One of the great motivators for people to workout is the fact that it’s summer and we may have to put the swimsuit on. I personally have 10 different pairs that I have collected over the years. Each year it seemed that I had to get one just a little bit bigger. I didn’t get rid of the old ones because I convinced myself that next year they would fit. Well I finally made a commitment this year to work hard at getting myself in shape and I am pleased to say I can now fit into the fluorescent yellow swim trunks from 1992. Now instead of embarrassing my wife because my belly is bigger than my chest, she can be embarrassed by my retro swim trunks. Here are some tips to get you suited up for summer.
- Diet: Cut bread (this includes anything with flour) and soda out of your diet. Try it for a week and start buying foods that don’t contain flour. Eat as much protein and vegetables as you want. Commit a month to this alone and you will be amazed by how much weight you can lose. Stay hydrated by drinking more water, avoid high sugar content drinks.
- Functional Workouts: This is the new focus in working out. The physical therapy we provide focuses on increasing function to an injured person. Many of the exercises focus on some key fundamental areas: Lower Body, Torso, and Upper Body. Here are just a few.
- Lower Body Exercises
- Squats
- Lunges
- Box Jumps
- Running
- Jump Rope (adds some upper body)
- Torso Exercises
- Sit-ups
- Planks
- Crunches
- Side-Crunches
- Leg Levers
- Scissor Kicks
- Upper Body Exercises (Shoulder, Arms, Upper back)
- Pushups
- Handstands (30 second holds or 5 handstand pushup)
- Pull-ups
- Overhead press
The key to functional based exercise programs is to keep the intensity high. For example, do 3-5 rounds of 20 pushups, 30 sit-ups, and 50 squats. Don’t rest between exercises and don’t rest between rounds. Just keep plugging away until you get it done. Simply choose one Lower Body Exercise, Torso Exercise, and Upper Body Exercise daily as part of your workout of the day and do 3-5 rounds of 20 or more repetitions per exercise per round. Eating clean and working hard are the keys to success.
Disclaimer: Please check with a medical care provider before beginning any diet and/or exercise program. The recommendations provided in this article and future articles do not take in consideration any pre-existing medical conditions that may need to be addressed prior to starting a diet and/or exercise program.