I know, I know, summer seems like a long way off right now. It’s only the middle of January, the weather is still cold and miserable, and I’m sure some of you still have some mince pies and Christmas cake tucked away in the freezer. But what about when the nice weather does come along? Or you’re preparing to go on that summer holiday you’ve been looking forward to for months? Does the thought of baring some skin on the beach fill you with dread? The good news is there is still time! You can be body confident, but you must act sooner rather than later. Waiting until the last minute to buy some sun tan lotion is fine, but starting to workout and eat properly the week before you go away isn’t going to cut it! So here are some tips to help you start the process of looking like the Greek God/Goddess you know you can!
• Are you getting enough?
Water that is! There are a lot of different variables which determine how much you should be drinking, but a good rule of thumb is the 8 x 8oz rule. An 8oz glass is approximately 0.2 litres. So drinking this amount 8 times per day equals roughly 1.8 litres. Round this up to 2 litres per day. That translates to 3.5 pints per day. Still think you’re drinking enough? There are a myriad of benefits to increasing water, including:
helping your body flush out toxins
preventing the common mistake of confusing dehydration for hunger
increasing energy and concentration
and making your skin look clearer, plumper and more hydrated.
So, drink more, feel better and look better. Simple! • Rest is just as important as activity Sleep is when our body repairs and regenerates itself, and this is also when all of the hard work is done by our liver. It is a chance for our body to balance our hormones. Recent studies show lack of sleep causes us to put on weight. Firstly, our frontal cortex is impaired, decreasing our ability to weigh consequences and make rational decisions. Secondly we have increased cravings for, and react more strongly to high calorie and sugary (junk) foods because our insulin levels were not normalised in our sleep. The combination of these two are not great when trying to stick to healthy eating and portion size. Maintaining good levels of sleep is very important! Get at least 7 hours good sleep and try for 8 to really maximise the benefits. • Eat PROPERLY to lose weight! I can’t stress this enough: FAD DIETS DO NOT WORK! There are so many reasons why, I could (and probably will) write a whole article on them. But for the sake of this, here’s a few reasons why they’re bad.
They don’t address the causes of your weight gain in the first place – namely, your eating habits. If you don’t learn about your eating habits and change them, you will simply gain the weight back when the diet is finished and you re-establish old eating habits.
They alter your metabolism. Because most fad diets require you to eat a structured amount of food on a structured schedule, you can also end up disrupting your natural metabolism. Your body has a natural ability to tell you when to eat and when to stop eating. Going against this natural pattern can negatively impact your metabolism, and these negative effects can last long after the diet.
Fad diets also prohibit you from eating certain types of food. Perhaps your diet requires you to cut out carbohydrates or any type of fat from your daily foods. This can lead to a serious nutritional deficiency. Carbohydrates are a significant source of energy and depriving yourself of these nutrients can cause you to feel fatigued and unable to function normally. Contrary to popular belief, not all fats are bad for you. Good fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, are essential if you want to have good health.
The nutritional deficiencies that fad diets cause can also lead to health conditions like hair loss and muscle loss. Your hair requires a good deal of protein in order to grow and thrive. When you are not getting enough protein in your diet, your hair eventually loses its health. Poor hair health can lead to brittleness which can turn into breakage and shedding hair. Muscle loss is another negative effect of fad diets. Since your diet is very low in calories, your body will look for other ways to get energy. One of these ways is by digesting your muscles. This is actually detrimental to weight loss because muscles help you burn more calories even when you are at rest.
All you need to do is eat regularly and healthily, and control your portion size. Never skip meals, cut down on processed and junk foods, try not add sugar to anything (there is already more than enough in most foods!) and drink plenty of water to stop your dehydrated body tricking you into thinking you’re hungry. For more help with nutrition, the BBC have a great quiz to find out what kind of eater you are. The link is at the end of this article. • Prepare yourself mentally & visualise! It seems like a long way until summer. And, if you’re overweight, you’re likely to have years of old patterns holding you back. You’ll have to keep motivated in order to stick with your diet and exercise plan. Motivation isn’t easy, but a couple of easy ways are to set goals and rewards. Write down weight and measurement goals. Then, take them once a fortnight. It allows you to see progress and not lose track. Also, reward yourself. If you lose ten pounds, buy yourself something. If you go down a clothes size, go out with friends. Or just let your motivation be your new body for the summer. Visualise yourself with your new body. Keep the good feeling you will have with your great body in front of your mind. That is your goal. Remind yourself of this regularly – every day if necessary. If you have old pictures of yourself when you were in the shape you desire pull those out and picture it now. If not, pull out pictures of people whose bodies that you admire and visualise it. Affirm to yourself that you are worthy and will have the body you dream of by the time you are done. A picture in your mind and these affirmations will force you to go to the workout when nothing else will. Hang the pictures on your refrigerator, make them your screen saver at work. Nothing will come between you and your goal. When you are pressured socially to cheat or go off your diet, merely tell them you are working toward leaning out, and staying away from anything counterproductive to your goal right now. When presented that way, no one will give you a hard time. Anyone who sets a goal, sticks to it, and maintains it is admirable. And if people do give you a hard time about it, do you really need that kind of negativity in your life? • Exercise! Here it is. You knew in a getting summer body article there had to be a mention of exercise! That is because beach bodies we admire are not merely skinny, they are also toned! While you can lose weight with just calorie restriction, exercising speeds up the process and will give your body a toned look. Lots of people hate exercise because they think it has to involve jumping on a treadmill for an hour or buying a huge multi-gym. Exercise is getting moving. If you have been hibernating a bit over winter, try to incorporate something that doesn’t feel too daunting or too painful and you will be more likely to stick with it. It can be walking, football, a workout DVD, the gym, etc. Find something that gets you moving and that you enjoy and do it. Most people don’t workout in ways they enjoy so they quit. Find what you like and do it 3-4 times a week. For example, try to walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day to start with. It’s not too difficult, and doesn’t need to be done all in one go. Research shows that exercise split throughout the day is just as beneficial as exercise done all in one hit. Once this feels comfortable incorporate other types of exercise – yoga, pilates, circuit training, and don’t forget to stretch! Start getting your summer body now. And, stick with it. Being the most attractive man or woman on the beach this summer is a great goal. You CAN achieve it. You WILL achieve it.
Need help reaching your goal? Get in touch! I can help you create a goal and stick to it, while giving you nutritional advice, motivation and, of course, workout plans along the way!
BBC Quiz link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z2csfg8
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