After a long, cold winter the sun is finally shining through clear skies, and most folks are ready to hit the open road for summer time! Now is the time to shed pounds by eating clean and get toned by working out as you make plans for summer trips to the beach. Here are a few tips from Revive Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA to help you get your beach body ready so you can feel better inside and look great outside – even if you just want to lie around soak up the sun.
Keep It Clean
Eating more natural foods and less junk – or clean eating – is the simplest, most effective way to lose weight and improve your body composition. Giving up not-so-good-for-you foods can be hard, so a gradual transition is an easier way to introduce clean eating to your lifestyle.
To trim down before summer, consider an eight-week healthy eating plan that includes introducing three small changes to your diet per week. Practice changes from the previous week then add the new changes to the mix, too.
For example, in Week 1 you can eliminate all processed junk foods and drink more water. In the second week, eat small, balanced meals and choose complex carbs like oatmeal and sweet potatoes. The following week, you can eat more fruits and veggies overall and get some protein with every meal.
For each week of the plan, give yourself two days to eat whatever you like! This approach makes it easier for you to stay on track – rather than ‘cheating’ on your new healthy eating lifestyle plan.
Tone It Up
Eating better is an important step, but establishing an exercise regimen can bring you closer to your fitness goals.
As you lose body fat, toning the underlying muscle is a must! Here are a few turnkey ways to tone up your beach body.
- Multitask your moves: Try full-body workout combos like burpees and crunches with cross-jabs for 45 seconds each and repeat four times.
- Try High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Incorporating new movement patterns builds dynamic strength and burns calories. Plus, HIIT is the best way to burn fat quickly. To maximize results, alternate one minute of cardio at the fastest pace you can maintain with one minute of a strength-building move.
- Sculpt in slow motion: Hold sculpting moves for 45 to 60 seconds to maximize the calorie burn. This is great for making your backside look firmer and more defined.
- Increase the incline: Moving at an incline is a great way to get closer to your fitness goals. In a 30-minute run on the treadmill, for example, increase the incline to 2.5 percent and alternate between a conversation pace with a 5.0-7.5 speed and a run with a 7.5 speed or higher.
- More weight, please: For more definition in the arms and shoulders, choose a heavier weight that causes you to feel fatigued after lifting it only eight to 15 times.
