Summer Fat Loss Tips
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This week I booked my summer holiday with the family, and its always a great feeling knowing I can get out and get some Sun to my body. However most people dread this part of the year because they fear getting out their body’s in front of loved ones, or even people they don’t know too.
Here are six of my tips for exercise in the build up to summer so you’ll feel confident every time you whip your clothes off:
1) Stick to resistance exercise over cardio. Doing too much cardio is a common mistake for people trying to burn fat. Doing resistance exercise actually increases your metabolism for up to 72 hours AFTER you finish working out, as opposed to cardio when your metabolism drops immediately.
2) Perform whole body exercises. Avoid doing exercises for your small muscles on their own – biceps curls, triceps dips, ab crunches (yes – your abs are relatively small) – and go for bigger exercises and bigger muscles as you will burn more calories. Examples of good exercises are squats, deadlifts, push-ups, pull-ups and lunges.
3) Use free-weights or body-weight exercises. Using free/body-weight exercises utilise all of your smaller stabiliser muscles that are key to posture and good functions, as well as burning more calories in the process. Use these instead of machines and you will be on your way to a better body instantly. Look around the gym at the people using machines, and then the people using free weight – I know who I’d rather look like!
4) Think about your posture. Improving your posture will instantly improve the way you look – what looks better – someone with rounded back and shoulders, or someone standing tall and proud? Posture is very individual and it is difficult to prescribe for everyone reading, but start by keeping your shoulders back, head back, and have your knees slightly soft when you stand.
5) Stretch more. Stretching is a great way to tone your muscles, without adding too much stress to the body. Join a Yoga class or get a ball and a mat and stretch away remembering to only stretch the muscles that feel tight.
6) Exercise less!! You probably think I have definitely gone crazy now, but rest and relaxation are as important to getting results as the exercise itself. If you go through a period of not improving in the gym, you know you are doing too much and it’s time to cut back.
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Thank you for posting these exercise tips. There are so many exercises to do that it can be overwhelming at times to find the perfect one that works for you. Sometimes you go overboard and get no results! I know that happens to me!
You are very welcome PJ. Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll be including some pictures of sample exercises! Keep up the good work!