It’s (almost) that time of year again. For me and my team of Personal Trainers, the next few weeks get as busy as the post-Christmas rush.

We get a small taster of sunshine, the clothes come off…and perhaps back on again when we realise how much work needs to be done.

Fortunately, this can be avoided. The key to being beach body ready is to get there in advance. How? By starting NOW!

Get Beach Body Ready!

These safe and effective tricks you can employ straight away will help you avoid crash-dieting and quick-fix fads.

1. Go Raw

The cold winter months leave us wanting to warm up from the inside. Less raw veg therefore gets consumed, often leading to us overeating starchy carbs like potatoes. Too much can lead to weight gain, when not burned off.
Start by incorporating as much raw veg as possible into your diet.

Sides of leafy green salad, sliced carrots, peppers and cucumber as snacks, even green smoothies (recipe available on ptgen.co.uk) for breakfast will give your body the fibre it needs, leaving you feeling less bloated and sluggish. Start today and watch your energy levels soar.

2. Hydrate

Like fibre, water often ends up taking a back seat in the winter; replaced with tea/coffee. Too much caffeine and not enough water may actually end up making you fat.

How? One function of your liver is to help your body burn fat. When we are dehydrated, the liver pauses fat-burning in order to help out the kidneys. Fat-loss therefore slows right down.

Getting into the habit of hydrating by the time summer arrives will only do your body good. Replacing your morning tea with hot water and a slice of lemon puts your body in fat-burning mode for the day. Keeping a bottle or glass of water to hand also acts as a reminder to sip constantly. If you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated!

3. Move

If your life currently contains no physical activity, there’s no better time to start. The days are longer; lighter evenings creating even more opportunities for outdoor exercise.

Think about how much you physically move each day. How this can increase? We’re not designed to sit staring at a computer for eight hours a day! Even just running up and down the stairs a few times, is a great way to get out of breath. Our Boot Camp attendees get their fitness fixes by attending twice a week. The real results start to show when they try to move as much as they can throughout the rest of the week.

Summer bodies are made in the winter. Get ready to say hello to yours!