Seven Slimming Summer Tips

1. Drink 8-10 glasses of water every day. Cut out all soft drinks and fruit juices and load up on water. You’ll cut out a large amount of sugar from your diet and facilitate fat burning. You’ll also end up eating less because water fills you up. Before you devour your lunch, chug a full glass of water.

2. Interval train to save time and burn more fat. Don’t spend hours at the gym to get in shape, switch to interval training for better results and less time on your cardio machine. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, more calories are burned in short, high intensity exercises. Studies have shown that interval training can help “increase your metabolism, burn calories from fat and carbohydrates, and keep burning calories long after you finish exercising.” For instance, if you like to run for your cardio workout, try alternating jogging and sprinting in two-minute increments. You’ll be surprised at how fast the time goes by compared to your old, long and slow endurance routine.

3. Exercise as soon as you wake up. Before you raid the frig for breakfast, try squeezing in a morning workout. This is the optimal time to burn fat instead of carbohydrates because your body has been fasting throughout the night, creating a depletion of glycogen (stored carbohydrate) and lower blood sugar. Plus, if you exercise in the morning, you not only burn fat during your workout but at an accelerated rate for hours after.

4. Stretch every day. How do you think dancers stay so slim? Stretching helps elongate our muscles so we don’t “bulk up.” If you exercise, be sure to stretch for at least half the time of your workout.

5. “It takes fat to burn fat.” Sounds like an oxymoron, but actually “good fats, which are found in coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts and omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, help control your insulin levels, slow down carbohydrates rate of entry into the blood stream and sends a signal to your brain to stop eating, according to Dr. Barry Sears of “The Zone.” This doesn’t mean scarf down a pound of guacamole for lunch. Use these “good fats” as meal condiments and take a fish oil or omega-3 supplement every day.

6. Eat Breakfast! A common misconception is to skip breakfast to cut daily calories. But actually, studies show that those who eat breakfast actually weigh less than those who skip. According to Meal Matter nutrition, “when you skip breakfast, your metabolic rate slows down and your blood sugar drops. As a result, you become hungry and have less energy. This sets you up to impulsively snack in the morning – often on carbs – or to eat extra servings or bigger portions at lunch or dinner. When you eat breakfast, your body feels nourished and satisfied, making you less likely to overeat the rest of the day.”

7. Take home leftovers when dining out. Be sure to take at least 1/3 of it home for later.

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Adapted from http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/valleygirlblog/fitness-health/ten-tips-to-slim-down-for-summer/