Summer Bodies: The Reality

No! Just throw it away! Do it! I’ll know if you didn’t.

Summer Bodies: The Reality

I am sitting on my balcony on this semi-warm day here in Chicago. It reminds that summer is right around the corner, which, of course, is awesome.  I mean, who doesn’t love summer, right? However…it also reminds me that with summer, the gyms, trainers, supplement companies and many other devious foes come out of the woodwork to prey on the naïve and out of shape. In a couple of weeks you will see slogans like “get your summer body here” or “it’s time to get bikini ready” everywhere you go. All the supplement stores like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe will start putting up banners with fitness models holding the latest in thermo genic “technology”. Telling you how they lost 10lbs in 10 days and you can too. Well my friends guess what: IT’S ALL A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!!!

Building your summer body actually started a few months ago. So if you are just now trying to get in summer shape you’re already behind. But have no fear, if you follow the guidelines I am about to give you, you will be in better shape then you are today and at the very least you will feel comfortable in your swimsuit. Keep in mind for next year: your summer body needs to start building itself before Valentine’s Day not St. Patrick’s Day.

So first things first, let’s start in the kitchen. Go into your pantry, your fridge and your freezer and throw out anything that is not nutrient dense.  Cereal, pop tarts, frozen breakfast foods (ahem, leggo those eggo waffles), boxed pantry foods like Hamburger Helper, anything that was not grown or raised, THROW IT OUT.  You may however keep any frozen veggies and fruits that are flash frozen, throw them out if they were frozen in a mixture of chemicals.  All done? Good.  Now there should be a lot more room to stock up on the following:

• Raw or Frozen leafy greens and fibrous vegetables ( asparagus, spinach, broccoli, green beans)
• Raw or Frozen fruits high in antioxidants (any of the berries, bananas, oranges, apples)
• Complex carbs (Long grain brown rice, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, quinoa, steel cut oatmeal, Ezekiel bread)
•  Hormone free, free range proteins (lean ground beef, chicken, turkey, cod, tilapia, salmon, eggs, egg whites)
• Dairy and Non Dairy fillers (almond milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese).

Notice how most of these items are real; they are not from a box or heavily processed. Your grains may come in boxes, but be sure to look at the ingredients to make sure no bad friends have tagged along for the ride.

With these options you should be able to make a wide variety of meals to keep you satisfied. Be sure to keep checking the Fitastic Nutrition for more recipes with all these different types of healthy, nutrient dense foods.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about exercise. Now all of you are different.  You have different fitness levels, different goals, etc.  So, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that there is just one program that will work for all of you because then I would be a liar just like all the other health marketing A-holes I mentioned above. So instead, I want you to focus on these tips to guide you in your training effort:

• Train 5 days a week (Find the time. You have it, no excuses)
• Make sure you enjoy the workouts you create (Don’t pick things you don’t like to do. That’s just stupid because you won’t do them.)
• Knockout some more cardio.  Go to a group X class, punch a punching bag, run outside, kill the stairs, whatever form of cardio you enjoy, do it.  Increasing your cardio will help burn fat more quickly. However, don’t overdo it and don’t only do cardio.  30-45 minutes, 4 times a week should be efficient.
• LIFT WEIGHTS! That goes for you too ladies. Get in the free weight area and start lifting. You will burn more calories and build lean muscle faster lifting real weight.  That means NO 3lb dumbbells.
• Focus on larger muscle groups. To the men, yes, biceps are important on the beach, however you don’t want huge biceps and huge man boobs because that just looks weird. Everyone, focus on these movements: Squats, Dead Lifts, Chest Press (Barbell or Dumbbell), Pulls Ups, Lunges, Push Ups, and Shoulder Press. By focusing on the larger muscle groups you will burn more calories and get more bang for your buck. Don’t worry the smaller muscles will grow along with the larger ones.
• Get adequate rest. Nothing will happen to your body if you don’t rest. Really focus and manage your time to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
• And finally (here come the shameless plug) go and build your workouts using the FREE Fitastic workout builder.  Or, if you need more accountability, go try a free week trial of a Fitastic program or train with me.

There you have it. Will you get your ideal summer body if you start now? Honestly I can’t really tell you, but you now have the knowledge and a lot of options to help you get there. Please use these tips and push yourself to see the results you have always wanted. If you need more accountability again go try a free week trial of a Fitastic program. There is also personal training available, either in person or online, with me, Wild Will.Don’t fall into despair now that the sun is shining, the birds are singing and your winter weight is still hanging around your middle. You have the information, now it’s up to you to dig deep, pick yourself up and PUSH YOURSELF!! Trust me there is joy in the challenge, it’s tough, yes, but it is so worth it! Remember if you need more help (please don’t be ashamed, I needed more help and I asked for it) go to the site or contact me via email at willwilson1984@gmail.com for training program options. I have options that fit every ones needs and budget.  Now, let’s raise a protein shake together and make one big promise to ourselves.  This spring we are going to push ourselves together, reach new feats and finally not feel ashamed in our bathing suits!

See more pictures and get more tips by following Fitastic on Twitter and Instagram @feelfitastic. Be sure to send us a tweet or message that you are now following us so we can follow you back. Face Book is the central hub for everything we put out, don’t miss a single post. Go “like” our page, now, this very second. You’re already on your computer now so quickly go “like” the page. Ha I’m in a playful mood. Have a great week everyone! Be sure to enjoy the weather and always stay positive.W³