Tips from denise austin to keep your exercise on track this summer | members only

EAT FRESH, FEEL FRESH Austin says another wonderful thing about the summer is all the fresh produce that comes into season. Those delights include apricots, raspberries, plums, watermelon,

zucchini, cucumbers, green beans — to name a small fraction. Enjoy these healthy foods while they’re in season to help you lead a healthier lifestyle. “I find myself eating more fruits and

vegetables during the summer,” Austin says. “So I encourage people to really go outside the box and try some farmers markets or maybe go … strawberry picking or cherry picking.” Want to try

an Austin-approved summertime specialty? Turn your fresh peaches into an easy dessert by heating them up for a simpler, healthier take on peach pie. “I just slice up peaches, and I put it

with cinnamon in the oven, and it tastes so good,” Austin says. “Like a real, true dessert.” DON’T BE SHY ABOUT SHARING Worried about gaining weight over the summer? Eating a healthy diet is

important, but thinking about portion sizes helps too. “One thing that I like to do is to share entrées with my husband or my sister or my girlfriend, whoever I’m out with,” Austin says.

“So I will order a hamburger or french fries with my sister, and we just have half, and I feel totally satisfied with that, and I enjoy that taste that I wanted.” Sharing with friends and

family can also help while on vacation, according to Austin. It lets you cut back on some calories while still enjoying all the food experiences you were hoping for. “At restaurants now,

they give you so much to eat, and if it’s in front of you, you eat it,” Austin says. “We always like to try one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert and then we share it. And it’s kind of nice

because then you get to taste things you’ve wanted to try.” DON’T OVERTHINK IT Finally, summer is supposed to be fun. That’s why Austin wants to make sure that exercise doesn’t get in the

way of living life to the fullest. “Enjoy your summer,” she says. “Don’t overthink it, and just enjoy it without putting any kind of pressure on yourself about your regular routine.” Austin

says it’s all about “the little joys in life.” When it comes to food on vacation, that can mean snacking on a croissant in Paris, savoring a slice of pizza in Italy or simply sipping on “a

glass of beautiful wine” wherever you are, she says. No matter what those joys mean to you, Austin doesn’t want you to hold back. “I don’t ever kind of feel bad or sacrifice anything when

I’m on vacation,” she says. “You know, enjoy the time while you’re there and, honestly, enjoy what you eat.”