Summer is upon us…yay! Like a lot of people, warm weather makes me giddy with happiness! I just love feeling the warm sun on my skin, balmy nights, dips in the ocean, no jackets at night (hallelujah!), summer dresses, cute bikinis, open air cinemas, Sunday sessions, outdoor training, bbq’s with friends, glowing skin, sunsets over the ocean, summer salads, summer love :-), trips to Rottnest Island (or any island!) & Margaret River in Perth….I could go on and on! Most definitely a summer girl!

Do you love summer as well but start to freak out about the shape of your body as the warmer months approach us?

You’re SO not alone!

I think a lot of women have a little panic attack thinking about getting their bod into a bikini post winter, me included! Are you one of those women? Never fear my dear! If you’re reading this now, at the start of Spring, you’ve still got roughly 4 months till you have to get your kit out on the beach or in a pretty dress, so DON’T STRESS! 🙂

Okay, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty, the nuts & bolts of how ya gonna do this!

Exercise Exercise!

• You must move your body, in the form of weight training & cardio to build lean muscle mass & burn fat. If you want to be toned & firm and have a nice bootaay & lean legs the fastest way….weights are your friend 🙂
• Lift weights 3-4 times a week at the gym, at home or in the park. You can also use your body weight for resistance don’t forget! So lunges, squats, push ups, dips, chin ups (I know some of you can do these!), step ups etc!
• Add some cardio for some extra fat burning, endurance & endorphin rush, 2-5 times a week. I personally like doing high intensity interval training such as Tabata as it’s time effective and gives you similar results to endurance cardio; but I’ll occasionally throw in a 30-40min moderate intensity cardio sess first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (best time to do cardio) to mix it up & zone out to some music.
• Experiment with other forms of movement as an accompaniment to your weight training. I love yoga, and do at least one class a week. Other forms include pilates, boxing, dancing, bootcamp, cross-fit, rock climbing, hill sprints, walking/running, hiking, cycling, swimming…lots to choose from!

Your Pledge: I want you to grab your diary today and schedule in what days of the week you’re going to do weight training, and what days of the week for cardio or any other activity you enjoy. Commit to moving your body every day, even if it’s a long walk on one of your ‘rest’ days! Any questions or programming ideas, feel free to flick me an email! 🙂

Eat Real Food!

• Crowd out the shitty processed food by eating more real food. It is that simple!
• If you’ve been eating a diet high in carbohydrates such as breads, pasta, rice, legumes, cereal, ‘gluten free’ products which are still carbs at the end of the day, chocolates, muffins, pasteries & too much fruit…it is time to put a STOP to your carb loading so your can loose the fat you’ve acquired, PRONTO!
• Organic meat (predominantly white meat), mercury free fish (big fish such as tuna are very high in mercury), organic eggs, a small amount of quinoa, a small amount of fruit (1-2 pieces max & low fructose), LOADS of raw salads & veggies, nuts & seeds, fresh herbs & spices and good fats such as coconut oil, are what should be in your fridge & pantry.
• Get on the green smoothie train! I recommend having a green smoothie daily to detoxify, reduce estrogen and increase elimination which increases weight loss! You can read all about the benefits by clicking here! 
• Reduce alcohol intake…sorry!
• Consider taking a wholefood supplement such as Juice Plus to reduce oxidative stress, maximise fat loss as the vitamins & minerals improve the absorption of protein, support your immune system, increase your energy & endurance and assist in elimination 🙂

Your Pledge: I want you to throw out anything from your fridge or pantry that is high in sugar & processed, and replace it with fresh, healthy produce. Commit to preparing your food for the working week, this weekend!

Some More Tips & Tricks

• Be kind to yourself. Pay close attention to your inner dialogue…if it is negative self-talk, quickly turn it around with affirming something positive such as “I am SO excited I have the body of my dreams”. Repeat, repeat repeat!
• Hire a personal trainer if doing weights on your own feels too daunting.
• Rally up your support team! Maybe you have some girlfriends who’d like to do a bikini body challenge with you? Plus it’s fun having a training partner & you keep each other accountable. Winning 🙂
• Do a detox! I’ve had many women with more than 5kg of weight to lose, do my fat-loss body sculpting detox program with spectacular results! Email me for more deets…now is the PERFECT time to do it before the silly season starts. You can thank me later 😉

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, so feel free to leave your questions and comments below!

Liz xx