Summer may not be right around the corner, but it's never too early to start thinking about getting your body in shape for the best season of the year. If you're not sure where to start, here is your game plan to get your nutrition and fitness workout routine in check before the temps start to heat up.
March: Commit to Better Nutrition
All the workouts in the world can’t burn off a poor diet. If you eat junk food all day, it will be much harder to see the results from your time in the gym. Give yourself a head start by paying extra close attention to your diet during the month of March. A few small changes can do wonders for your eating habits, and eventually, for your waistline:
- Aim to drink about 100 ounces of water a day to prevent belly bloat and improve your bodily functions. Staying hydrated does wonders for your body, from keeping your tummy tight to helping you get full faster during your meals. If you are consistent with drinking water along with a regular strength training routine, you will be more likely to get noticeable definition in your muscles.
- Cut out any sugary drinks and sweets from your diet. Sugar is a waistline enemy because the body stores unused energy from sugar as fat. And once it's stored as fat, it becomes much harder to burn, even with the most hardcore workouts.
If you have sugar cravings, reach for citrus fruits like lemon or grapefruit. The powerful taste should knock your cravings out, without a high amount of artificial sugar.
- Be careful with carbs on your rest days. On days when you have a rigorous workout, eat healthy carbs like whole grains, fruits, and fibrous vegetables. Your body needs carbs to replenish muscles after workouts and to maintain energy levels during your workout. But, on your light or rest days, try to reduce your carb intake so that your body doesn’t turn that unused energy into stored body fat.
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April: Get Your Workout Routine In Order
Now that your nutrition is in check, make a commitment to yourself to work out at least 4 days a week. Aim to get two days of rigorous cardio, consisting of at least 45 minutes of exercise that gets your heart pumping. You can use a machine, take a cardio class, or try a high-intensity interval training routine. Just make sure you push yourself!
On the other two days of the week, focus on incorporating weights into your routine to build total body strength. Regular strength training can help you burn even more calories even while you’re at rest, and help you look leaner and stronger for the summer months, and long after.
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May: The Final Push
You’ve set the base for your nutrition and exercise routine. With summer only a month away, May is your month to take things up a notch. Grab an accountability buddy and mix up your workouts.
If you’ve been doing cardio on the treadmill or elliptical, move on to a more challenging machine like the rower or stair climber (or an actual set of stairs, of course).
If you can handle it, challenge yourself to do two workouts in one day at least one time a week.
For instance, you can take a jog in the morning, and a cardio kickboxing class in the evening. This higher level of activity will shock your system and promote even more fat loss and strength gains than before.
The same goes for your nutrition. Step up your healthy eating game by incorporating meat-free days into the week. Get as many vegetables as you can, and cut back a bit more on carbs and sweets.
Both are sources of energy that your body uses to get through the day and your workouts. If you reduce these sources of energy, your body will have to use your body fat for energy, resulting in fat loss, and a smaller number on the scale.
This is the best time to get started on your summer body goals. Start by making one small change today and see where it leads you!
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.
