To borrow the title of a mighty popular song from my high school days, I’m definitely a summer girl. I love cold craft beer, swimming in a lake on a muggy summer night, and chasing lightning bugs with my nieces and nephews. Above all of this, my absolute favorite part of summer is, of course, the food.

I love all the fresh farm-to-table produce, the delicious smoky flavor of all grilled fare and, you can’t go wrong with a plateful of my Mama’s world-famous macaroni salad. The only issue with all this summer food love is that it can be easy to pack on the summer pounds thanks to all the calorie-laden cookout classics. Next time your friends and family come over for some summer fun, try some of these swaps for a lighter, healthier cookout.

Halle Berry obviously spends some serious time in the gym. So it comes as no surprise that she has some seriously rockin’ abs. You don’t have to be one of Mr. Bond’s “hotties” to get her abs. I have an intense workout to get your abs beach worthy.

Summer is the perfect time to do one of the most underrated exercises of all...walking. Unlike the high impact aspect of running and weight training, walking offers amazing physical and mental benefits with minimal impact. Walking is an exercise that is accessible to almost everybody, welcomes all fitness levels, and requires no advance training.

Breakfast is the most essential part of my day. Without it I feel sluggish and cranky. A healthy meal in the morning fuels your body with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. And it revs up your metabolism, giving you energy to expend throughout the day. Breakfast has been associated with many health benefits such as weight control, increased energy, concentration, athletic performance, and mood.

I’m holding on your rope got me ten feet off the ground…

Addicts love tomorrow. As least I did. Tomorrow was the best day because I was able to start fresh. I remember numerous times sitting in my Acura at 2am in a parking lot with a bag of Taco Bell next to me. I would be sad because I knew that the bag of food would be gone soon. All the wrappers would be on the floor. I would always say that was my last bad meal. That was the last time.