Spring-boarding into an amazing Summer …
It’s that time of year again when fat burners are being snatched up by the bunches at local sports nutrition shops. The air is warming up and everyone knows that you can’t go to the beach with a beer gut … unless you don’t mind the negative gawking. If you are like me, I start early. I don’t wait until summer is in full bloom before I make necessary changes to my diet and/or bump up the cardio. I usually start cleaning up my meals in late-March and ease into the cardio so that by mid-April, I am doing about an hour of cardio every single day. This diet/cardio regimen ensures that by the start of May, my abs will be in full-bloom along with summer.
Will this work for you? Absolutely. Is it too late? Definitely too late to be in shape by the start, but perhaps just in time to salvage at least a month or so of it. Here are some tips to help you along the way. If you are going to be utilizing fat-burners, maximize their effects by taking a serving in the morning and another one about an hour before training. Don’t double dose or consume more than one serving at a time as all this will do is make you feel like shit and increase the likelihood of a major health catastrophe. If you are going to be doing cardio, be sure to let your body breathe by not wearing heavy clothing such as hoodies. Even though being well-covered promotes sweating, it also makes it much harder for the body to cool down, and increases your chances of severe dehydration. So be nice to your body and let it breathe. Do at least 40 minutes of cardio daily, preferably after weight lifting to get the most out of your fat burning. Lastly, don’t rely on crazy fad diets that serve to trick the body into a rapid response. Fad diets may work initially, but eventually fail as the body will do what it has to do to restore balance. I have always been a proponent of balanced meals that offer a healthy combination of protein, carbs, and even fat (good fat that is). For example, a typical healthy meal for me consists of about 6-8 oz of chicken breast or turkey, 1 cup of clean carbs (potatoes, rice, yams), and a salad with light-vinegar dressing. If you have a fast metabolism, I suggest utilizing MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) to slow down the metabolism and give the body an alternate source of fuel.
Obviously there are many other things that can help you along the way, but the aforementioned are what I consider to be “standard practice” for leaning or toning up. Use this wonderful opportunity to not only get into shape for summer, but also to foster a life-long habit of health & wellness.