Get fit for summer fast
With temperatures rising, I am sure that a lot of people want to get fit for summer. Ideally you have been keeping fit during winter which will make this process a lot easier. Others suddenly realise that there is a bit of work to be done and are not sure where to start. Here a few tips on how to get fit for summer in the fastest possible way.
High Intensity Intervals
Move More
Remember “small changes can make a difference”, no matter if your goal is to increase your daily calorie expenditure, build muscle or get fit. Be creative and think about things that you can do to make this happen and reach your goals faster. Do some planks or glutes bridges while you watch TV, do some calf raises while brushing your teeth or washing the dishes. Do you spend tim every day on public transport? Maybe consider jumping on your bike and riding to work. Are you having an active lunch break? If not, go for a walk, run or join our Domain bootcamp session. There are plenty of things you can do but it all comes down to making your life more active.
Diet is more important than you think
If your goal is to lose weight then it is important to realise that diet will play a bigger role than exercise. Eat healthy wholesome food. Load up on veggies, eat lean protein and incorporate healthy fats in your meals. Not too sure where to start and want some more tips? Check out this link which has some general guidelines which might help.
Lift Weights
Incorporate strength training into your workouts. Short workouts with challenging weights will throw your metabolism into high gear and build lean muscle fast. This is why strength training is a must if you want to get fit fast. I recommend compound exercises such as overhead shoulder presses, pull ups, squats, squat upright rows, etc. Always remembers that the more muscles involved, the higher your overall calorie burn will be. If you want to focus on a specific part of your body such as the back of your arms, you can always do more isolated exercises for those specific muscles and for example do dips, triceps extension, etc.
Use Your Body
No access to equipment, no worries! Your own bodyweight gives you plenty of options to train yourself. If you want some ideas for body weight workouts, check out the following link.
Train with a trainer
Working with a personal trainer is one of the fastest and most effective ways to improve your health and fitness, and achieve your personal goals. A trainer provides structure and accountability, and helps you to develop a lifestyle that encourages positive health and nutrition practices. For more information about our Eastern Suburbs bootcamp sessions, please click here. If you want to get results faster and work with me one-on-one, check out Team One Fitness’ personal training services and get in touch.
Combine Strength and Cardio
Combining strength with cardio while working out can be very effective. Think about a circuit where you perform a strength exercises such as squats (e.g. 25 reps), followed by a short 30 seconds intense exercise such as burpees or Squat thrusts. Training this way is effective because you’re engaging large muscle groups to build strength while also increasing your heart rate to maximize calorie burn. When you add the cardio component using the same muscle group (e.g. squat jumps), you build endurance and burn more calories. On the other hand, short bursts of cardio will activate EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption) which helps you burn more calories even after you’ve finished working out.
Sleep More
Not enough sleep can be detrimental to your health and hinder your weight loss goals. Lack of sleep will make you less likely to workout but it will also affect your appetite, a factor that very few people with weight loss goals fail to consider. Sleep helps to regulate your appetite, metabolism and energy expenditure. When you sleep too little your body produces ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that tells the brain that we want to keep eating, and less leptin, a hormone that tells the brain that we’re full and satisfied.
Avoid Carbs at Night
Try to avoid carbs at night, especially processed carbs such as white bread, white rice and added sugars. Aim to make your breakfast bigger than your lunch and lunch bigger than dinner. Avoid complex carbs after dinner. Complex carbohydrates are great for energy, but they need to eaten at the right time and during the day. If you’re still hungry after dinner, choose for a healthy snack such as a handful of almonds. Your metabolism starts to naturally slow down towards the end of the day, which makes it more likely that those recently digested carbs will be stored as unnecessary fat. Also, your insulin sensitivity is believed to be reduced at night, which may also lead to fat storage.
