Get Swimsuit Ready

Finally the warm weather is here! Time to get rid of the puffer jackets, turtlenecks and any garment with the word ‘fleece’ or ‘flannel’.

Despite the season, a recent survey revealed that 65 percent of woman said they did not feel comfortable wearing a swimsuit. I would imagine that figure is likely higher and being a woman myself I feel strongly enough to say that buying the perfect swimwear is just as difficult as finding a great pair of jeans!

Find A 'Swimwear Specialist'

Seek out a staff memeber at a good department store who can make your search more manageable and who can pick something that flatters your figure and enhances your assets!

Love The Skim You Are In

Move with confidence and grace – it exudes an inner beauty more than you know.

Adjust Your Diet

Calories Count! Portion size is the single most important change you can make. Cut it in half!
Fried anything, starches and sugars should be avoided as much as possible as they inhibit your body from burning fat and end up making your hungrier!
Alcohol also inhibits your body from burning fat…often as long as up to 48 hours!
Read food labels and try to stay under 50 grams of fat per day. Be aware that sugar and starches and converted to fat, unlike protein.
Let protein be the main ingredient in your food choices as this food group rarely converts to fat! Supplement with as much fresh vegetables as you want, especially the green leafy kind. Skip the excess dressing and oils, which pack, on hidden fat and extra calories.
Diet trends don’t work, but long-term changes do. Remember it’s the calories that count! If there were a miracle diet or pill then surely Oprah would have endorsed it a long time ago!

Exercise

Start to move more. Break at least a little sweat 3-4 days a week for a minimum of 20-30 minutes a day through aerobic activity.
Aerobic exercise is better for initial weight loss than actual weights. I teach Pilates and tell my clients all the time that if they want to loose weight to supplement their workouts by doing something as simple as taking a daily brisk walk. Put a serious bounce in your step if you like to walk! Walk with a purpose – hold your posture erect, keep a good rhythm and stride and awaken your senses by breathing and enjoying your surroundings.
Swimming, biking, dancing are all great alternatives too. The key is to like the activity you choose.

Tone

If have a had penny for every client that said they wanted to ‘spot train’ a certain part of their body, I would be rich!!! There is really no such thing as spot training. In the fitness industry we call that over training or muscular imbalance.
The best way to train is to work first the stabilizers of your trunk, the abs, back and hips to help you improve posture and to support you while you train your extremities. Work in all positions; standing, seated, kneeling, laying supine, laying prone as well as side lying positions. Exercise in all planes of movement, moving forward (sagital plane) , rotating the body (your transverse plane) and side bending or laterally flexing your upper and lower extremities ( your coronal plane). If you always move your body forward, it will eventually wear out which is why we have to think of cross training and learning to balance the body by adding different movements.
If you are a runner, try pilates to help strengthen the hips, knees and feet.
If you are a yoga lover, try adding some weight bearing exercises to increase muscles mass.
Whatever you do, learn to do it well. Enlist the help of a professional trainer, if only even for a few sessions, to help motivate and guide you in the right direction. I have had several clients come to me over the years to uderstand the principles and correct form required for pilates mat exercises so they can reap more benefit from attending a group class.
The key to success in any program or to implement long term change is to engage your mind to allow your body to work to it’s full potential. Educating and motivating yourself will give you the necessary will power is the key to success in any program or in implement long-term change.