Spring is officially here and summer is just around the corner, which means that swimsuit season is fast approaching.

Looking good in a swimsuit this summer may be an important goal for many women and men, so it is important to start thinking now about making changes in diet and exercise routines in order to see results by this summer.

A proper combination of diet and exercise are important to lose weight and to achieve a toned body. When considering what to expect from new eating and exercise plans, be realistic because healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily.

For example, if you plan to lose 15 pounds by swimsuit season, you should start as early as you can, that way you can reach your goal by losing 1 to 2 pounds a week. Faster weight loss generally means you’re losing water weight or muscle tissue, rather than fat.  

Finally, here are a few things to remember.

There is no “best” exercise. Anything that gets your heart rate up is good.

It’s not what you do but how hard you work, so any exercise can be challenging if you make it that way.
And do something that you enjoy because if you hate going to the gym it will make you less likely to stick to your routine so consider team sports or a walking club.  “It is important for people to incorporate strength training into their cardio exercise routines because that is when they will see the biggest impact,” said Julie Pierce, owner of Curves for Women.  

According to Pierce, muscle burns calories at a higher rate than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more efficiently you will burn fat. Muscle mass is also associated with metabolism, so increasing muscle will help improve your metabolism. And that makes maintaining a healthy weight much easier.  

Kimberly Britton, a certified personal trainer, said doing at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a week is important for burning fat and getting into shape. However, she too stresses the need to not only do cardio but also resistance training.