April 15, 2007 - Bathing suit season is almost here. Are you ready?

How have you treated your body this winter?  Have you continued to feed your body the nutrient it needs, workout just as hard as always, and stay lean?  Here are ten tips that can help you get into the best shape of your life; it's not just about looks, staying in shape is about health.  Fortunately, the two work very well together.   

1.  SELF-MONITOR :  You need to write down what you are putting into your body.  Otherwise you'll have no gauge as to whether or not something is working.  It can be a simple diary where you record the foods you eat, the times you eat them, and the portions.  This simple tip alone can help with fat loss success.

2.  PLAN AHEAD :  If you fail to plan, plan to fail.  Planning for success is like printing out directions to an unknown location.  It tells you how to get from point A to point B.  That's what a plan does when you're trying to change your body as well.  Need some help with planning?  Check out www.mealplans101.com  It is meal planning software I helped create--it tells you the exact number of calories your body needs for whatever your specific goals are and then allows you to pick the exact foods you want to meet those needs.  And, best of all, when you go  www.mealplans101.com, we have put together a 16-week body transformation course, complete with interviews from industry experts about fat loss, training recommendations, behavior modification, fish oil, and a ton of other solid information that gives you all the tools necessary for success. 

3.  EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES:   This one is a no brainer.  The more color in your diet, the better off you'll be.  Your body thrives on the variety of nutrients in fruits and vegetables and research has even shown that those who eat more fruits and vegetables each day have lower body fat levels and lower BMI's.  Aim to have at least 1 fruit and/or vegetable with every single meal and snack.

4.  EAT BREAKFAST:   Nothing fancy here, just don't miss this meal.  And it's a great way to load up on veggies--throw some in an omelet, have a piece of fruit and some oatmeal on the side and, wala, you've fed your body everything it wants for optimum physical and mental performance!

5.  MOVE MORE:   Of course I want you to do targeted workouts with weights, intervals, and some basic cardio...but in general, just move as much as possible.  If you are a desk jockey, like most of us, get up every 60 minutes and walk around.  Walk or bike whenever you can instead of drive.  Every little bit of physical activity helps, so move as much as possible. 

6.  TRY INTERVALS:   Kick up the intensity of your workouts.  If you're currently active, try spicing up your daily routine with sprints, running bleachers, full body training in the gym with no more than 30 seconds between sets, and things along those lines.  If you're currently inactive, work within your limits - only you know what you can do.  I'm not suggesting running bleachers if your only current activity is getting out of bed in the morning.  If it's safe for you to do so, though, kick up the intensity!

7.  DRINK MORE WATER: I can not emphasize this one enough.  Stay well hydrated at all times.  This is particularly true as it starts heating up outside.  Drink more and drink often--and always keep the beverages calorie free!

8.  WEIGH AND MEASURE: Eyeballing your your portion sizes is a recipe for disaster.  Sure, it's tedious to weigh and measure every single food and beverage, but I guess it depends on how badly you want results.

9.  FEED YOUR BODY WITH THE PROPER AMOUNT OF CALORIES:   There's no way around this one; when you're trying to lose fat, you need to take in less calories than your expending.  Ideally you'll be burning through a ton of calories during your intense exercise bouts, but you also need to watch that food intake.  You can quickly wipe out a hard workout session with a few extra bites and sips of different foods.  Need to know how many calories you should eat?  Check out www.mealplans101.com to take the guesswork out of it!

• WRITE YOUR GOALS DAILY: This is absolutely imperative for success--and not just with fat loss, but with everything you do in life.  You should have short term, daily goals, and long term goals for your health, business, finances, etc.  Here's a tip--write your daily fat loss goals on the top page of each day in your diary like this "I have xx % body fat by July 1 at 8 AM" or "I weight xxx lbs by July 1 at 8 AM"  Try it out and you'll see the difference.  Remember, every single day you either do things that get you closer to your goals or do things that take you further away.  Where do you want to be in 16 weeks? 

There you have it.  Print those out, put them on your refrigerator, desk at work, mirror in your bathroom, or wherever you will continue to see them!  Report back -- before and after pictures are always welcome and they are a great way to track your own progress too!

Have another absolutely amazing day!

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