Be In Better Shape By The End Of Summer

Summer offers up the perfect time to get fit and healthy. The weather is perfect for some early morning outdoor training, cycling to and from work, or a game of soccer in the park with friends.

It enables you to be active without even thinking about it. It can also affect your diet, as summer is the time for grilled lean meat on the BBQ and fresh, light, vibrant salads with plenty of delicious vegetables.

That said, it’s of significant importance to set goals for yourself. Just being outdoors all the time won’t cut it – you’ll be around people having a few beers and snacking on a few little treats, all of which will get in the way of you getting super-fit this summer.

Cinnamon And Ice

Add cinnamon to shakes and smoothies, mix it into rubs for your meat or sprinkle a little on fruit. It’s probably one of the easiest ways to help with weight loss; in layman’s terms, it has a regulatory effect on blood sugar levels and increases insulin levels in your body.

It mimics what insulin does and increases the rate at which you metabolize glucose. A high blood sugar level prompts your body to store more fat, but cinnamon will help fight this.

The list of cinnamon’s benefits is long, but if you’re struggling to add it to your diet in any regular way, simply mix it with hot water, let it cool and then sip away.

Another relatively simple one for burning fat is the ice bath. Load a bath with ice, get in it and sit there for at least ten minutes.

The science is straightforward on this one – your body wants to maintain itself at a certain temperature and it will do whatever it can to keep you at 98.6 degrees.

In a cold bath, your temperature is lowered and your body will burn calories to produce heat – most often in the form of fat – to get you back to your correct temperature. It’ll hurt, but build yourself up.

Drink Less, Eat More

To keep on track with your weight loss goal, cut out simple carbs and boost protein levels. This might sound obvious but make it a goal – when you eat out, when you prep meals at home, when you eat at friend’s houses.

Do your research too – find out which meat and fish are higher in proteins and which carbs are lower on the GI index and therefore better for energy.

It’s easy enough to give in to alcohol if you’ve cut it out entirely. And once you have, it’s a slippery slope down to smashing back the beers with your friends and waking up with a whole load of calorific intake, a hangover that wants to be soaked up by greasy food and no desire to go to the gym.

Be honest with yourself and allow yourself a drink or two, but cut out that lager for vodka and soda with a squeeze of lime – you’ll be glad you did in the morning.