By Stephanie Mansour
With the temperature rising and beach season in full swing, we bet you’re wondering if there are any secrets out there to blast fat effectively to reveal a toned beach body. Well you’re in luck because today we’re uncovering four simple secrets to burning fat without much effort. Whether you’re at home, at the gym or sitting in your desk chair at work, here are some of our favorite ‘Quick Fast Blasting Tips’ to banish fat the smart way.
Change up your cardio
Look at your cardio workout in intervals: sprint as fast as you can for a minute, then back off but increase your incline. If you’re on the elliptical, increase resistance, then pick up the pace for a few minutes. If you are in love with the treadmill, instead of walking for a few minutes to warm up, try out the bike or another cardio machine for your warm up and to move your muscles differently. Muscles have memory and can quickly become conditioned to your favorite form of cardio. Avoid this by making your muscles guess what’s coming next!
Change up your full body workout
Accustomed to doing cardio then weights, or vice versa? If you implement intervals into your cardio (see above), you can do one interval, lift some arm weights or do leg exercises, then jump back into cardio. Moving from one exercise to another not only keeps your body guessing, but it also ensures that you’re burning more calories by moving continuously, rather than busting it on cardio and taking your time doing weights.
Pull your abs in 24/7
You can literally workout ANYWHERE, ANYTIME with this fat blasting tip! Pull your belly button in towards your spine, act like you are squeezing into a tight pair of pants, and try to flatten your belly right below your belly button. Engage your core to gain stability, to feel tighter, and to look smaller along your waistline.
Cut back on dairy and gluten foods
A lot of people are lactose intolerant and don’t even know it. After eating dairy products, a lot of us feel bloated and even lethargic. Similarly, a lot of wheat products leave us feeling like our stomach is a balloon that uncontrollably expands! Try reducing or eliminating your dairy and gluten intake. Many carbs now say “gluten free” if they’re without gluten, as well as dairy products if they’re dairy-free. If you eat ice cream, there’s ice cream made with coconut milk. If you love milk, try rice or soy milk. If you crave cheese, try eating a protein and vegetable snack. Imagining how you feel after eating cheese may be enough to talk yourself out of wanting it!
Try these four simple fat-blasting tips to tone up and maybe even lose some weight this summer. Or if all of them aren’t feasible, just pick one or two – some effort is always better than none!
Stephanie Mansour, CEO of Step It Up with Steph, is a nationally known health and fitness expert and body image and confidence coach. She’s a reality TV trainer on “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,” helping her client lose 80+ lbs in 12 weeks. She combines yoga, Pilates, personal training, and body image coaching for a holistic approach to health and fitness, and her no diets/no guilt mentality is changing the way women everywhere view food and exercise.
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