In my opinion, diet and fitness shouldn’t be a quick fix, but instead a lifestyle change.
Sure, you can transform your body in four weeks in time for that long awaited holiday or special event, but what about the rest of your life? As soon as the four weeks are up – is it right to let yourself go to pot? No! Healthy eating and working out needs to be part of your healthy life.
The truth of the matter is, whether you want to get rid of that annoying stomach fat, firm up those pesky bingo wings or slim down your lower body, you need a solid nutrition plan, that involves fewer calories than you burn, yet full of protein, healthy fats and fibre, and a smart training plan, that isn’t just based around cardio but also includes full-body resistance training.
Sorry to disappoint but you also can't choose where the fat comes off first. Everyone is different, but you can almost guarantee it's not going to be in the areas that you want it to go from first – so get that straight in your head before you spend days on end doing crunches.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t embark on your ‘holiday body’ journey, everyone has to start somewhere and if it means you start to think about what you put into your mouth and get into a regular gym routine, then great. Just don’t do it for four weeks then give up, only to do it all again in six months’ time. Constant yo-yo dieting and exercising makes it harder to keep the weight off because you’ll end up slowing your metabolism down. Going on and off diets also changes other aspects of your physiology, such as increasing the hunger hormone ghrelin and decreasing the hormone leptin, which makes you feel satisfied and full.
My best advice is set a realistic goal, set your start date and start your journey straight away. A healthy, fit and lean body takes time and is all about consistency and lifestyle change.
Lucy Miller
Lucy Miller is a fitness and nutrition advisor (www.lucymiller.me.uk), and Fitness Editor at Health & Fitness Magazine. She holds fitness qualifications from NASM Training and Premier Training International.
