Issue #50, March 23, 2007

Let the Bikini Countdown Begin

by Justina Fargiano

Have you over-indulged during the winter months? Does the thought of being seen in your bathing suit send shivers down your spine? Many of us tend to slack off in the winter – we forfeit watching our diets to treat ourselves with holiday cookies and candies, and we don’t exercise as often as we should. Now it’s time to get with it, because summer is just around the corner. To help you, here are a few key things to know about getting your body back into bikini shape in the next three months.

Rather than going on a diet, try to make a lifestyle change. By making a permanent change, it will be easier to continue eating better well into the future. One of the most important things to do while you are watching what you eat is to keep a food journal. Before you begin your lifestyle change, write down everything you normally eat during a day to get a sense of what you need to alter. The best way to lose weight is by eating lots of protein, to help build lean muscle, and lots of fiber, to help clean out your system. Three sensible meals per day, one or two sensible snacks and lots of water will get your body on the right track to looking great in a bikini this summer.

It is also important to set a goal for yourself in terms of how much weight you would like to lose during a specified amount of time. Again, before you begin your new regimen, record all of your body measurements and weight. Measurements are a better way of keeping track of your progress, as weight comes off quicker in the beginning, due to your body losing a lot of water. By retaking your measurements every two weeks and comparing your results, it is easy to see how close you are to your goal. If you don’t know the specific areas of your body to measure, you can consult a personal trainer at a health club and they can do it for you.

In order to get a bikini body by summer, it is imperative that you walk through those health club doors or put your running shoes on and get moving. At least one hour of exercise should be done at least five or six times per week to reach your goal by June. No matter what shape and size you are, all bodies look better when they are lean and toned. Along with eating right, exercising will help you get the look you want.

Cardio is one of the three main components in exercise. It should last between thirty and sixty minutes per workout session – the longer and more intense the cardio, the more calories you will burn. Weight training, the second main component of exercise, is just as essential as the first. It is important to spend just as much time and effort lifting weights and toning your muscles as you do practicing cardio exercises. If lifting weights is a new thing for you, some guidance is necessary. You can consult a personal trainer at a health club or take a conditioning class – either one of these will give you the help you need to achieve your goal. The third main component of effective exercise is stretching. Stretching out your muscles before and after each workout is imperative to preventing injury. Stretch for at least five minutes at the beginning and end of every workout.

If you have been exercising regularly without getting any results, it may be time to change your routine. When the body does the same exercises again and again, at some point it becomes resistant to them and those same exercises that helped you achieve a lean physique last summer will not have the same effect as they did when you first started working out. If you are a power walker, try running for a minute or two every quarter mile. If you climb the Stairmaster day in and day out, get on the Elliptical or try taking a Step or Spin class.

Memorial Day weekend will be here before you know it, and then the summer will have officially begun. By eating right, exercising daily and keeping track of your progress in a notebook, you will find yourself wearing a bikini confidently by the time you set foot on the beach. So what are you waiting for? Get up off the couch, and get to it!