It’s not too late to whip your summer body into shape
Staying dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise programme is not easy, especially not in winter
POLOKWANE – Thabo Ntuli, a personal trainer at Virgin Active Peter Mokaba, shares a few tips to get you in the mood to exercise.
Ntuli’s tips:
1. Get a gym buddy. Find someone you can be accountable to, someone who will push and motivate you to stick to your exercise programme.
2. Change your exercise environment. Many people think it’s too cold to exercise, but it is quite warm outside during the day. So take a walk or go for a jog for a few minutes everyday. That way you will get into shape and you will get some much needed vitamin D.
3. Motivate yourself by setting a three-month goal. Having a goal to work toward will motivate you to stick to your exercise programme.
4. Try fun workouts or High Intensity Tactical Training (HITT).
HITT is fun, challenging and classes usually don’t last longer than a few rounds or between 30 to 45 minutes. Keeping your sessions short and intense will get you working the body hard. You need to get your heart pumping and to break a sweat for HITT to be effective.
According to Ntuli, a healthy diet is just as important as going to the gym. “Drink as much water as you can. Set reminders or download an app that will remind you to drink water. Prepare meals before you go to bed so that you don’t get tempted to eat unhealthy food during the day,” Ntuli advises.
He also shares a few diet tips:
1. Choose the healthy option no matter what. Search the internet for healthy meals to keep you on the right path.
2. Eat your vegetables. Whole wheat, whole grains, high fiber, low GI and fruit should dominate your diet.
3.Citrus fruit such as limes, oranges, lemons and grapefruit will give you the much needed vitamins needed to fight the winter cold. Pomegranate will boost the good cholesterol and antioxidants your body needs to stay healthy.
4. Dark leafy greens such as kale and collards will provide you with much needed vitamin A, C, K, E.
“Remember, summer bodies ate made in winter,” Ntuli concludes.
