Summer may be over but that doesn’t mean it’s time to start slacking on your workout plan or diet! For one thing, late fall and winter are great times to take a vacation to a warm, sunny place, preferably filled with beaches and pools. And even if you’re not able to get away this winter, it’s never too soon to start working on a new beach body workout to get yourself prepared for next summer!
Beyond the Beach Bod
While a fit physical appearance is perhaps the best motivator for many people to get back on the fitness grind, the benefits of staying active and physically fit are more substantial than just achieving a great beach body. Staying active regularly has been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses such as diastolic heart failure. However, only 5% of adults get the recommended 30 minutes of physically activity every day. This is for a number of reasons. Many of us have jobs that require more mental work than physical work, and many of us also commute a decent distance to get there. So between sitting in the car, sitting at work, and sitting at home to relax, we end up on our butts most of the day. Starting a new workout routine will both help keep you healthy and sculpt that beach bod.
Setting Aside Time for Exercise
With all these responsibilities and tasks it might seem like there’s no time to tone that body and stay healthy, but there are ways to make time for exercise each day! Even if you have to break up a 30 minute exercise throughout the day, it still counts. For instance, taking a few 10 minute walks throughout the day is equivalent to one half-hour walk. Turn those walks into jogs and get a nice sweat session going to really burn some fat!
Other life hacks to introduce more physical activity into your life include taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further from the office to get some extra walking time in, standing while working as opposed to sitting, and waking up an hour early to get an hour of exercise out of the way and energize your day! This last one might be difficult, but beach body workouts aren’t always easy!
Food Matters, Too
The path to a great beach bod involves more than just a good fitness plan. Diet is important too. It seems that every week a new diet study comes out to make last week’s study obsolete. Milk is great for you one day and akin poison the next. But aside from the corporations pushing their products and programs and trying to push their competitors out of the market, there are real, dependable diet solutions that are simpler than you might think.
Balance is key. Do some research on proper portions for your body type and make sure you’re eating a healthy combination of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and greens in each meal. To keep your metabolism effective, consider eating four to six smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to two to three large meals. And always remember to eat breakfast! This is especially true if you fit a workout in early in the morning.
The Internet age has made it easier than ever to find great beach body workouts, regardless of skill level and body type. Everyone can find programs right for them, and go from there. Summer might seem far away, but if you start now you might have the beach body of your dreams just in time for that first beach party of next summer!
