Beach Body How To's

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Beach Body How To’s

What does having a Beach Body mean to you? I think one thing we could all agree on is that a Beach Body means NOT being embarrassed to put on our swim suit, however skimpy or full. Taken further, this usually means at least tightening things up some, and most likely for the majority of us who aren’t at our ideal weight, losing a few (or more) pounds.

We’ve mentioned this on numerous occasions, and it still holds true here: master the three pillars (eating clean, exercise to your fitness level, and supplementation) of physical health, and you’ll soon be swim suit worthy. But that may be too vague for some of us, so let’s break it down.

Since eating clean and supplementation both cover what and what not to put in our mouths, let’s start here. Everyone has eating plans (I hate the word diets) based on everything from the cavemen (Paleo) to our genetics, to even our blood type. I’ve tried a bunch and here’s what I call how I currently eat: conscious eating, meaning to me, consciously listening to my body, my mood and my knowledge of what I need, and making the best choices based on where I am and what is available.

With any eating plan, planning ahead keeps us out of trouble most of the time. I try to eat a protein (lean when possible) with some form of carbohydrate (fruit, vegetable and/or or small whole grain carbohydrate) with every food intake, be it a snack or meal. And I highly promote eating small portions, 5-6 time per day, to keep our metabolism stoked up. Carrying protein/carb balanced bars or shakes with you is a great way to guard against the candy, pastry, doughnut snack when you get caught in a low blood sugar crash.

If it’s white, take flight – white bread, pasta, and rice, and even potatoes, bananas, and corn (yellow, I know) are very high on the glycemic index, a system that measures how fast carbs turn to sugar (and deposit on your ass). Eating them is somewhat analogous to pouring sugar packets on your tongue. And while fruits and vegetables are encouraged, too many fruits, with their natural sugar content, can pack on the saddle bags. Of course, eating organic, grass fed, non GMO’s, hormone, pesticide and antibiotic free as well as non-processed are your best choices in general.

Oh sorry, how does this info get us to a Beach Body? It’s simple. We are what we eat. Excess body fat will hang, bubble (yes, cellulite, the dimples that aren’t cute), protrude and generally misshape your beautiful body. Six pack abs are only partially formed in Pilates class, as if you have too much fat on board, you won’t see your abs even if they’re well developed. The same goes for definition in the arm and legs. Excess body fat covers it all.

Eat as clean as you can, and pick high quality supplements to use to compliment and aid in the nutrition and performance of your body, where food perhaps falls short. I will say this once...there is a HUGE difference in the quality of multi-vitamins, fish oils and probiotics, as well as protein powders and other performance supplement products. Unfortunately, its’ buyer beware, so find a reputable company (I use Advocare products) and supplement away. You shouldn’t put low grade gasoline in a sports car and expect high performance.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

As far as exercise, cardio burns calories and resistance training, including but not limited to lifting weights, both burns calories and builds muscle. Being that our muscle mass dwindles yearly as we get older, it is imperative that we switch some of our cardio time to resistance training. One of the most common workout mistakes is doing cardio in such a high range (anaerobic) that we actually start to burn muscle instead of fat.

Muscle, for those who don’t know, is your body’s furnace for calorie burning. Why do you think men genetically have it easier in keeping excess weight off? Besides the fact women have built-in higher body fat (for having babies), they also have less muscle mass on average to burn calories with. Don’t be the one that says, “I don’t want to build muscle, it’s unattractive on a woman.” I guarantee you, the alternative is the unattractive choice!

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”                                     

                                                                                                Unknown

PS: By the way, if you find yourself with unwanted dimples, the one’s that aren’t cute, UP Beauty’s Anti-Cellulite Cream really works! Shameless plug!