Get Strong & Confident for Summer: A Step-by-Step Fat Loss Plan

Welcome to the Muscles and Mindset Revolution podcast! I’m Anne Jones, your host, and in this episode, I’m sharing practical strategies to help you prepare for summer without falling into the trap of quick-fix diets or extreme workouts. With over 15 years of experience as a certified life coach and personal trainer, I dive into the power of mindset as the key to achieving lasting results in your fitness journey.

In today’s episode, you’ll learn how to shift your focus from weight loss to feeling amazing, why strength training should be a priority over cardio extremes, how to nourish your body with balanced, whole foods, and how to create a fitness routine that is enjoyable and sustainable long-term.

If you’re tired of the endless cycle of yo-yo dieting and looking for a plan that works for the long haul, this episode is for you.

[Join the no-obligation waitlist for my #Summer60 program]

Let’s make this summer your best one yet, with lasting confidence and strength!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The common mistakes women make when preparing for summer and how to avoid them

• How to shift your focus from weight loss to feeling confident and amazing in your body

• Why strength training is your secret weapon for lasting fitness results

• Smart eating habits that nourish your body without restriction

• How to create consistency and enjoyment in your fitness routine for long-term success

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome to the Muscles and Mindset Revolution

00:37 - Preparing for Summer: The Common Mistakes You Need to Avoid

01:55 - Mindset Shift: From Weight Loss to Feeling Amazing and Confident

04:05 - Sustainable Fitness: Why Strength Training is Better Than Cardio for Lasting Results

09:16 - Nourishing Your Body: Eating Smart Without Restriction

15:19 - Consistency and Enjoyment: How to Make Your Fitness Journey Sustainable

18:59 - Recap and Final Thoughts: Confidence, Strength, and Long-Term Success

If you’re ready to transform your fitness routine and finally break free from yo-yo dieting, join the #Summer60 waitlist or apply for personalized coaching through Muscles and Mindset.

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• [https://musclesandmindset.ca/]

Ready to build strength, feel confident AF, and lose fat without obsessing or stressing over it? [Apply to Join the Muscles & Mindset program here].

Connect With Me:

• Instagram: [@annejonesfit]

• Website: [https://www.annejonescoaching.ca/]

• YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@annejones]

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Transcript

Speaker: 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the muscles and mindset revolution podcast, the podcast for ambitious women who want to build strength, feel confident AF and lose fat for good without counting calories or BS quick fixes. I'm your host, Anne Jones, certified life coach, personal trainer and mindset expert. After 15 plus years in the fitness industry, I know the real key to lasting change. Isn't just what you do. It's how you think. If you're ready to shift your mindset, build a lifestyle you love and feel confident AF you are in the right place. Let's dive in. Okay, this episode will be coming out at the end of March. So, we'll be, what, two months away from summer kind of thing? And you know that feeling when summer hits and you either feel amazing in your skin, so ready for the warm weather and Wearing less clothes or you are scrambling to fix things at the last minute. Let's make sure that you are in the first category. So here's the most common mistake that I see that leads women to enter the summer months feeling not emotionally or physically ready for wearing less clothing. The most common mistake is to wait too long. Or to jump into quick fix extremes. And so today I'm going to give you a real sustainable roadmap to actually feel fit. Strong and confident in whatever you truly want to wear by summer. And if you will want the exact step by step plan, the waitlist for summer 60 is open and you can get on the waitlist for summer 60, which is my annual summer fitness and accountability program, which begins in June. And I'll share more about that later. But here's the first thing I'm always going to tell you. I am a mindset-first coach because I know that a result begins with a thought. A result begins with a thought. what we think dictates how we feel, how we feel dictates the actions that we take and the actions that we take dictate the results. So we always begin with the thought. So the first thought that I want to shift for you is I want you to shift from lose weight for summer to feel amazing all summer and all the time because I know you want to look good in a swimsuit. I get it. I know you want to. I want to look good in a bathing suit. Me too. I want to feel confident. I don't want to think have to worry about it or think about it. I will tell you too that I know that my method works because I have been wearing the same bathing suits since probably literally 2011 actually. Like I will wear out a bathing suit before. I will need a new bathing suit. Always, always, always. So same with a sundress. I'm wearing the same size sundress for 20 years. So I know that this works. Okay? So yes, we want to look good in the thing. We want to feel confident in the piece of clothing. We also want to feel strong and energized because. Summer brings a lot. There are events. There are active activities and adventures. There are trips. So the goal is not just to look and feel amazing in a swimsuit. It is also to feel amazing for all of summer. So let's shift a little bit more globally. But here's the common trap, right? People obsess over quick weight loss. And then end up yo yo dieting. And if you're saying, well, it's not a yo yo diet. I'm just going to do it once for summer. Yeah. But you do it for summer every year. And then you do it like for your winter vacation every year. You do it after Christmas every year. You do like, you see what I'm saying? You do every September when school starts again and you have time. So please don't fall into that trap. Please don't fall into the trap of obsessing over quick weight loss. It is not sustainable. It does not work long term. It is not fun and it is damaging for your psyche and your metabolism. Okay? Cool. So let's reframe your goal. So instead of like, I need to lose. X number of pounds before July, I always want you to ask yourself, how do I want to feel this summer and what habits support that? It's actually very simple. You may have heard me say this before. We, most of us have a belief that You just heard me say that our thought creates our result. Many of us have a belief that our circumstance creates our result. Your circumstance is circumstance is circumstance. We can't change it. We can only respond to it. A circumstance does not create a result. Your thought creates your feeling, which creates your actions, which create a result. So we believe the circumstance creates the result. And then once we have the result. We will feel however it is that we think we want to feel. That is out of order. I just gave you the order. The order hasn't ever changed since the beginning of mankind. Thought leads to feeling, leads to action, leads to result. Okay. So we got to start with the thought. Oftentimes we think, Oh yeah, like when I lose weight, then I'll, then I'll like be happy. And then I will feel confident. That is actually the opposite is true. You need to lead with how you want to feel to get there for a number of reasons. But the type of woman who you want to be, who is probably energetic, vibrant, confident, fit and strong, you need to act like she would act. You can't act the way that we've always acted and think the way that you've always thought if you want a different result. That sounds a little like cheesy, but it's because it's very true. So the first thing I want you to step into is how do I want to feel this summer? And what are the exact habits that support that? Okay. So let's begin with that. I want you to focus on consistency. Energy and strength over rapid fat loss. Step two. You then must need, you then need to prioritize that daily movement and strength instead of just over cardioing and under eating. Strength training always wins you guys. Strength training builds the defined toned muscles that you say that you want. You say you want toning. Okay, you're gonna need to strength train for that. It's literally the only physical way to achieve a toned physique is to build those muscles. And strength training not only builds the muscles, creates hypertrophy, makes them bigger so that you see them, the tone look and the definition, not the softness. Strength training also boosts your metabolism for natural fat loss, which sounds gimmicky, but it is not. When you have more muscle mass. You have your mitochondria are working more efficiently. Your system is working more efficiently. You are burning more fat at rest. Strength training also creates a lasting result versus just getting Skinny. Let's eliminate the word skinny. If you think you want to be a skinny and you're here, you might be in the right place, but you need to reframe your thought You don't actually want to be skinny. You want to be confident. You want to be toned You want to look like you actually work out So here's what not to do. Do not panic cardio every day. Do not panic cardio any day. We love cardio. We need cardiovascular activity for the heart. We do not panic cardio to quickly lose fat as a first point. It's not strength training. And second point, it is not sustainable. The other thing not to do, do not extreme diet. This will tank your energy. Then you will not have energy to do neither the strength training required to get the body that you want, nor the summer activities that you desire. I don't know about you, but if you're a mom, I do find that like we can hibernate a little bit more with kids in the winter, but summer is full on. There is beaching and swimming and so much carrying stuff, so much carrying stuff, so much multi. Carrying, pulling the wagons... I find summer to be full on and it's like draining because it's hot, you're sweaty, it's outside, you know, we're a little bit dehydrated. Like it just is kind of draining. And so extreme dieting is just compounding that in an unhealthy way. Here's what I need you to do instead. Okay. You ready for this? Give me three things. Very simple. Three simple things. Simple, not easy. What to do instead. Number one, lift three to four times a week. Okay. Progressively overload your workouts. Lift three to four times a week. Number two, daily. That does not mean go to a spin class seven days a week. That doesn't mean workout seven days a week. That means move your body seven days a week by walking, doing yoga. Dancing it out, et cetera. Number three, focus on your strength gains. Focus on numbers one and two and fat loss will follow. I promise you, when you take care of your body in the way that it is meant to be taken care of, when you move it and rest it and nourish it, fat loss will follow. It will follow. You do not have to count calories. You do not have to track macros when you are. We're eating in the way that your body is asking you to, your body will let you know there is literally no need to do anything else. Let's not overcomplicate it. This is exactly what we focus on inside muscles and mindset, by the way, strength muscle definition and true longterm confidence building. here's step three. Fuel your body like a fit, confident woman instead of starving yourself. Here's the common mistake in this area. We panic because we want to lose weight for summer and then we slash calories and skip meals. This leads to cravings, which you then end up binging and fulfilling later, low energy, low nourishment, and rebound eating. The smarter way to eat for summer confidence is these three things. Okay, are you listening? Number one, protein at every meal and snack. Protein keeps you full. It also helps you to build muscle.

Speaker 2: 9:50

I would love for you to aim for 25 percent of your total calories or more to be from protein. Pick your protein first and then plan around it. I always do that. This helps with your metabolic function and your muscle building.

Speaker: 10:03

Number two, more whole foods, less processed foods. This is better for your digestion. This is also better for your energy levels.

Speaker 2: 10:10

Consider your fiber intake. Choose fiber rich Carbohydrates more often focus on high resistant starch foods This will also help with your satiety your hormone balance your gut health and so much more and then lastly it's summer So I need you to be hydrating. I need you to be consuming electrolytes. You should not be getting headaches So I want you to focus on at two liters of water Per day. Yes. Two liters of water per day. Yes. You will have to pee, pee in the ocean. It's fine. And then I want you to consider adding electrolytes on warm days and especially warm workout days.

Speaker 3: 10:45

Reduce your intake of refined sugars. The one piece of nutrition that whether you are a intuitive eating macros based or holistic nutritionist, all nutritional professionals agree, that we can reduce. It's pretty irrefutable, and it is not an all or nothing mindset, which will be the next thing that I'll talk about, but do what you can to reduce refined sugars. If you truly want to go into the summer feeling good and then keep your energy and satiety levels high throughout summer. And then the last piece of eating whole foods is minimizing alcohol. Consider your relationship with alcohol. I'm a completely neutral party when it comes to alcohol. You can have it. You can not have it. Consider your relationship with it. Keep it feeling high vibe and good. Reduce when and where you can essentially.

Speaker: 11:31

Number three, stop overthinking treats. Okay, balance matters. Stop overthinking it. We're eating mostly whole foods. There's still a place for treats. Otherwise, you're going to go back wild and eat all the treats eventually. There's never a woman who I've ever talked to how has that has not been the case.

Speaker 4: 11:45

Here are four preparation tips for nutritional success. Number one, prep ahead where you can. So I told you to pick your protein and plan around it. That's a lot of peas. That's what I want you to do. Start by what would I like to eat? What kind of protein can I use as the base here? Plan the foods and then prep ahead when you can. Start with your most challenging meal of the day. So if you're like, I never eat breakfast, start with breakfast. If you're like, I never know what to do for dinner. Do it for dinner. Get used to planning and prepping for that one meal for a couple of weeks before you try to plan for and prep for another meal. Number two, prep for your summer activities. The barbecue the beach picnic the week at the cottage sweet treats for hot days This does not mean that in the summer you're spending all of your time indoors meal prepping It means you're taking a you're spending a little time on the front end to save yourself energy and suffering And time on the other end prep for what you can when you can do not be a perfectionist about it Prep healthy snacks to have on hand. This is so fun and easy during the summer when there's so much Fresh stuff out, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, go to the farmer's market. So fun. And then always have fruits and veggies prepped and ready to go. So, so easy. Buy the veggie tray. It saves money and time in the long run. And to put it all together, I want you to basically do these, consider these five things. Ditch the all or nothing mindset. Enjoy the food that you're eating. Acknowledge when you are hungry and when you are full. put strategies in place to tackle emotional or stress eating and put strategies in place for when peer pressure arises as it often does at barbecues and outdoor events, weddings, any kind of social event. So just have a plan in place.

Speaker: 13:26

And this is why we coach this way inside Muscles and Mindset. We include realistic, simple nutrition coaching and strategies because obsessing or following a strict meal plan does not, it's not required for results and it's not fun or sustainable.

Speaker 5: 13:44

I have worked in the fitness industry since 2009. I've coached a lot of clients through that many summers. Okay. So I know what happens if you don't follow the process that I just described to you. And one of the things that happens is something that we've already addressed and it is the binge and restrict cycle. So I talked about yo yo dieting earlier, but I just like to call it the fun no fun cycle. It's like YOLO Sunday night brain. YOLO Sunday night brain. So here are some things that I want you to truthfully reflect on and consider for yourself. What have summers felt like previously? You've had a summer before. Did you go on an extreme diet? Did it work? Probably not. If you're considering another one. diets just do not work long term. That is why women come to me saying that they've tried all these diets. So what have summers felt like previously? What did you do? What felt good? What didn't feel so good? What worked? What did not work for you? Of the things that worked, what may still work for you in your life now and what may not be a fit for your life now? Please don't get really attached to the thing that worked for you in the summer of 95 when you were a completely different human with like no children, jobs, responsibilities, or like. Hormonal fluctuations. So when you think about what did work and what didn't work, okay, for the things that didn't work, why did you not see a result or feel a result? In what way did you most struggle to stay consistent? I'm going to address that next. I want you to opt out unsubscribe from that stop start cycle. Okay, so here's step four, make it fun and enjoyable so that you stay consistent. Most people fail because they are doing things that they hate or their methods are not sustainable. Sustainable results require sustainable methods. I'm going to say that again. Sustainable results require sustainable methods. So if you're doing things that you hate or are not sustainable, let's fix it. Number one, find workouts you enjoy. Paddleboarding. I don't know. Bowling, strength training, lawn bowling, tennis, walking, yoga, group fitness classes. Find something you like and do not expect paddleboarding, walking, or a group fitness class to get you a fat loss result. You must consistently and progressively strength train to lose fat long term. And It's okay to move, like to go to a class for fun. It's okay to play tennis for fun. You, this is going to keep your activity levels up. This is going to help improve your metabolism, your circadian rhythm. So we're always like encouraging movement. You still need a structured plan, but also do other things that you enjoy. Number two, make your food taste good. Instead of eating diet food, gross, like just eat Epic food like you can eat so epically in summer You can eat juicy steaks off the barbecue and grilled sweet potatoes and grilled peaches And like the fresh fruits and the fresh vegetables you can eat so epically with food that was not Even genetic like modified or engineered to taste good that just like truly tastes good You can like make delicious salad dressings and fresh salads. You can get so filled up and satisfied With epic real food. So please make meals that take taste Amazing that is key and set up a summer lifestyle that feels good now, please. Okay, so April 1st, let's do it. April, May, June, we are setting up a summer lifestyle that feels good now that you're going to be able to continue in September, a. k, a. no crash diets, no crash diets, so, I will say I don't really have a personal story of getting summer. Ready. In the wrong way because I never really did it because I have been using my method for so many years That I never think or worry when summer or a vacation comes around My shorts just fit my bathing suit fits my clothes fit. I do not worry about it It doesn't mean my body doesn't change a little bit. I'm almost 40 like things are not 100 percent the same, but there's two things It's my methods are sustainable. So my body doesn't change that much and I've worked a lot on my body image and self confidence, so I just like, don't also think about it really at all. And I have coached hundreds of female clients through years. Most of our clients inside Muscles and Mindset stay on, for 18 months to two years plus. So I've seen everybody through a couple summers usually. And so I know what works and I know what doesn't. And I, I have talked to so many women, I know, hopefully you're hearing that I can relate to what you are often coming into spring and summer feeling and thinking. And I know that this method that I'm explaining to you works because I see my clients through it. I see my clients through it and I see my clients who start one summer going into the next summer with zero stress. Like again, it's end of March. I haven't heard any of my clients talk about like they're just all feeling good in their bodies. So they're not talking about changing or crash dieting for summer because they've been doing this work. They feel unshakable in their confidence and it just, the crash diet just doesn't work. It just doesn't work. Switching to this approach will change everything. You will never have to get summer ready ever again. Seriously. so, to recap those four steps, number one, I want you to shift your mindset, shift your goal to feeling amazing, not just weight loss. Number two, I want you to prioritize movement and strength over cardio extremes. You do not need to panic cardio. Number three, I want you to fuel your body without restriction without restriction. This doesn't mean that you go buck wild and eat like an a hole. It means you listen to your body. You eat epically. You begin to hear and feel when you're full. And then lastly, you're going to make it fun and sustainable. So you're never going to stop doing this work. If you want expert coaching in this area though, if you want expert coaching one on one, a plan that works and a community that holds you accountable. Apply for muscles and mindset today. The link to apply is in the show notes and if you just want the fitness and accountability piece, you want a structured, focused 60 day plan to feel your strongest, to feel your most confident this summer, jump on the wait list for summer 60. I will also put that in the show notes. I just going to be honest with you. The best time to start was always yesterday. The second best time is today. So let's make this summer the one where you feel your absolute best. Let's make this the summer. Where you opt out of that binge restrict panic, cardio crash diet cycle. Let's make this the maybe the first summer in your life that you actually enjoy without overthinking every single activity piece of clothing and piece of food and drink. Okay. Apply for muscles and mindset via the link in the show notes. That's it. That's all I've got for you. I will see you next time. Have a wonderful week and I will talk to you next week.