If you're nervous about how you'll feel laying on the beach or lounging by the pool this summer, don't worry - there's still have time to make some adjustments so that you can feel confident and look amazing. Just follow our 6-Part Spring Tune Up Plan to get your body into its best shape (and keep it there) in as little as 6 weeks.
Action Tip #1: Eat Real Foods
SEASON 3 PREMIERE
The secret to achieving your best bathing suit body is to eat real food - natural, whole foods that make you feel satisfied and energized (in addition to making you feel healthy and look lean). Stay away from processed foods, which not only are guaranteed to make you feel lousy, but contain compounds such as artificial sweeteners, colouring agents, preservatives, pesticides and trans-fats (just to name a few) that are known to pose great long-term risks to our health. All of these synthetic compounds just to make food look and taste natural? No thanks! Stick to eating real foods with real benefits.
To help you make the best food choices you can, here are a few tips to remember:
Know Your Portion Sizes - Generally, one serving of each of the following foods on your plate is a good guide: Grains (1/2 cup pasta, 1 slice of bread); vegetables and fruit (1 piece of fruit; 1/2 cup of vegetables); dairy (1 cup of milk, 175 ml of yogurt); meat or alternates (1 egg, 4 oz of meat,1/2 cup lentils) Eat 4 to 5 Times a Day - Eating every 3 to 4 hours (with proper portions) will shut off your cravings and keep you satisfied. Have Protein With Every Meal - Protein takes longer to digest and keeps you satisfied longer. Consume protein every time you eat whether it is a meal or a snack. Load Up On Vegetables - Have 2 servings at lunch, 2 at dinner and at least 1 serving in your snacks. Drink Lots of Water - Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. When you're feeling hungry, it's often your body telling you that you are actually thirsty.
Action Tip #2: Make Gradual Changes To Your Eating
The key to having your ideal bathing-suit body is about making modifications - not drastic changes - to your lifestyle. Don't try to do everything all at once. The 90/10 healthy eating rule is a good guideline to live by: 90% of the time, stick to the above guidelines to reach your goal; the other 10% of the time, cut yourself some slack. There will always be times when you just can't eat the foods that you know you should.
Action Tip #3: Add Lean Muscle
No, we're not talking about creating bulky muscles. Unless you're using muscle-enhancing hormones, adding muscle to your body will never make you big or bulky. In fact, regardless of your age, adding lean muscle to your body will help you burn fat and calories throughout the day.
You can add lean muscle with an effective resistance-training program. The decline of muscle mass starts as early as age 20 - if you don't add or maintain lean muscle on your body, your muscle tissue will shrink and lose their firmness, and your metabolism will start to slow. And, a slow metabolism won't help you get your best bathing suit body.
Action Tip #4: Add High-Intensity Cardio Intervals To Your Workouts
The days of long, boring cardio are done. Stop spending an hour running on your treadmill without a change in pace. Not only is it ineffective in revving up your metabolism to burn existing fat stores, but it's a huge waste of time.
The best way to do your cardio is to do short bursts of high-intensity aerobic work. You can still walk, run, cycle, or use your treadmill or elliptical, but make sure you're doing them in short intervals where you're changing the pace. For example, you could do 30 seconds of a "hard" interval (where you're sweating hard, breathing hard and where you can only talk for 1 or 2 words), followed by 60 seconds of an "easy" interval (where your breathing slows and where you can easily carry on a conversation).
Repeat this cycle 5 to 10 times and call it a day. Depending on how many times you repeat the cycle, you could be done in less than 20 minutes - one-fifth the time it would take you to do that long, boring cardio. Plus, when you do short-burst cardio intervals in place of regular cardio, you continue to burn calories for 33 hours (or even more) after your workout.
Action Tip #5: Schedule Your "Must Do" Activities - Including Time Just For You!
You may be tempted to skip this tip, but it's actually the most important one of our Spring Tune Up Plan. Taking 15 minutes a week to set goals and plan your "must do" activities will guarantee your success. Here's how to get started:
Step 1: Set your long term goal
For example: I want to... look and feel great in my bathing suit... by July 1st, 2010
Step 2: Break your long-term goal into shorter blocks of time
For example:
Week 1: schedule and complete 3 workouts (including cardio); empty your cupboards of the foods that will be a barrier to your success; plan meals and shop for foods that will get your on your way; and, tell someone about your plan of attack and ask for their support Week 2: schedule and complete 3 workouts (including cardio), making each workout harder by adding 1 rep/second or more weight to at least 1 exercise; plan your meals and measure portion size every time you eat; and, share your successes from week 1 with your support person. Week 3: schedule and complete 3 workouts (including cardio), counting out the tempos on each exercise to make sure that your workout is as challenging as it can be; plan your meals and snacks to include a source of protein every time you eat; and, treat yourself to something non-food related (i.e. book a manicure, pedicure or massage). Week 4: schedule and complete 3 workouts (including cardio), adding 1 more rep/second and more weight; plan your meals to include vegetables at lunch, dinner and at least 1 snack; and, take time for a really good at-home stretching routine, or take a yoga class at your local gym or community centre.
Now that you've got some examples of short-term goals, come up with your short-term goals for each week leading up to your long-term goal.
Step 3: Schedule your commitments
Write down all of your commitments (i.e. work, social activities, family, travel) on a weekly calendar. Then, schedule in your workouts including cardio (30 minutes, 3 times a week), time to plan meals, snacks and shop for groceries (2 hours) and 15 minutes of daily "me" time.
As you complete each task, check it off on your calendar. Do your best to stick to your schedule, but cut yourself some slack if the time you have set aside isn't going to work out that day. Doing something is better than nothing.
Action Tip #6: Enlist Social Support
Finally, find someone to support you as you carry out your plan. Studies have shown that the more people you share your goals and subsequent successes with, the greater your chance of succeeding with your fitness, nutrition and life balance goals.
6 "Must Do" Tips to Spring Into Swim Suit Season SEASON 3 PREMIERE
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