7 Step Plan for Summer

Sally Feinerman, Auckland Women's Personal Trainer, share her tips:

7 Step Plan for Summer

As the weather starts to get warmer, we start thinking about our summer clothes and getting ready to feel great for the Christmas holidays. As we all know the weight won’t magically fall off and we need to put the work in with regular exercise and a good nutrition plan.
Here is a 7 step plan to get in shape for summer… I know  a lot of you are already doing this and are on track to reach your goals so keep up the great work. And for those who haven’t started there is still time to be looking and feeling your best for Christmas.
Day light savings has kicked in so there are no excuses for not getting out after work and enjoying the longer evenings.

1. KEEP A JOURNAL
Keeping a journal of what you eat and drink each day is key… make sure you also record any occasional treats! Also record what exercise you do on a daily basis and after several months you will have a great idea of what your eating and exercise behaviours are. (I have exercise and nutrition templates that I can email you if you need one)

2. KEEP FLUIDS UP AND CUT DOWN ON ALCOHOL
It is very important that we drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day (1-2 litres). With exercise and the warmer weather you will need to drink even more. Make sure that you don’t go for sports drinks and fruit juices that are high in sugar as you will add a lot of unwanted calories to your daily intake. Now is a great time to get your alcohol intake in check before all of the pre-Christmas social engagements .Plan for these events and make the other days of the week alcohol free.

3. READ FOOD LABELS
This is a very important habit you must adopt. Do not be deceived by words such as “Low Fat” or “Less Sugar”. The products may have reduced its fat or sugar content from the original products, but you must still do a proper comparison with other similar products to find the right kind of food for yourself.

4. EXERCISE IS KEY
Exercise is key to losing weight, but remember that you still need to watch your calorie intake! 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, circuit training every day can help to burn more fat in your body. Even doing housework or digging the garden can be treated as a form of exercise. Remember, you must keep your body moving if you want to burn fat. And the higher the intensity you work out at the more calories you will burn.

5. DON’T SKIP MEALS
Dont go too long without food and don’t skip meals. Ideally, to maintain optimum metabolism, women should eat something about every 3 hours. Point is, eating regularly reassures your body that food is plentiful. This encourages your body to burn calories.
6. INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM
Research reveals that adding 1.4kg of muscle increases our resting metabolism by 7% and our daily calorie requirements by 15%. At rest, a kilogram of muscle requires 77 calories per day for tissue maintenance, and during exercise muscle energy utilization increase dramatically. Adults who replace muscle through sensible strength training use more calories all day long, thereby reducing the likelihood of fat accumulation.

7. SLEEP
Getting enough sleep is crucial if you’re trying to lose weight, not just because of how it affects you physically, but mentally as well. Sleep deprivation makes you cranky, confused and can even make you feel depressed or angry.
Make sleep a priority by trying to get to bed at the same time each night, aiming for about 8 hours, if you can manage it. Having some bedtime rituals such as a hot bath or some time writing down your worries can help you unwind before bed.
Having a proper plan in place will ensure that you achieve your weight loss and fitness goals. And remember to have patience… the weight didn’t creep on over night and nor will it remove it self over night.  Stay focused on your goals and you will get the results that you are aiming for.

Sally's other articles:
Fitness tips for busy women

About Sally:
Wisanow contributor, Sally Feinerman is a former corporate events organiser with massive responsibility, Sally is now sharing her organisational skills to plan exercise programs to help make her female only clients get healthy, fit and strong!

Sally helps women to become strong physically and mentally. She helps women to lose weight, to look better in their clothes, to fell better wearing them and to like the lady inside them a little more! And to make her clients feel and look younger next year!

Sally has a lovely boutique studio based in Albany where she trains clients one on one or in small group classes.  Sally also runs a free walking group that meets at Mairangi Bay every Saturday. To find out more visit http://www.meetup.com/www-fitnessfix-co-nz/

Or visit her website www.fitnessfix.co.nz