19 Small Changes to Get You Ready for Summer

Even though summer is meant to be laid-back and relaxing, there are parts of it that can be completely stress-inducing: jam-packed schedules, finding the right bathing suit, feeling good in your bathing suit. That said, there are small changes you can make now to get ready for swimsuit season.

If this year's late winter caused you to put on a few pounds or if you want to shed a few pounds before hitting the beach, start by cutting out sugar and, if you're really motivated, most carbs. In just a few weeks, you'll notice your belly has shrunk. If you start now, by mid-June you may even have gone down a size.

Maybe you just want to makes changes to certain parts of your body. Identify those parts—maybe it's your arms, your stomach, the backs of your thighs, your skin, your eyes, your general attitude—and find a plan that will help you make those changes. Maybe it's setting a goal of doing 20 push-ups, if arms are your target area. Or finding a new concealer and BB cream technique to brighten your eyes. Or maybe now is the time to start talking with a therapist to get to the root of your unhappiness. Whatever it is, name it and change it.

Standing desks at work are all the rage, but the science is still unclear about whether it makes for healthier work (or, in some cases, does more harm than good). In any case, it's not a weight-loss silver bullet. However, one small change, if you want to enter summer being more health-minded, is to stand more at work. Yes, try a standing desk. But also get up from your desk and walk around at least once an hour. If you can give up your chair and stand during meetings, even better.

Want an easy (and, technically, lazy) way to look better this summer? Go to bed.

Studies show that getting more and enough sleep improves our attractiveness. Start now for that fresh summer look. And find ways, even after late-night barbecues and walks on the beach, to get enough sleep most days during the summer.

There are a lot of ways to do intermittent fasting and everyone's mileage varies. But one option is to eat within a certain time frame every day. So, for example, if your eating window is eight hours, you have your first food every day around 11 a.m. and then make sure you've finished dinner by 7 p.m. Intermittent fasting enthusiasts credit the hours when they're not eating with jumpstarting weight loss and also for, counterintuitively, giving them huge boosts of energy.

Sure, you could join a gym. But if you're not already going, and you're not super enthusiastic, now is the time to try something else. How about a 30-day challenge based on your target areas? For example, a 30-day plank challenge for a stronger core or a 30-day push-ups challenge for stronger, more toned arms? It starts easy and gets ever more difficult. It's an easy commitment—only 30 days. And less than 10 minutes of your time each day (10 seconds alone on the first day!). Plus, you don't even have to change your clothes.

A few years ago, a study found that just by eating more vegetables, its research subjects were deemed more attractive—especially when they ate vegetables that contained a lot of beta-carotene. The build-up of this orange-hued antioxidant gave their skin a sun-kissed glow. The added vitamins and water probably didn't hurt, either.

A small change with big results for the summer is to commit to sunscreen now. You should be wearing it year-round anyway. But if you're not, now is the time to find one you like that doesn't react poorly with your skin type. Get it worked into your morning routine and find a regular way to reapply later in the afternoon (or more if you work in or near the sun or have a sunny commute).

Instead of waiting until the last minute to plan and book your summer vacation, do it now. You'll get better deals by planning ahead. And you'll get to live the stress-free summer you expect but never seem to get, because you always wait until the last minute.

There's nothing worse than realizing your air conditioning is underperforming on the first hot, muggy day of summer. First of all, who wants to sweat like that? Also, it will cost you more to get it tuned up or fixed if it's during the hot, high season. Call your HVAC technician now to come out for a tune-up. Don't have an A/C but regret this every summer? Check out big box stores for great deals now on window units. Don't pay the highest price during peak season.

You'll be going to cookouts, get-togethers, spontaneous dinners at friends' houses and having people over to yours. Find your go-to-dish to bring or serve, one that's tasty, not too heavy and keeps you on track with your eating goals.

Once you find a way of eating that works for you, download a food tracker app so you're more likely to stick to it. One might already exist on your phone or alongside your fitness tracker app. But there are others to try, including MyFitnessPal and MyMacros.

An exercise app might be what you need to keep you on track (pardon the pun). Many phones come preloaded with fitness trackers that count how many steps you've walked (aim for 7,500-10,000 steps per day). They also count how many miles you've run, how many stair steps you've climbed and how fast you did all of this. If you get a wearable fitness tracker, you can get all of that information and other things like miles on a bike and laps at the pool. Just find an app that recognizes the activities you like to do, look back at what you did in a normal week and then aim for a higher goal for the following week. You can also log weight, inches and food eaten most.

A small change you can make now is to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, preferably ripe when they were picked. This means finding a local farmers' market. Even many smaller towns have occasional farmers' markets in the spring. Find your nearest one and make it a regular outing to get there and load up. Wash and cut everything, and store it in an airtight container when you get home. You'll find yourself eating more vegetables and fresh fruit throughout the week.

If you'd like to cut back on fat and meat, or enter the summer feeling lighter and more energetic, you might want to consider instituting a vegan night or two at your house every week. There are tons of tasty, healthy and easy vegan recipes online. Find meals that leave you full, aren't overly carb-heavy and include lots of vegetables. If you find it hard to live without eggs and cheese, try a vegetarian night instead.

If you want to move around more before summer begins, getting off the couch is a great way to start. To do that, you might have to give up some television shows. The abundance of great TV—and all the buzz around new shows—makes it difficult to stay away. But remember, thanks to streaming, the shows will always be there. And unless it's your job to watch TV, you can always get back to it later.

One thing you can do now is look around for all the summer concerts, outdoor movies and Shakespeare performances in the park that are scheduled in your area. Go online now to order your tickets, and fill up your night and weekend calendars. Put summer on autopilot and plan for the fun now.

We often overlook eye health when we think about taking care of our bodies. But it's crucial that we take care of them. In the summer, when the sun is bright, we need sunglasses to protect our eyes. If you wear prescription lenses, make an appointment now to get prescription sunglasses. If your vision is 20/20, show your eyes how much you appreciate them and buy sunglasses that protect against UVA and UVB rays. Find a couple of pairs that you love, so you'll wear them all the time.

If you want to shed some pounds before summer, cut out the alcohol now. You'll probably have many, many opportunities to get your drink on in the summer. So, build up a reserve of sobriety (and a lower calorie intake) and give it up for the next month. Then you'll be able to toast summer when it gets here.