Planning to take a little trip to one of the most famous beaches in the world? There’s absolutely no time to waste — get your body in tip-top condition at once! You definitely don’t want to spend the entirety of your well-deserved holiday by feeling extremely self-conscious of the way you look. Nobody likes being the subject of those not-so-subtle judgmental stares from beach-goers, especially those self-important fitness snobs, sitting on their mats with their six-pack abs. Even without the blessing of a highly efficient metabolism, achieving the ultimate beach-ready body is well within your grasp as long as you’re ready to put in the effort necessary. Ready to begin? Here’s your very own guide to a beach-ready body.
Keep A Food Diary
One of the best ways of ensuring that you’re not overeating is to keep a food diary. Sticking to a healthy diet to achieve the beach-ready body of your dreams is easy enough to say, but actually doing it may not come as easily. Sometimes, we may not even notice that we’re actually piling on more calories than we should. Those of us who work in offices, in particular, may also be more prone to snacking as we work. It’s all too easy to exceed your calorie intake this way, even if it’s a seemingly healthier option, such as a nut bar. By keeping a food diary, you may find yourself more likely to think twice about eating something you shouldn’t and, instead, stick to more necessary meals for proper nutrition.
Control Your Sodium Intake
Not to be the bearer of bad news, but you do need to start limiting your sodium intake now. That includes putting a cap on how much soy sauce you dip your favourite sushi into. This is because excessive sodium in our system can lead to fluid retention, which can manifest in that extra inch of flab around your waist — and no amount of intense exercise or dieting is going to undo that. The average healthy adult is ever only going to require less than 2200 milligrams of sodium per day and simply consuming one tablespoon’s worth of sodium can amount to about half of that. You can also counter the effects of any excess in your intake of sodium by consuming an equal amount of potassium, easily found in vegetables and fruits, and flushing them out with water. If you’re not quite fond of water for some reason, teas such as chamomile and peppermint are also effective at flushing out sodium.
Consider Taking Up HIIT Workouts
Sticking to a well-balanced diet through a food diary may be enough to help you lose weight, but HIIT workouts can actually help you burn fat at an immensely fast pace. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, which typically involves engaging in short bursts of high-intensity exercise with brief intervals of breaks in between. There’s a lot of flexibility with HIIT training. For instance, you can push yourself as hard as you can on an elliptical machine for about 30 seconds before stopping for a minute — then, repeat cycles of that for at least 30 minutes. The internet is actually rich with numerous HIIT workout tutorials that you can easily follow. Just be sure to listen to your body and stop when you realise that you’re struggling far too much, especially if you don’t have a trainer to help you. It’s also important not to overdo it and train every single day since your body needs time to recover. Besides, the best part about HIIT is that it trains your body to keep burning fat even well beyond the length of the workout.
Eager to start your HIIT journey in the comfort of your own home? Kickstart it with this guide to setting up your own home gym.
Consider Permanent Hair Removal
Get perfectly smooth legs all the time by investing in permanent hair removal. When you’re on holiday, you’re not going to feel like shaving every single day at all — it’s just time-consuming beyond belief. Imagine spending an extra half an hour just to shave when you could be using all that time to play a short game of volleyball with your friends. Sure, you can always wax your legs, too, but the results won’t be quite as long-lasting as removing your hair using laser treatment. Moreover, if you opt for laser treatment, you can still enjoy the satisfaction of smooth, hair-free legs even after your holiday has ended.
Be Sure To Invest In Sun Protection For Your Skin
Last but certainly not least, do ensure that you do invest in all the right products to protect your skin from all that exposure to the sun. This is perhaps the most critical part ever. Unfortunately, life still goes on after every holiday and the last thing you want is to come back home, looking like the human representation of a well-cooked lobster. Actually, never mind the fact that it doesn’t look flattering — it’s going to feel really painful, too. The best way to prevent any of that from every happening is to invest in a good sunscreen. Do check the label and get one that comes with an SPF value of at least 30. You may also have to reapply sunscreen from time to time, especially if you do intend on getting into the sea.