FITNESS: Starting the Summer Countdown (Part 1)

Well, Tuesday was the first day of Spring.

Didn’t it sneak up on you – at least a little bit? Are you one of those people who promises herself: “Next year I’ll get started on a fitness/weight loss program in plenty of time for the summer!” and then it sneaks right by you?

The time is now.

Given that you might be skeptical about the importance of addressing the issue while there’s still a chill in the air instead of a week before you’re heading to the beach, let me break it down for you: Three months is roughly 40 workouts (averaging about three workouts a week) and about 400 meals and snacks (assuming three meals a day and one and two snacks a day.) So, given that a reasonable rate of healthy weight loss is about 1% of your bodyweight weekly, you’re right on schedule.

That’s the good news. You have plenty of time.

What’s the bad news? You’re probably doing very few of the things that will get you the body you want by then.

But relax. I’m here to help.

Here’s the shortcut for most people for exercise – more efficient workouts that are consistently progressive in intensity. Whether you’re a regular exerciser who has hit a stubborn plateau or a new exerciser who wants to cut right to the best result possible without wasting time and money, there’s a pretty simple formula. I’ll go over that next week.

This week I want to cover the more influential element in the equation – the way we eat. Here’s why – whether or not you’re exercising, the key to getting lean is to eat clean (more on this in the attached video). That means a high nutrient value and volume for the calories you take in. And it also means eating to satisfy your hunger and keep your blood sugar levels stable, not for comfort or simply enjoyment.

As for composition, or what you do eat, the two most under-represented items for most people are, by a pretty fair margin, water and veggies. So, here are a few habits to help you get enough of both throughout the day:

1. Drink water before (but not during) every meal or snack. Click here for some details of the benefits.
2. Include frozen chopped spinach in scrambled eggs, pasta sauces, soups and dips (use low fat plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for a much healthier version of several popular dips).
3. Drink herbal, fruit, green or white tea (hot or iced) between meals.
4. Snack on “finger” veggies like baby carrots, snap peas and grape tomatoes at least once a day.

If you make just a few of the right changes to your eating habits, you can easily drop a few hundred calories a day without feeling deprived, and increase your body’s ability to burn stored fat more efficiently.

Try these simple changes and watch the scale reward you as the warmer months approach.

The picture above is a slice of egg white, artichoke and cheese quiche I got from the Livermore Costco, topped with frozen chopped spinach, plain Greek yogurt, peach pineapple salsa and a few bacon bits from the Santa Rita and Valley .

Want to talk in-person? I’m usually at the studio http://trivalleytrainer.com/ and can always be reached at Dan@TriValleyTrainer.com .