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Five steps to the perfect Bikini Body courtesy of Harpers Fitness
03-Jun-09
Being motivated to train when the sun is shining and all your friends and colleagues opt for the pub rather than the gym is always hard. Harpers Fitness, the name of community, public access leisure has some top tips to keep you motivated and of course, looking your best as you stroll down the beach. To get that perfect beach body it is 90% nutrition and 10% blood, sweat and tears says David Coulthard, Harpers Health and Fitness Manager and he always recommend visiting a site like www.harpersnutrition.co.uk when you decide to undertake a full body overhaul, “Ensuring you have protein with each meal of the day is a good way of feeling full and so you won’t be tempted to snack later on. If you do snack then choose a protein bar or shake as this will keep hunger at bay until your next meal.”
Following these five steps might not be easy but the results will be exactly what you’ve been after and I promise you’ll look and feel fantastic!
Focus
The key to healthy bikini body is down to motivation and nutrition and you can get that by visiting the Harpers Nutrition website and by seeing a personal trainer for advice. Don’t starve yourself by skipping meals or over exercise and injure yourself.
Think
Forget thinking thin - think FIT! Envisage yourself as a healthy and active person. You will train your mind to take into account your growing fitness and energy levels rather than concentrating on the scales.
Believe
Most people start a new exercise programme with vigour but become easily bored when they don’t see instant results and give up before they’ve really tried. If you believe you’re capable of losing weight, toning up and getting fitter then you’ll easily achieve your goal. Imagine yourself with the figure you want, even have a little pose in the mirror. It’ll really get your confidence booming when you start to notice your clothes are a little looser or your body more toned.
Eat
Eating six small meals daily will help keep your metabolic rate elevated and at its optimum. Each portion should contain lots of protein and brightly coloured vegetables.
Little changes always help to make the most difference:
• Always opt for wholegrain, such as wholemeal bread, whole-wheat pasta and brown rice. We digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel fuller for longer.
• Team steamed or poached white fish with boiled potatoes which have the highest satiety index of any food.
• Reducing your salt intake can help you lose lbs instantly through the release of retained water in the body.
• Unfortunately alcohol is high in calories, and we know you want to enjoy the odd cocktail by the pool with your summer bikini body but why not replace them with fruit cocktails or smoothies. You’ll still look the part and it’ll help you towards your five portions of fruit and vegetables!
David continues, “A common problem I often come across with many potential clients is that they don’t actually eat enough! Weird I know, but when you begin training and start burning 400-800 kcal an hour plus what your body naturally burns you can create quite a large deficit which forces your body’s natural instinct of survival. This in turn slows your natural metabolism leading to a plateau in results and a decrease in motivation; this is the point where a lot of us give up!
Be strong
Your workouts must be a mixture of high intensity and low intensity workouts. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is awesome at torching body fat and forces you to work way above your regular intensity which means you’ll churn through far more calories. Low intensity workouts will help elevate your resting metabolic rate and promote you body to burn body fat naturally, rather than just burning it after a training session.
Most importantly, have fun. Working out at the gym with friends or joining a running club not only offers support and motivation but it’s social. No point in getting the bikini body for summer and not being able to show it off!
