Skirt here, skirt there… You noticed it everywhere in the past few weeks, spring has sprung! Spring, it is immediately the start of a lot of joy, but for many of us it also starts one of the most difficult periods of the year. But why so difficult? Exercising slows down, healthy food remains and there is no regularity… Our agendas are full of festivals, barbecues and the gyms are becoming quieter. That is why you will find a number of tips below to achieve your ideal shape. Simple tips that you normally don’t think about, but which can make the difference. Use these 5 tips and get ready for your summer shape!
Just a few more weeks and then you’ll be parading on the beach again! High time that junk/cheat meals are banned from your diet. And by banned we don’t mean to remove, but to replace! Suspending calories is often taken a bit too literally. We starve ourselves which may yield quick results in the beginning, but often only in the form of fluids and muscles. One of the best ways to keep track of your nutritional intake is to download an app: MyFitnessPal, for example.
The most common mistake many athletes make is radically cutting back carbohydrates and fats in the diet. There is no need for this. In addition, it ensures that your metabolism gets out of balance and it uses your energy more efficiently. Therefore, take a critical look at calorie intake and provide healthy snacks at home or at work. Check out which bad food you can replace with healthy snacks such as: protein bars without too much sugar, low-fat cottage cheese, unroasted nuts, oats & grains, vegetables in a hummus dip, vegetable chips or dried fruit.
Curious how long it takes you to reach your goal weight, and how many calories you can eat per day to achieve it? There are several calorie websites where you can have this information calculated.
SMART HANDLING WITH CARBOHYDRATES: MORE MUSCLE MASS & LESS FAT
Carbohydrates come in many different types, from simple to complex carbohydrates. Your body needs them for practically everything you do, whether that’s actively exercising or just regulating your metabolism. Depending on your work, metabolism and physical exertion, the need varies. If you eat few calories, if you diet for longer periods or if you do strength training, the timing of the intake is extremely important. The rule of thumb is to plan the majority of your (complex, = slow-digesting) carbohydrates 1-2 hours before your workout and 30 minutes after your workout to replenish. As a result, the blood sugar level will temporarily peak, so that you have more energy during the training and lose less muscle mass.
BOOST YOUR (REST) METABOLISM
When you do a lot of strength training, you will create extra muscle mass. Nice for your self-confidence of course, but you also increase your resting metabolism. Think of it like buying a ‘bigger car’. Not only during exercise, but also in the rest periods you will burn more through strength training. During the training you make small tears in your muscles that have to recover after the training. This costs a lot of energy for your body. The recovery will lead to increased burn that will last for up to 24 hours after your workout. Another way to (temporarily) increase metabolism is to use ‘energy boosters’. Energy boosters in our webshop are: Pre-workouts.
Of course you can increase the metabolism in a natural way. Plan in your training schedule a number of short (max 20-25min) HIT (high intensity) training sessions with short rest periods. Experiment with different training forms and exercises or exercise on an empty stomach. The results will amaze you.
DRINK ENOUGH WATER!
One of the most important things that many underestimate is: Drinking water! Water is an indispensable fuel for your body. As humans, we can survive without food for a while. Without water, on the other hand, you can survive for 4 days at most! A dehydration of ‘only’ 2% can already cause an energy loss of up to 20%, resulting in fatigue. In addition to fatigue, water has some other benefits. Drinking water ensures that your blood is diluted so that body processes run more efficiently. Drink a glass of water immediately after you get up. Bet you’ll feel fitter for the rest of the day? It is recommended to drink between 2-3 liters of water per day. This equates to 1 glass of water every hour!
The more water you take in, the more water your body will excrete. This gives you the effect that you will get a drier ‘summer look’.
Drinking water often sounds boring, but it isn’t. You can vary a lot with taste. Add BCCAs, mint, lemon or other fruits or order sugar-free sports drinks.
START HERE AND END STRONGER: TRAIN TOGETHER
You are not the only one on this planet working for the ‘perfect summer body’. So pick up your phone now and call your growing buddy. Set your goals together. Defining and expressing goals is the simplest step. Actually realizing and persevering is for athletes with a strong spine. Determine realistic goals together and share this with as many people as possible so that you have a big stick. And you’re not alone: we’ve got your back! You ensure that you achieve your goals and we provide the right nutritional supplements.
Start here and end stronger, we at House of Nutrition hope you achieve your goals for this summer!
