As the summer is approaching, the race for getting the perfect body is steaming up. Image is everything. But how quick can you get it? Not overnight. One of the busiest times at my local gym in London this year, was the morning of February the 14th. As if one hour of crunches that day alone would make you get Mario Lopez' stomach by the time you hit your valentine's dinner table!
From young age we learn to look up to actors, singers and athletes with amazing figures.
They too feel the pressure to stay healthy and continue to look young over the years as if that is as important as having the best vocal or acting skills. It is not too long ago Karl Lagerfeld told the world that Adele was "a little too fat but she has a nice face". Likely for her she's got the best humanly possible voice so she still gets to keep her day job.
Karl Lagerfeld's comments shocked the public but isn't that what most of us preach? Gwyneth Paltrow was voted the most beautiful celebrity as well as the most hated celebrity within the same month this year. We hate what we don't have. Are we denying our vanity? Personally, I do not think that there is anything wrong with wanting to "look good and feel great". After all, the fitness and anti-aging industry is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. But how do you achieve it? How did our beauty icons achieve it? Definitely not by squeezing a whole year's workout into the morning of Valentine's Day.
Of course, genetics have some role to play here. Research has proven that our body has a natural weight it likes. That means that, when we stop "being careful" our body goes back to its original weight and shape. In order to achieve and then improve or simply maintain the look we are after, we must pick a good plan and then stick with it. And there are ways to make this happen quickly.
They key factor here is the body fat percentage and not the actual figure on the scale. The right training, nutrition, supplementation and of course lifestyle can jump start your body and over time transform it into a fat burning machine that will help reduce the body fat percentage and get us closer to Mario's abs.
Our body is fueled with carbohydrates, fat and proteins which are used as our energy source throughout our day. Although fat is what we want to shave off, ironically fat in food itself, does not necessarily make you fat. Our body utilises sugar and carbs as a first source of energy before it starts burning fat. By limiting the sugar and carbs intake for 10 days, you force your body to start burning the fat that otherwise is stored for good and is not going anywhere. The reduction of carbs must be coupled with sufficient good fat and protein intake to ensure high energy levels and muscle growth as every pound of muscle we gain burns about 50 calories a day.
After the initial 10 days and once you are ready for some normality, you simply want to use common sense while eating. That means portion control. Picture your stomach size before filling your plate. Think quality, not quantity.
Our body is like a car and our food is the fuel. The right fuel will give you the right results. The right supplements will also help you get there quicker. We constantly get bombarded by articles on the importance of healthy substances like vitamins, anti-oxidants and fibre, for a very good reason.
Same goes for our life style. Good sleep and moderation across the board will reflect in the results.
But you didn't think that you could get that sexy body in short time just by eating healthy and sleeping well. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has proven to be an effective way of training for those who want to burn fat quickly. Training at approximately 70 per cent of your maximal heart rate combined with short breaks can offer a great calorie burn in half the time. Raising your heart rate with daily training will continue to boost your metabolism long after you stop working out.
Eat and train right according to your plan and you can start burning calories in your sleep. It that simple!