14 Tips To Get Your Workout Back On Track

I get it, trust me, I get it. It’s nice out at the last thing you want to do is spend an hour or two inside the gym. Who wants to sweat indoors when eating ice-cream by the lake is so much more appealing (and yummy?) But on the flipside, you want to look h-o-t in your bikini. If only you could snap your fingers Sabrina the Teenage Witch style and have your workout completed and your body looking Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition ready.

Well God isn’t that nice and I think he was trying to send me a message the other day to get off my lazy butt and get moving. I came across this pamphlet when I was waiting for my nails to dry… “14 Tips and Tricks for Looking Great in Your Swimsuit” and now I will share them with you. (Don’t thank me- thank God. God or the nice Vietnamese people who placed these pamphlets on their drying station).  Brought to you by “Pilatesyourway.com”

1. Mix strength training with cardio- you aren’t going to get Madonna’s arms if you just run every day. You won’t bulk up if you do the right routines and muscle burns more calories then fat (whoo hooo).

2. Don’t eat 2-3 hours before bed. This is by far the hardest rule for college students. Um, my roommate and I have Dominos on speed dial. But your metabolism slows down when you sleep. (Translation: eating pizza/brownies at 2am is much worse than eating those same foods at 7pm).

3. Eat Breakfast…ALWAYS (or if you sleep till noon like me- eat soon after waking up). Experts say your breakfast will not only keep you from binging later (avoiding the problem in numero dos) but it will kick start your metabolism for the day. Breakfast should include protein (think eggs) and complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, Kashi cereal, whole grain toast)

4. Eat regularly throughout the day. Going Nicole Richie Ano style won’t help your figure (unless you are snorting coke on a regular basis). When you don’t eat, your body things you are starving and begins to store fat as a means of survival. The more often you eat, the more adapted your metabolism is to working at burning everything up.

5. Exercise correctly. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people at the gym doing crunches soooo wrong. There is a reason your 1,000 crunches a day aren’t producing abs like Britney’s in that nude body suit. You aren’t doing it right!!! Ask your gym for a one session workout with a trainer to learn how to do all the moves the correct way.

6. Eat to lose fat. Your body needs fat. Plain and simple. It helps your immune system, makes your hair, skin and nails healthy and so much more. Choose olive oil, nuts, avocado or nut butters.

7. Variety in exercise. The same 45 minute stint on the elliptical will stop challenging your body and will decrease results. Keep your muscles guessing by switching it up each day. (and keep your mind guessing by putting your ipod on shuffle)

8. Enjoy yourself. Impossible you say? Not so! Run outside, swim, kick box- find something you like to do. You are more likely to continue an exercise program if its something you enjoy doing.

9. Drink lots and lots and lots of water. 8 glasses a day is recommended but if you exercise (or ahem, drink) you need to up that number. Even being mildly dehydrated radically affects how your body performs.

10. Set exercise appointments with yourself. We have all been there- “I’ll go in an hour” and somehow that hour turns into 6 hours later and you are still on your butt watching the American’s Next Top Model marathon and your workout has gone out the window. If you make a set time to do it each day, you are more likely to follow through.

11. Eat a lot of protein. Protein helps your body recover and repair after a workout. Upping your protein intake will decrease your soreness and will help result in a longer and leaner body.

12. At the start of a fitness plan, do not be overly aggressive. You are more likely to stay motivated if you slowly build. Start small- just get moving!

13. Limit your alcohol consumption. Um okay so maybe wait till after graduation to follow this one- but alcohol not only leads to late night eating (and beer goggles) but alcohol doesn’t require digestion- the carbs and dietary fats in your favorite vodka tonic are changed into body fat in minutes –such a depressing fact, I know.

14. Always stretch. Stretching improves blood flow, flexibility and muscle recovery. Stretch once your body is warmed up and never bounce. Hold each stretch for at least twenty-seconds to get the benefits.

Alright, so now that I’ve done my duty of passing on these tips it’s really about time that I get back to that America’s Next Top Model Marathon. I kid. I kid.