Operation Summer Fitness

YOU may have noticed that the morning’s getting a bit lighter and hints of spring are in the air. For a lot of people, now is the time to book the summer holiday. You have been back at work for over two months since the new year and you need something to take your mind off the drudgery, so you spend your break times looking up holiday sites.
With that in mind, half way through March is the perfect time to renew your efforts in the gym or even restart them if they’ve fallen by the wayside. It is only a couple of months before summer and, inevitably, the idea of slipping into a bikini or shorts. 
So, you need a plan that will help you get ready and feeling comfortable in your swimwear this summer. We’re going to look at a combination of tips which, if executed together, are a recipe for guaranteed success.

THE PLAN
Step 1: Take some photos (commonly referred to as “before photos”). These are a snapshot of your physique today and, for added incentive, why not wear the bikini or the swimming shorts you aim to be wearing on the beach.
The reason we take these is not to make you feel disheartened in any way but to keep you accountable over the coming months. Take a photo from the front, side and back and keep these in a place that only you can see, but can see regularly.
Step 2: Find a good training space, this could be a gym or even your own living room. The main thing here is that you have a space in mind to complete your workouts whether they are involving equipment or simply just bodyweight.
Step 3: Now for the workouts themselves. Combine different types of strength training, cardiovascular exercises, and metabolic circuits to maximise the effectiveness of 
your workouts.
For instance, rather than constantly running for long periods of time, why not try some barbell complexes (series of barbell exercises performed back to back in a sequence), followed by some cardiovascular intervals such as tabattas (a form of interval training whereby you work hard for a certain amount of time and rest for a short time, for example, 8 rounds of 20 seconds working out then 10 seconds of recovery on a spin bike). Not only will you get a full-body strength workout but you will send your metabolism into overdrive with the sprints 
on the bike.
Step 4: Revamp your nutrition – no crash diets or juice detoxes here but stick to some basic rules of clean eating. Aim to eat at regular intervals and plan your meals accordingly so that even in a rush you have access to good nutritious food that will fuel your workouts and your recovery.
Aim to choose from single-ingredient foods that you can combine into meals as opposed to buying packaged meals. Stick to the fresh produce section, butcher section and fishmonger section and aim to avoid venturing into the other aisles in the supermarket as best as you can.
Step 5: Recovery is key to your efforts. The magic of body transformation happens during rest. Aim to increase your sleep especially if you don’t get much as it is. Try turning the light off a little earlier, avoid being on your phone at least an hour before bed and avoid watching TV immediately before bed. Supplement with magnesium or have an epsom salt bath. Studies have shown that magnesium can aid in sleep and recovery from tough workouts. Book a sports massage to take care of the tight muscles from your workouts.
Step 6: Be Consistent. With the best intentions, sometimes life will inevitably get in the way and you might not be able to make it to the gym. Have contingencies in place such as a go-to home workout meaning you don’t miss your workout entirely and keep yourself on track.
Also remember step one and the photographs you took, look back and take some more photos at different intervals such as the end of each month so you can see your results and keep motivated.
Follow these steps above and you 
will be set up for success with your 
summer fitness goals. 
Below is a sample week worth of 
workouts that you could follow to kickstart your training.