Girls’ Life – July 2019

LEFT: ARTMARIE. RIGHT: MARTIN NOVAK. BOTH BY GETTY IMAGES

G

earing up for BTS can pile on the stress. One day, you’re

hanging poolside...and the next, you’re face-to-face with

heaps of homework. Toss in the general overwhelm of, you

know, finding all your new classrooms and figuring out your

stacked schedule, and it’s easy to want to skip the gym in favor of...

anything else (ahem, mindless scrolling and frozen Snickers).

There’s a simple fix, though: committing to a new mind-body

routine. Yes, it’ll take a scoop out of your precious time—but the

rewards you’ll reap (like less stress, better grades, more energy

and a sunnier outlook) far outweigh the trickiness of cramming yet

another to-do onto your calendar.

Here, six girls tell us about the healthy swaps they made that

had a huge impact on their lives. Pick your fave (or create your

own) and get ready to feel better than ever...even when your alarm

buzzes at that all-too-early hour.

I FOUND MY #FITSPO.

“TBH, I used to roll my eyes at all the fitness influencers on Insta

because I just couldn’t relate to their six packs and perfectly toned

arms. Then, I found a few fit girls with curvy bodies like mine who

prioritize staying healthy. They instantly inspired me to hit the gym,

and now I’m proud to post my own fit pics!”—Kiley S., 17

MAKE YOUR CHANGE: If your go-to #goals girls make you feel more

meh than motivated, it might be time to switch who you’re follow-

ing on social. Whether you want to get fit, change up your gym

feel amazing

LESS STRESS + MORE

ENERGY? YES, PLEASE!

GL GIRLS SHARE THE ONE

SWITCH THAT CHANGED

*EVERYTHING*

I CUT OUT SUGAR.

“After years of feeling blah, I decided to see what would happen if I

cut out refined sugar from my diet. It was hard at first, but soon, I had

much more energy throughout the day and felt so much healthier

overall. After a while, I stopped craving all the sweets.”—Gina B., 15

MAKE YOUR CHANGE: It’s super tough to quit sugar in a snap, so try

a more subtle approach to reducing your sucrose intake. Pick one of

your go-to treats—that pack of Oreos after school, your post-workout

fro-yo—and replace it with something healthier, like a smoothie (go to

girlslife.com/iti for delish recipes) or a mix of nuts and organic dried

fruit. It’s a sneaky way to trick your brain into craving the good stuff.

6 sneaky ways to

BY SARAH WASSNER FLYNN