Friends and family! Summertime is quickly, rapidly, and swiftly approaching. That means…IT’S TIME TO GO TO THE BEACH! As men, women, boys, and girls commence to “taking it off”, our inner thoughts also begin to wonder just how we can lose the winter weight…ASAP!
To be perfectly honest and to give credit where credit is due, the people that have the perfect beach bodies have worked hard all year to achieve it. Healthy eating, making wise food choices, and working out regularly are the keys to having that “beach body”. However, for those of you that have procrastinated and want to “get tight” quickly, it’s never too late to improve your body and figure for your bathing suit, bikini, or if you want to go nude (on the appropriate beach).
With the summer quickly approaching, here are five (5) steps you can take to improve your body prior to heading to the beach.
1. Purchase an mp3 player. You might not believe it, but having your own personalized music playlist or an audio book of choice can make your workout seem easier. Whether you’re a guy listening to the “Rocky Soundtrack”, “Elvis”, or “50 Cent”, or a woman listening to “Beyonce” or “Mariah Carey”, music helps to take your mind off of the struggle or fatigue that you are enduring. Alternatively, listening to an audio book makes it convenient to learn or gain more information while you are working. With that being said, get an mp3 player and get your songs ready!
2. Eliminate the sweet drinks. Any drink that has calories HAS GOT TO GO! Period! Most people do not realize that the burger isn’t what kills you; it’s the fries and the soda/tea/juice. Instead of drinking sweet drinks, you should begin to drink 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day (or to simplify it, 4-5 bottled waters). Naturally, water fills you up and helps your metabolism. Also, you'll need more water to compensate for the increased sweating and strenuous workouts.
3. Exercise. Lift light weights 2-3 times per week. Building muscle not only tones your frame but is essential for fat loss. After lifting weights, do a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (brisk walk, jog, bike, swim etc.) 5 days a week. Mix it up to avoid overuse, injuries, and overtraining. If walking, jogging, and swimming become boring or monotonous to you, then try an aerobic class, such as spin, dance, or kickboxing. Yoga is very helpful as well as it helps to stretch your body and eliminate wrinkles. Plus, yoga helps to keep the new muscle you develop LEAN and not BULKY.
4. Go to bed. The lack of sleep encourages weight gain. Turn off the television, put the phone on the charger, and GO TO SLEEP!
5. Eat breakfast. It is absolutely amazing how many people do not eat breakfast. Although it is not healthy to skip meals, if you have to skip a meal, skip lunch. A good breakfast with complex carbs is the lighter fluid your body needs to keep the metabolism high. People who eat breakfast control their weight easily and are less prone to snack during the day. It’s easier to say no to fries and drive past the milkshake when you are not hungry. Bananas, oatmeal, or a healthy cereal should do the trick.
5a. Bonus. Ok…so this really is the 6th step, but we’ll call it 5A! Eliminate the beer, take pictures of yourself after every 3 workouts to view your progress, and try to get a friend to diet and workout with you. It makes it easier!
The five (5) steps listed above are based on successful strategies and are all used by bodybuilders, models, and trainers worldwide. Obviously, they are successful, so following these steps will help you succeed. It will not happen overnight, but it WILL and CAN happen. If you happen to cheat on the food/drink intake, or your daily responsibilities disable you from going to the gym, try hard to make up for it by working harder in the gym on a weekend day. REMEMBER…if you hit it hard and hit it right this time, then you will not have a need to visit this page next winter or spring…but just in case…go ahead and add this page to your favorites! If you have other friends that want to get their “beach body” on, send them to me! Have fun and hopefully, I’ll see you….AT THE BEACH!
On page two (2), we continue to try to help you out by supplying you with links to different products that will help you. Travel discounts, structured diet plans, mp3 player accessories, and "goodies" that you can use once you get to the beach! Most are free or very inexpensive...Enjoy!