Spring is here. The flowers are blooming, the jackets are being put away, and you’re probably starting to panic about putting on a bathing suit again. Wait. Don’t pack your bags for the North Pole just yet. You can get a body makeover in six weeks or less.
If you work hard and put your mind to it, you can make major transformations to your body in time for summer fun. Don’t worry, while these changes will take dedication and work, they don’t require crash diets or excessive exercise.
Read on to learn more about the small and big changes you can start making TODAY to get your body into swimsuit shape.
1) Get on the ball. If you don’t already have one, buy an inexpensive exercise ball. Use it to perform abdominal and leg toning exercises 5 days a week. Do 5-10 minutes in the morning and 5-10 minutes at night. There are hundreds of exercises you can do with a ball, from beginner to advanced levels, so the variety will keep boredom at bay and ensure you keep your body challenged.
2) Add resistance training to your weekly workout. If you’re not currently doing regular strength training, start today. Aim for a minimum of two sessions per week. Each session should work all of your major muscle groups with 2-3 sets per exercise of 8-12 repetitions using a resistance that fatigues your muscle on the last repetition. Start with the larger muscles, and then work up exercises to target the smaller muscles as well.
In addition to the attractive physical appearance that strength training provides, it also helps speed up weight loss. Even when muscles are not actively used, they need fuel to function. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more fuel you will need and therefore the more calories you will burn.
3) Change up your strength training. If you currently include resistance training in your weekly routine, try changing it up considerably. It is important to modify your workouts every few weeks. The shift helps ensure that your body stays challenged, that you’re regularly recruiting multiple muscle fibers, and ultimately that you make progress and see improvements.
4) Add intervals to your cardio workouts. Strive for three 30-minute interval training sessions each week. Interval training consists of short periods of high-intensity exercise that are alternated with periods of rest. It is one of the most effective ways to burn calories. These periods of higher and lower intensity are repeated several times to form a complete workout. By exercising more for short periods of time and then allowing yourself recovery time, you can push yourself harder.
5) Evaluate your eating habits. Even surprisingly small changes can significantly reduce your calories. For example, eliminate or at least limit your intake of soft drinks. If you drink one can per day, that’s about 1050 calories per week that you could eliminate. That’s almost a full day’s worth of calories abolished simply by substituting zero-calorie drinks in place of soda.
6) Find ways to include even more physical activity in your daily routine in addition to your exercise routines. Don’t underestimate the power of very small changes. Just get up as high as you can. Put away the remotes and manually surf the channels, walk in place during your favorite show, stand instead of sit whenever possible during your normal daily activities, etc.
7) Maximize your efforts with cross training. Cross training is a type of exercise regimen that combines strength work, aerobic work, and stretching. With this method, you use different muscles each day, which means you’ll be able to exercise at an intense level without overtraining your body. So try alternating interval training days with strength training days for a cross-training approach.
By incorporating all of these recommendations, you can be beach-ready and feeling confident in no time. But don’t stop when you’ve reached your goal. These recommendations are appropriate for long-term success and should be incorporated into your lifestyle on an ongoing basis to maintain good health and fitness.