Lazy Dog Days of Summer???

Just wondering if anyone else has these issues and if anyone has found an effective way to deal with them?...

I seem to be backwards from most people in that I tend to gain-weight/lose-conditioning during the summer months, and reverse cycle in the winter months.  The explaination is pretty simple for me -- summertime is golf time, and beach time and stay out late and party time in Chicago.  When winter comes there's not so much to do, so working out is easier since there are fewer competing distractions.  In past years I had always assumed that the increased summer activity level would burn calories and keep fitness up.  However in the past few years I've seen weight swings of 10-15 lbs from up from April - October, then back down November - March.

So far this summer I've been maintaining my target weight [I think better nutrition helps with that], but my trips to the gym have declined (with my summer schedule it has been a struggle to get to the gym twice in some weeks, while four workouts per week [strenght and cardio] were the norm in winter months).  So I fear that my conditioning and body comp is going backwards.  At the same time I also feel like I'm reaping the benefits of the hard work over the winter months -- golf swing is better, tennis and volleyball are easier -- I think due to being in better overall shape.

Am I alone here or does anyone else find themselves trying/struggling to barely maintain amidst the summer fun?  Any suggestions for maintaining muscle mass and other conditioning attributes on a limited workout schedule?  Or do you just go for the gusto and have fun -- iow: get while the gettin's good?

Thanks and enjoy the rest of summer!

Good for you to keep the weight steadier this summer. You could probably just shift your fitness goals a bit, doing more cardio (like jogging on the beach) and not aiming for the same fitness as in the winter, hitting the weights maybe 2x/week in summer or not at all. I'm in WI and our nice days are toooooo precious to be spent in a gym, right? So you are already finding ways to maintain your weight; add some endurance training to your cardio and let those be your summer goals (which should also help you keep the weight off).

Really, it sounds like you are more than half way there and if you just think of it as having different goals rather than not having goals, you could celebrate your achievement, not feel that you have "lost" something.

Good luck.

Oh, I know, I know. It's actually turned me (also in Chicago) into something of a recluse, which probably isn't the right method, but I'm making up for lost time somewhat. I'm getting a bit tired of the "why aren't you drinking? Did I do something wrong" sort of conversation.

I think your plan is sound. If you want another positive spin to it, think of it as an extended calorie cycle, or a really clever trick to your BMR. If you can, you might want to try and see if you can work harder when you do work out, or, since you're anticipating ample calories to go around, focus more on weight training.

Besides, summer's the time for motivation, not only in terms of getting to see you reap the benefits, but when the streets are filled with, er, many other sources of motivation to tuck in heavily when the time is ripe.

Hey -

Thanks for the thoughtful posts!!!  I like the idea of re-framing into different goals, and the idea of just using the summer to celebrate and enjoy the progress.  I think that's where I was heading anyway -- soon enough we'll be back "in-training" for next summer.  Nope - can't waste the good days.  And it seems like perhaps better fitness kind of feeds on itself -- makes "playing hard" a lot easier.

Hear ya on the other "distractions" too, freedom -- I've found that there are "special" fringe benefits to being in better shape.  And good to "tuck-in" a few for the winter months as well.  ;)

Can't hop-on the wagon with ya though - beer and summer go together too well - esp at the 19th hole - but I'm definitely more mindful and moderate this time around which seems to help with calories, energy and all around good clean fun!  So much for my spartan existence...

Thanks and enjoy!