If you’re like a lot of people, you’re in prep mode for bathing suit season.  What does that mean, exactly? Fewer donuts and more trips to the gym? That’s a great start, but let me ask you: What’s your plan?

In my new book The Big Picture: 11 Laws That Will Change Your Life, law #3 is “Have a Plan.” If you put a little extra strategy into how you go about achieving your goals, the results are usually better—and longer lasting.

Here are a couple tricks to turn a desperate attempt to drop a few sizes into a healthy, sustainable plan that will help you feel your best, look your best and be your best for seasons to come.

Nourish your skin from the inside out. Summertime means outdoor time, and outdoor time means sunshine. As much as we all use sunscreen (right?), let’s face it, sunburns happen. So, eat to protect your skin! Fill your diet with antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies to counteract the free radical damage caused by UV rays. While you’re at it, keep up skin elasticity with omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods like salmon, flaxseed and walnuts.

Start a new sport. You spent a few months getting into shape so that you could knock ‘em dead at the 4th of July BBQ. Now what? Are you just going to slide back into inactivity so that come next April, it’ll be the same old sweaty, painful song and dance?

Don’t do it! Use your newfound fitness to try a new sport or other physical activity. Beach yoga, volleyball, rock climbing. Have an adventure in mind? Go for it! You’ll be establishing a baseline of fitness that’ll keep you healthy all year around.

Now that’s a plan I can get behind!

Guest author: Fitness Celebrity Trainer Tony Horton is the creator of P90X, the bestselling fitness program in America. He’s also the founder of Tony Horton Life (www.TonyHortonLife.com), an online destination where you’ll find a calendar of Tony’s live events, access to Tony Horton Kitchen, Tony’s new line of fitness clothing, and everything else you need to do your best and forget the rest.