Fight Beach Body Panic: The Do’s & Dont’s

Shopping for a new bathing suit can be a traumatic experience. It is not helped by the fact that stores have yet to figure out that they would sell a lot more suits if the lighting was softened and they invested in  better quality mirrors. Also, why aren’t the dressing rooms bigger? I would love if I could step back a little. It’s best to wait until you start seeing changes. When you start any one of my programs you’ll notice your shape changing quickly. Even if you aren’t fully embracing the diet but are using the Valslide, you’ll see your butt start to lift and toned muscles replacing the sagging muscles of your hips and thighs. Commit to my eating plan and watch you belly start to shrink in just days. 21 days after beginning would be the right time to go shopping.

Do take your before picture.

This is not so you can beat yourself up or feel bad about where you are. It is to gain awareness and confront reality. Remember, “The short term pain of accepting the truth is much better than the long term pain of believing an illusion.” -The Daily Love

Don’t do endless cardio.

This is simply a waste of time! If you do cardio, shorten the total time and make it more effective by doing intervals.

Do weight train.

The foundation of all my programs are the strength training circuits. Not only is this your best fitness bang for the buck in terms of weight loss and strength building but weight training will change the shape of your body faster than anything else.

Don’t starve yourself.

You will lose weight in the short term but you will be sacrificing muscles, which helps keep your metabolism high and frankly, just looks better. Girls, skinny fat or skinny soft is simply not sexy. Guys, skinny is not sexy on you either – we need some muscles to grab on to.

Do watch your portions.

You CAN eat too much of a good thing. For your protein, figure about 4 oz. (the size of your palm). Guys, your palm is a little bigger so you will be getting about 5-6 oz.  Veggies,  you can go to town on, but limit your starchy carbs to about the size of a small fist.

Don’t feel you need to workout for 3 hours a day to get results.

You are more likely to burn yourself out or get injured.

Do consider upping your intensity.

We all go on fitness auto pilot from time to time. Consider adding in cardio strength training circuits, advanced single leg exercises, challenging lifts and timed workouts. By the way, my new I Want My Bikini Body Express has them all!

Don’t eat sugar or white flour.

Just consider this off limits until you reach your goal weight. Once you’re there, you won’t miss them so much.

Do choose from a wide variety of lean proteins, vegetables and fruits.

We all fall into food ruts at times but you want to make sure you are getting some variety. For protein, consider salmon, halibut, shrimp, sea bass, cod, organic chicken, grass fed beef or buffalo and organic, free range eggs. Vegetables could be broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, kale, celery, mushrooms, cabbage and so much more. Fruit: berries, apples, pears, plums, etc. Eating for a beach worthy body need not be boring. Experiment!!

Don’t do endless crunches.

The reality is, you don’t have a 6 pack or even a 2 pack because you have excess body fat covering them. You get rid of the fat most effectively through proper diet and strength training circuits. If you want to get your core stronger, then there are better ways to do this than crunches.

Do, do the Valslide Body Saw.

This exercise was first introduced to me a year ago by my friend Michael Boyle and it’s still one of my favorites. When this gets too easy, try it in a full push up position.

Don’t train without a plan.

I see so many people coming to the gym week after week and simply not getting results. They wander from machine to machine without a clear plan or idea of what they’re doing. It is no surprise that they aren’t getting results.

Do follow a plan and  chart your progress.

Whether you are following John Romaniello’s Final Phase Fat Loss or starting my brand new I Want My Bikini Body Express, record your progress and continue to push yourself. You will love looking back and seeing how far you’ve come. Remember weight is not the only measurement. Is it much more fun to see how many more push ups you can do, or how much faster you can complete a circuit. So write it down!

Share your favorite do or don’t in the comments section below…