Summer Time and Beach Bodies

Summer Time!!!

It seems like the hot weather flew in for the 2020 summer.  It’s Memorial Day already, and the weather isn’t letting us down.  Just two weeks ago, we were wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts while working out outside. We are used to seeing hot weather for our annual Memorial Day cookout at the gym.  While that can’t happen this year, beach weather is still here.

However, with COVID-19 forcing everyone in-doors over the last few months, will we be ready for summer time and the ever-desired “beach body?”

Here’s the Problem

Have you heard of the COVID 19#?  It’s kind of like the Freshman 20#.  With everyone forced to stay at home, around all of the food (and cookies) in the house, many people are finding their weight sneaking up.  It was hard enough in the past being ready to summer time.  However, this year, it’s particularly hard.  You can’t go to the gym.  You have that temptation to eat bad food around you all the time.  And, even though your gym might be reopening “soon,” how long will it take to be ready for the bathing suit?

Here’s What To Do

Start With Your Diet

You have to cut out all the junk that creeped in while in quarantine.  Whenever we are working with a client to improve diet and nutrition, we start with three basic essentials:

1.  Eat All Natural Foods:  start removing the junk and replace it with meat, fruits, and veggies.  If you fill yourself with all natural food, you won’t have room for the junk.  We don’t believe in the pantry clean out.  If you need to go through the process of throwing away all of the cookies or sweet food, then do it.  However, we’ve found that complete abstinence like that just romanticizes the junk and makes you want it more.
2. Eat At Least 3 Times a Day:  If you are going to avoid junk food, you need to eat good food consistently throughout the day.  A good place to start is 3 times:  Once when you get up, midday, and in the evening.  Don’t worry about the timing, or fasting, or whatever.  Just eat all natural food 3 times a day.
3. Eat Until You Are Full, But Not Stuffed:  One awesome thing about eating all natural food is that it’s hard to binge.  No one binge eats on broccoli.  When you are eating all natural food, your body will automatically tell you when you stop eating.  All you have to do is listen and stop eating at that time.  Over time, you will learn what size portions usually fill you up.  No weighing and measuring required.  Simply listen to your body.

Want more information on diet?  Check out our ebook:  THE 3 ESSENTIALS TO A HEALTHY DIET. 

Just scroll to the bottom of our main page.

Add In Exercise

Once you have your diet going in the right direction, turn to exercise.  If you want to maximize your changes to burn as much fat as possible, you need to get your heart rate up make it a full body workout.

No weights at home?  No problem.  You can get an amazing workout with using your bodyweight to do things like squats, lunges, broad jumps, pushups, situps, and more.

Do you have some weights at home?  Excellent.  Your options are pretty much endless.

There are 3 factors in exercise that are going to maximize your changes to burn fat:

1. Eat to burn:  Go back and read the 3 steps above.  No matter what you do, you can’t outrun a bad diet.  So, fuel your new machine with nutrient dense all natural foods and protein to support your new muscle growth.
2. Build some muscle:  Simply running, walking, bike riding, or something like that won’t burn fat quickly.  You need to build muscle.  Muscles in your body require calories to move.  Calories come from the food you eat and the fat and sugar in your body.  More muscle, more calories you need to move.  If you have already adjusted your diet, then your body is going to be looking at your stored weight to burn.
3. Get your heart pumping:  A good sign that you are burning calories is respiration.  We think of respiration as simply getting oxygen in your body and removing carbon dioxide.  But, do you know what that oxygen does once it is in your body.  One of its uses is to break down the chemical chains that connect calorie molecules.  So, the more you breathe, the more you burn.  Force yourself to breathe hard for 10-15 minutes a day, and you will start burning.

Still need some help with workouts?  Head to our Youtube page.  We have tons of video examples for movements and workouts:  OUR YOUTUBE PAGE

No need to throw in the towel (no pun intended) this year.  Get up, get moving, get your diet back on track.  You will be ready to hit the pools and beaches as soon as they reopen.