Now that the heat of summer is just around the corner, it’s time to step up your game so you’re ready for beach season!

To help you look and feel your best while hanging out with friends and soaking up the sun, here are six tips to help you lean out for summer:

1. Drink more water. Everyone knows that good ole H2O helps you stay hydrated during vigorous workouts. However, it also tricks your mind into thinking you’re already “full.” A higher consumption of water and less of a consumption of food, means you’ll burn more fat throughout the day and especially while working out.

2. Increase intensity. By turning your workouts up a few notches, you’ll get a better sweat going and begin melting away fat quickly. You should start off performing 3 sets of about 12 reps or higher for each exercise, and rest for no less than 30 second. You can also try to keep your body moving during every workout by doing “supersets,” which means you’ll perform sets of two different exercises, one after the other.

3. Watch your diet. Eat less carbs and more protein. Do away with eating things like bread, potatoes and sweets, and include more vegetables, whole fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds into your diet. While preparing your meals, make sure you get most of your protein from those meats that are healthier for you, like turkey, fish or chicken.

4. More cardio. Regardless of whether it’s on the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike or outside in the park, stepping up your cardio game will certainly help you lean out and get more toned. Don’t do too much cardio, though, or else you’ll start burning muscle in addition to fat. Start or end your workout with at least 10-15 minutes of cardio a few times a week.

5. Make smart decisions. During this time of the year, everyone’s looking for a great excuse to hang out outside and have a good time. If you really want to lean out, however, you have be more aware of how straying even the slightest bit away from your diet will impact your overall progress. For example, choose a low-calorie light beer over a heavy IPA or sugary mixed drink while hanging out with friends.

6. Try to get some exercise in every day. This isn’t to say that you should hit the gym every single day; in fact, you should make sure you give yourself at least one rest day throughout the week so your muscles recover properly. Still, it’s important that you find some way to incorporate at least a little bit of physical activity into your day. If you work in an office, for example, take a little walk during lunch or start using a standing desk. It’s always the little changes that end up making the biggest difference!