summer shred bulls**t: setting your summer goals
As we start seeing the sun again (thank goodness), so too are we seeing the inevitable ‘summer shred’ marketing—an age-old narrative that plays out each and every year but hasn’t lost its potency in shaping how we feel about our bodies.
So today, I wanted to have a little natter about this. Not to discredit the desire to better yourself or your health, but to expose these narratives for what they are: marketing. This is about empowering you to embark on changes in a way that suits you and to shut out any noise that doesn’t serve you.
Take the Best, Leave the Rest
Whether we like it or not, we’re constantly bombarded with messages about health—whether it’s adverts on TV, YouTube, Instagram, influencers, billboards, or even conversations with others. And especially at this time of year, when we’re all defrosting from winter and looking longingly ahead to summer.
Whilst these messages may be helpful to some, it’s important to ask:
Can I reduce or limit the amount of messages I’m receiving?
Is there a call to action attached to the message?
Is what’s being offered a ‘quick result’?
Do these messages reinforce a narrative about what a body should or shouldn’t look like?
Do they align with MY actual goals (more on this later)?
Reflecting on these questions can help you step back from the messaging. Good marketing makes it feel personal—aimed right at you, answering your pain point. But summer diet and fitness plans are anything but personal—they rarely take into account your full physiology or mental wellbeing.
But what can you take away from these messages? Sometimes, we do need a kick up the bum to improve our lives. For me, that was getting on top of my water intake and sleep. For you, it might be including more fibre in your diet or increasing your daily steps. The key is to base these changes on your own values and goals.
Thinking About Your Values and Goals for the Summer
Maybe you do want to lose some fat before summer, feel more confident on the beach, or simply get fitter to complete a 5K by the end of the season. All of these goals go beyond simply ‘moving more and eating less’—they require small, sustainable shifts rather than radical overnight change.
Let’s take feeling more confident on the beach. Typically, the diet and fitness world would frame this as a need to reduce body fat or fit into a certain size or shape. But confidence is about how you feel—your self-perception. So how could that change?
Dedication to movement that feels good for your body
Eating foods that nourish and energise you
Challenging negative thoughts about your body and reconnecting with it
None of these require changing your body shape at all. Instead, they focus on the level of respect you have for yourself and the way you speak to yourself.
Now, that’s not to say that movement and nourishment changes won’t affect your body shape or size—they absolutely can. But the goal is to make your summer intentions personal and to align your mental wellbeing alongside any physical changes.
This is often why so many of us ‘fall off’ during summer and then lambast ourselves come September (I see a big uptake of gym-goers at that time). It’s because we haven’t done the mental wellbeing and self-care work to love and respect ourselves at all sizes, shapes, and fitness levels.
By defining your own health goals for summer, you can reframe the messages you’re receiving and ask, Is this actually applicable or helpful to me? In most cases, the answer will be no. Instead, it’s about reclaiming your power and making choices that best serve your body—not trying to fit into the size, shape, or health ideals of an industry built on the exploitation of insecurity.
Want some help defining your health and wellness goals before the sun makes more of an appearance? Drop me a message anytime. And check back next week for more bloggy fun!
