In the summertime, the living is easy…if you have a stunning body. But if you haven’t been paying attention to your shape in the past few months, it’s still not too late to start work on achieving that head-turning figure. Still, if you want to show up at the beach rocking a gorgeous physique, but have no magic wand up your tracksuit sleeve, you’d better arm yourself with some smart fitness hacks in order to get the most out of your workout this summer.
Don’t know which items to add to your bag of fitness tricks? Here, have a quick look at these four ideas and use them to cut out the hassle from your weight loss agenda.
1. Carbs Up Front, Protein At The Back
The fact that you have a few pounds to shed doesn’t mean you need to ditch carbohydrates from your menu until further notice, or indeed that you should load your plate with protein for that matter. If you want to get the most out of your summer workout routine, time your meals right. For best training results, structure your pre-workout meals around carb-rich foods: studies show that it’ll help keep your muscles properly fuelled and ensure maximum bulk gain. Also, you should shift your intake of protein-high foods such as dairy, eggs, fish, and nuts to the evening to minimise post-workout muscle soreness and promote recovery
2. Hit Your Fitness Jackpot With HIIT
Cardio and strength training can help set your quest for peak fitness on the right track, but if you want to speed up the process after you’ve built yourself decent endurance, you should consider switching to high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Training that is centred around highly dynamic intervals interspersed with brief rest periods entail greater cardiovascular gains and speedier weight loss, allowing you to accelerate fat burn and bulk building.
Still, try not to push your limits too far too soon, as excess muscle strain or injury can leave you bed-ridden for days on end and completely derail your training effects down the road.
3. A Toast To Your Fitness
Hydration is another vital point that can make or break your workout results. To stay on the safe and well-watered side of the barbell, time your hydration properly: it’ll help prevent fatigue and energy drain halfway through the workout. Apart from helping you maximise workout intensity, proper hydration will shave the risk of muscle loss something that commonly plagues gym-goers.
During a demanding workout, you can lose up to 2-10% of your bodyweight through sweat, and this can compromise your metabolic function if you don’t make up for the lost fluid in due time. To keep dehydration at bay, it’s best for you to drink small quantities of water throughout the day.
4. Remember To Breathe
Warming up before exercise is vital for injury prevention and muscle growth, but even with a dynamic training prep in place, many gym goers fail to achieve desired muscle building results, because they don’t stretch after the workout. To get the biggest bulk bang for your fitness buck, set aside 10-15 minutes to stretch vital muscle groups and enhance flexibility, boost circulation, increase range of motion, and allow your body to cool down gradually. Additionally, you can mix up stretches with meditation or conscious breathing, and arm yourself with fitness accessories that promote mind-body equilibrium such as incense sticks, Tibetan prayer flags, fragrant oils, and scented candles.
The fact that summer’s almost here and you’re still a few pounds above your ideal weight isn’t a reason to let despair, shame, or stress take the wheel. Instead of ditching your seaside holiday plans, put these simple yet highly efficient workout hacks to use and burn stubborn fat, tone your muscles, and top up your energy stock thoroughly before you hit the beach.
Good luck!
Sophia Smith is an Australian based fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger. She is very passionate about organic beauty products, yoga and healthy lifestyle. Sophia writes mostly in beauty and lifestyle related topics, mainly through blogs and articles. She is regular contributor at High Style Life and Ripped.
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