 10min walk at lunch time and then another 10-15min run/walk around dinner. This way you are not killing yourself in the gym and you are still getting exercise.

5. Leave the snacks on the shelf. In other words- DO NOT buy chips, ice cream, cookies, sweets, etc when you go grocery shopping. By not having them in the house, you will not be able to eat them if you get cravings. Stock your shelves with fruits, veggies, lean poultry, lean meat, whole wheat pasta and snacks like the mini-popcorn 100 calorie bags, rice cakes, cereal and hummus (delicious with veggies).

Of course, its with the help from girlfriends and InStyle.com that I have listed these tips, so thank you to various sources- you are my first step (and those who are reading) to help us get on track to a healthier lifestyle :) And you know, a healthy body = glowing skin.

XOXO.