Does the thought of slipping into shorts or a swimsuit leave you panicked? No sweat. With these easy fitness tips, there’s still time to get in summer-ready shape without going on a crash diet.
Taking small steps will put you in the right direction, says Heidi Powell, personal trainer, life coach and co-transformation specialist (with husband Chris Powell) on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. Here are her eight best fitness tips to get you ready for the season:
1. Make a Small Change — And Stick To It
“Make one goal to yourself at a time,” says Powell. “Maybe it’s removing soda from your lunch or moving for five minutes a day. Just make it attainable and commit to it.”
Once you master that first goal, you can add another to it, and so on. “When you do what you say you’re going to do, the scale will follow,” says Powell.
2. Be Realistic
As much as we’d all love to drop 10 pounds in a week — especially as summer approaches — it’s not very doable without going to extreme measures.
“Instead, strive to lose one percent of your body weight a week,” says Powell. “That’s a healthy goal.”
3. Watch Your Calories
Nutrition is more than half the battle in weight loss. And while you don’t have to obsess over every bite, you do need to be aware of how many calories you’re taking in. The average woman should aim for 1,500 calories a day.
4. Eat Real Food
Forget the packaged diet dinners and low-fat snacks. “You can’t out-train bad food,” says Powell.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are higher in nutrients than processed meals — plus, they’re rich in fiber, which will keep you feeling fuller longer. Lean meats like turkey are high in protein and will help you burn more fat while building muscle mass. And yes, you can put some steak on the grill — just eat it in moderation. “The calorie count is higher in red meat, so opt for three-ounce portions instead of the four ounces you would eat of chicken or fish,” Powell says.
5. Don’t Skip Carbs
“Chris and I both have wristbands that say I <3 carbs!” says Powell. “Carbs fuel the body for weight loss.” Just remember that not all carbohydrates are created equal: White bread, rice and sweets are nutritionally poor, but sweet potatoes, brown rice, steel-cut oats and whole-grain bread are both delicious and healthy.
6. Work Out at Home
You don’t have to commit to a gym to get your exercise. Powell, a busy mom of three, says she’s lucky if she goes to the gym once a month. Instead, she focuses on fat-blasting moves she can do from the comfort of her home…which is where her next two tips come in!
7. Learn to Love the Burpee
“I have a love-hate relationship with burpees,” admits Powell. They’re tough, but “they hit nearly every muscle in the body and get your heart rate up.”
To perform this whole-body exercise, start by squatting with your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your legs back into a push-up position, jump back into the squat, and then jump to a standing position. You can modify the move by doing the push-up on your knees or going directly from the push-up to a standing position.
8. Try Interval Training
For the optimal metabolism-boosting workout, sprint on a track or treadmill as fast as you can for 30 seconds, rest for 90 seconds, and then sprint again. Ten sets of sprints will give you a heart-thumping 20-minute workout — plus your body will continue to burn calories at a higher rate for the rest of the day. “You put your body in an oxygen debt, so the body has to overcompensate and work harder to oxygenate the body,” says Powell.
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making easy changes and following these fitness tips, you’ll be confident and beach-ready
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