As summer soon approaches, I get asked a lot of questions about how to be in the best shape for the beach season. Here are my three favourite tips for a stunning look:
Drink 500ml of mineral water with a pinch lemon and pink salt when you wake up
Make sure you do this before you drink anything else that day, like coffee or fruit juice. Most people are dehydrated and don't even know it until they feel tired, lethargic or even when they get a headache from lack of water. Start the day by hydrating your body and adding a bit of flavour from lemon, which also is alkalising. Then add a good pinch of high mineral salt, which is proven by many studies to be beneficial for your health. This will instantly make you feel invigorated. Most of my clients have a very busy life and don't have time to sit down and have their breakfast before they go to work. Some of them don't feel hungry at all in the morning, but they all agreed that after drinking water after they got up, they felt more energised. Try drinking water and going for a workout or a run in the morning, it does wonders for your body.
Do cardio in the morning
Go for a run as soon as you get out of bed, while you are still fasting. Why is cardio in fasting mode so good? Going without eating for a period of time, like during sleep – shifts the body toward burning fat for fuel.
Why? Liver glycogen and blood sugar are lower after fasting, so the body is forced to burn fat for fuel in a fasted state.
Tap into fat stores without eating away any muscle, don't go for sprints or high intensity training, rather find a pace not so fast, not too slow and persevere for no longer than 30 minutes.
This will massively decrease your fat percentage. Drink half litre of water, as previously mentioned, If you're still scared of losing muscle, add amino acids or a spoon of glutamine to your water pre cardio and go!
Blast your body fat off with HIIT workouts
High Intensity Interval Training or working out at 80-90 per cent of your maximum heart rate is the fastest way to burn fat and increase muscle size without looking too bulky. If you don't have a heart monitor and are unsure whether you've trained at your maximum heart rate, try an intensity where you begin to fight against your psychological motivation to stop, this is when your heart rate is extremely high. Maintain that heart rate for as long as possible, around 45-180 seconds, then rest for 120 seconds. Alternatively, break it down into short bursts of 20 seconds flat-out, with 30-second "rest" periods. Work at 70-80 percent of your full capacity until you've accumulated three minutes total at your maximum, which should take seven and a half minutes.
The “Tabata protocol” — 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off — has become one of the most common methods of doing HIIT and it tops my list of favourite HIIT workout.
Try this:
A1 - 20secs of fast sprints alternated with 10 seconds of relaxed recovery walking, for a total of 8 intervals, or 4 minutes.
A2 - 20secs of kettle bell swings with 100m sprints for a total of 8 intervals 45-180seconds 120seconds rests.
These three fat-loss strategies are simple to follow and all you need to get in a better shape fast. Understanding how to apply this will get you your abs faster than ever.