Summer Body Preparation
April 14, 2017
There is no substitute for a healthy diet, a good exercise plan and hard work. But with the goal of jumpstarting your summer body or just trying to get fit faster, here are some things I found helpful.
Exercise:
Start doing cardio! It doesn't have to be long, I would suggest 10-20min. Cardio can be anything from walking, running, biking, swimming, or your favorite sport you enjoy doing. Anything that gets your heart rate up for an extended period of time.
*Online personal trainer PRO TIP* I recommend doing it 2-3 days a week, first thing in the morning to jumpstart your metabolism and start your day by burning some calories in a slight catabolic state.
If you're really ambitious I recommend adding in 1-2 days a week of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Weight training is a great way to help boost the metabolism, burn calories and change body composition.
*Online personal trainer PRO TIP* I recommend focusing on the major muscle groups such as your legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes) and a great exercise selection for all of these would be the squat. This can be done with or without additional weight as body weight does count!
Nutrition:
There are sayings like "You can't out exercise a bad diet" and "abs are made in the kitchen". This is arguably one of the most convoluted subjects out there today, due to all the dieting trends, food marketing and conflicting science facts out there.
It is important to get enough macronutrients in everyday. Eat a balanced diet of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. I also recommend getting enough fiber in your diet as it will help keep you full longer and your digestive tract happy.
The FDA recommends a 2000 calorie a day diet but this is a bit of a misnomer as every person is different. The calorie range depends on many factors like age, weight, height and gender- to name a few. Sites like "bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm" can help give you a rough estimate of what your ratios should look like. Also, if your interested in macros nutrition and how much you have for your specific goals, check out our other blog post on lean bulk macros.
*Tip* If you're feeling particularly ambitious and don't mind doing a little bit more work, try consuming more carbohydrates on days you're including your cardio/weights and shift to more protein and less carbohydrates on days you're not doing cardio/weights while staying in your calculated calorie range for the day. This is because carbohydrates are the body’s prefered short term fuel source and get turned into fat quicker if not being used.
Last but not least, stay hydrated! The Institute of Medicine recommends between 2-3 liters a day. That is roughly 68-101 oz. This will also help keep you full longer and promote better overall health.
Conclusion:
Stay motivated! For some people this might be finding someone to exercise with, hiring a VFD online personal trainer, finding new music or setting short term goals to achieve.
Don't get discouraged, Rome wasn't built in a day and consistency is key.
I hope you find some of these suggestions helpful and enjoy your summer!
Written By Andrew Milne