Summer Fitness Tips
Bob Greene, Oprah’s fitness guru, has a special summer fitness plan:
1. Start with walking, a great cardiovascular exercise that is easy on your body. You can do it anywhere, any time, no matter who you are. Go for time (20-30 minutes), not distance. Work up to 45 minutes as an intermediate and even 60 minutes for advanced level walkers. Posture is important — chin up, shoulders back, swinging arms at a 90-degree angle.
2. Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. Increase that amount to ten glasses of water during the summer months. Bob says many times we reach for food when our body really requires more water. Water also has a "filling" effect, making us less prone too overeating.
3. Don’t radically change your diet all at once to keep your metabolism high. Drastically decreasing the calories you eat slows the metabolism, causing you to lose energy and motivation. Allow your body to increase your metabolism and adjust to your new cardiovascular exercise for one to two months. It's very important to exercise aerobically, then gradually change your eating habits. Some good choices would be to eliminate late night eating, eat breakfast, and reduce portion sizes if needed. This will have a much greater impact and not cause your metabolism to shut down.