As summer hits, it brings with it more parties, more holidays, and yes…more calories! So how do you manage to have a whale of a time and still keep all the fat off? Fitness Editor, Hrithik Roshan, comes up with some expert advice on how exactly to have a blast and still show those ads!
Here’s something you have to know: “I do believe that we have much more control over our fitness destiny, than we think. Learning how to control our environment is the key to our success. Your body will not retaliate because u ate chocolate cake at a friend’s party. It will retaliate if you were drinking until 4 a.m. and follow it up with cheeseburger and fries. My advice this summer is eat, drink and be merry; just do it in moderation. Eating too much of one thing or too much of the same thing makes your diet boring and extremely difficult to follow.
Moderation in the case of summer eating means not going to every party and drinking and eating yourself FAT! My mantra for this summer is: No white flour or sugar foods. Many of us have diets dominant with white flour and sugar, increasing insulin levels and encouraging fat storage instead of fat burning. Instead eat fresh vegetables, whole grain bread and make sure you have some kind of quality protein food in every meal such as fish, chicken, cottage cheese, egg or tofu. If you have a leaning towards red meats then make sure you have lean red meats.
Add interval training to your fitness regime. Interval workouts have been scientifically proven to boost fitness levels much higher than traditional cardiovascular exercise. They also have the added benefits of burning more calories during and after the workout. Interval training involves bursts of very hard effort, interspersed with easier recovery periods. Interval workouts are quite short, lasting around 20 minutes, but they must be tough. If a normal cardiovascular workout has an effort level rating of 7 out of 10, then an interval should have an effort rating of 9 out of 10.
Try the following interval training once or twice a week when cycling, running, swimming or the cardiovascular workout of your choice. First, warm up for 5 minutes. Then do the interval training, which includes 10 sets of a minute, each for a total of 10 minutes. During each minute of your interval training, the first 30 seconds should be at a much harder pace, and the second set of 30 seconds should be at an easy pace or at complete rest. Repeat this 10 times. Then do a cool down for 5 minutes at the slower pace. You can increase the length of time of your interval training set by adding more repetitions or increasing the time of each interval beyond one minute.
Gorge on fresh fruit and fresh vegetable juices instead of high fat or high sugar snack foods. Everyone knows that fast food snacks or chocolates and sweets prevent weight loss progress. We also know that fruits and vegetables are good for us. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Every time you get hungry or fancy something sweet, choose a fruit or vegetable juice instead of a high fat chocolate candy bar. If you cut out ALL the chips, crackers, cookies, chocolate, cakes and sweets from your diet for a few weeks and replace these with fruits and vegetables, you would feel great and lose weight.”
Party Pointers…
Eat Before You Come! (A catchy bumper sticker from the 80’s)
Going to summer parties is great, but the food is not usually on the fitness enthusiast’s menu. Its okay to cheat every once in a while, but do not stop eating regularly at home just so that you can gorge later at the party. Eat your usual meal before the party or if the timing is not right, fill up on a protein shake or small so you don’t arrive famished. Your body will be less likely to crave all the fat threats.
Location, Location, Location
Locations can make a great deal of difference between success and failure. This is also true in the world of fitness. Trust me, if you stand next to the chip table for the whole party you will eventually eat a whole bag by yourself. STAY AWAY FROM THE SNACK TABLE! You will have less opportunity to get the treats if you are farther away.
B.Y.O.A!
Bring Your Own Alcohol. Alcohol is not our friend. It does terrible things to out metabolism. It has empty calories. For some, it even increases carvings for fatty foods. My suggestion: avoid it like the plague. However, I know that is not possible, we all like beer or wine. So if you must, bring your own allotment and stop when it has gone. Using the available cups to drink from a keg ensures that you will loose track of how many you have had.
Remember your efforts
When you get to the perfect size and shape, you will feel it. It will make you confident and secure. This is the perfect time to remember how hard it was, how many hours you put in at the gym, how you changed your diet and all the other sacrifices you made. Next time you think of one more piece of cake wont hurt, remember your efforts.
Pick the right gathering
When you have to decide which gathering to go to, pick the gathering that will cater to your lifestyle. Seeing old college friends is great, but if that means drinking till 4 a.m and then going for a greasy breakfast, It may not be the best idea for your body. Peer pressure is the worst.
Schedule your workouts
Don’t miss a workout just because there is party. It you show up an hour late at the party because you went to the gym, chances are you will arrive just in time to see the first drunk! If you do not workout the day of the party, make sure you workout the day before and the day after it as well. The day after is to take away the guilt of eating too many deep fried foods! Even if it is a light workout it will do wonders for the psyche.