Get Fit for Summer

By now you probably have your summer vacation planned or maybe you are still debating where to spend your vacation.  Either way you want to feel your best and look your best wherever you may go.  If you didn't set your New Year's resolution to work out more and eat less,  you better start right now to be in shape for this Summer.  Here is what you can do to get a head start!

Lifestyle Changes

Reduce the amount of time you are sedentary each day. Doctors recommend sitting no more than 3 hours per day, so try to incorporate these changes over the course of the month.

• Walk for 30 minutes each day. If you do not have time to devote to this, walk for 10 minutes after each meal, or walk during your lunch break.
• Try to stand more at work. Invest in a sit/stand desk that allows you to raise your computer screen and keyboard. Standing burns more calories, and it can give you more energy. Remember to slowly incorporate standing, since your feet and legs can become sore.

Set a goal. Give yourself a monetary or physical reward if you reach your goals at the end of 6 weeks.


Diet Changes

Reduce your calories by up to 25 percent of the daily recommended intake for your gender. Do not reduce it by further than this amount.

• Control cravings by reducing your caloric intake by 25 percent every other day for the first 2 weeks. Some studies have shown that some people are more successful with this method, because they still feel they can eat some of their favorite foods.
• Shop for foods that allow you to eat more with fewer calories. Eating fewer calories does not mean you have to eat a lower volume of food, in many cases.

Cut out fried, sugary, salty and processed foods. These foods offer the least nutritional value and the most calories per serving.

• If you get strong cravings for these foods, package them in single-serving baggies, and allow yourself to eat them once or twice per week.

Increase produce, lean proteins and whole grains.

• Buy pre-packaged salads or fruits and vegetables for the first few weeks, or if you are extremely busy. You can get used to eating healthy, and start to prepare the produce yourself when you have recipes and more time.
• Bring your lunch to work. Pack yourself healthy options, including snacks.

 

Snack regularly as you increase your exercise. Eat low-calorie, healthy options like kale chips, carrot sticks, non-fat yogurt and almonds. Eat a snack 2 hours before you workout and 1 hour after you workout, if you don't have a meal planned.

Never skip breakfast. You need to maintain your blood sugar levels by eating healthy foods regularly, rather than skipping meals. Refusal to eat after fasting will encourage your body to store fat.

Add metabolism boosters to your diet. These include cinnamon, grapefruit, spicy foods and green tea.

 Work Out Plan

 

Divide your workout according to the week of your plan. You need to ease into workout, adding a new element each week.

• Week 1. Do 45 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio activity 5 to 6 days of the first week. Options include swimming, biking, running, hiking with hills, cardio classes or speed walking. This does not include your 30 minutes of walking during the day. Always stretch after working out.
• Week 2. Split 3 days of your workouts into half cardio and half strength training. Hire a personal trainer to teach you how to handle hand weights or weight machines if you have never done them. Start with 2 to 10 lb. (0.9 to 4.5kg) weights. You will know you have the right weight if you can keep your body stable while lifting and you start to feel muscle fatigue after 10 to 15 reps. Do strength training every other day.
• Week 3. Continue a similar schedule, with 5 to 6 days of cardio and half the time strength training every other day. Increase the number of sets, as you feel stronger. Adding 2 to 3 lbs. (0.9 to 1.4kg) of muscle allows you to burn 70 to 100 more calories during the day.
• Week 4. Start to target the areas of your body where you want to improve your shape. Ask a personal trainer to design a workout that focuses on these areas in both cardio and strength training.
• Week 5-6: Do 3 cardio workouts of 30 to 45 minutes and 3 strength training workouts of 20 minutes. As you get stronger, you can focus on doing workouts of higher intensity for shorter periods of time.
• Continue your plan after 6 weeks. Training will be harder during the first 6 weeks. As it becomes easier, you should plan to continue doing at least 3 days of high intensity workouts or 4 days of medium intensity workouts to maintain your shape.

 

Do interval training. Whether you run, do the elliptical, sprint or do other types of cardio, you can increase the amount of calories you burn by changing the intensity.

• Warm up and cool down. In between these 5 minute periods, switch between lower, medium and high intensity for periods of 2 to 5 minutes. If you are already doing high intensity exercise, sprint for 30 seconds.
• Buy a heart rate monitor so you can keep track of medium and high heart rates.