We might still be in the thick of winter but, trust me, it’ll be spring before we know it … so to help us prepare for the season ahead, we spoke to a few experts who have shared their best advice on things we can do today to put a spring in our step and be ready to start working on our summer bodies.
MORE: 10 Reasons To Exercise More
1. Get more bang for your workout buck
According to personal trainer Luke Sniewski, implementing intervals into your cardio workout will help you fast track your way to feeling fit. “Instead of just going for long, sometimes boring runs, try adding in some short, all-out 20-second sprints to your routine, followed with a recovery walk or jog for 40 seconds. If you can get through more than 10, try adding a hill to the equation!”
2. Shop for the season
Avoid pre-planning the vegetable components in your meals, says chef extraordinaire Nick Honeyman: “Go to the grocery store – or even better, your local fruit and veg store – and pick out the best, freshest produce you can find. Then simply adapt your recipes to what you’ve got,” says Nick. “Selecting the best produce is often half the battle in creating a delicious meal. Remember a recipe is a guide – not a script that you have to follow. Don’t be afraid to mix things up at meal time.”
3. Start a morning routine
Get up anywhere from 10-30 minutes earlier in the morning and spending some time meditating and moving, recommends resident yogi Claire Bradley. “Make it simple and manageable. Some deep breathing and gentle stretches are enough to start the day grounded and more in tune with yourself.”
4. Drink up and down a glass of water every time you eat
“There really is no truth to the myth that you should not drink when you eat,” says nutritionist Dane Fuller. “Drinking water with your meal will help fill you up slightly, but more importantly, by pairing drinking with eating, you create a mental “nudge” to drink that will help you stay hydrated,” he said. “Do this five times per day and you’ll be well on the way to being fully hydrated, which leads to you not mistaking thirst for hunger, being fully alert, making better decisions and having the energy you require to keep active.”
5. Focus on performance, not appearance, to achieve long term change
According to super-fit professional athlete and personal trainer, Anna Bramley, shifting your fitness focus away from how you want to look, to how you perform, is the ticket to long term body transformation. “Whether aiming to set a personal best time, clock a certain distance, lift a certain weight or achieve a particular yoga pose, as you reach these performance goals, you’ll see your body naturally change and adjust in order to perform at its best,” said Anna.
6. Simplify style dilemmas by de-cluttering your wardrobe
“Put some time aside for yourself and pull all of your clothes out of your wardrobe,” says self-image and style expert Susana Tuya Sarmiento. “Create four piles; one for items you haven’t worn in the last year, one for clothes that require mending, one for sentimental items, and one for the clothes you wear all the time. You’ll find pile four is the smallest – the 20% of your wardrobe you wear 80% of the time,” she says. “Get the damaged clothes off to the dry cleaners for repair, pack your sentimental items you couldn’t bear to part with into a suitcase, and donate the items you don’t wear to charity.” According to Susana, looking and feeling good is much simpler when you’re not faced with a cluttered and overwhelming wardrobe every morning.
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