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Best things: Ways to keep 'beach body'
0922-Richard-Somerville
Richard Sommerville - photo by File photo
Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean beach bunnies have to give up their bikini bodies. A little hard work and a careful diet is all it takes to maintain a toned physique.
YMCA Sports and Fitness Director Richard Sommerville recently shared his top five suggestions for keeping fit.

1. Watch what you’re eating: “Avoid low-fat or fat-free foods,” Sommerville said. “They usually are loaded with carbohydrates so, yes, you are getting less fat but more calories. Avoid simple sugars and eat less complex carbohydrates.
“Make a food journal so you know how many calories you take in on a daily basis. You may be surprised to see what you actually take in.”

2. Resistance training: “Weight train three or four times per week using short rest periods — 30-60 seconds — between sets for about an hour per workout,” he said. “Muscle burns calories. The more tone you are, the higher your metabolism will be.”

3. Cardio training: “Traditional cardio — running, swimming, biking — are all excellent ways to stay fit, but what I find is even better at burning fat is high-intensity interval training two or three times a week on alternate days or after weight training,” Sommerville said. “An example of a hit training workout would be after a warm up jog for 30 seconds then sprint for 30 seconds repeating this process for 30-45 minutes. If you prefer the traditional methods of cardio 30-60 minutes in duration 3-6 times a week.

4. Drink water:  Drink around 8-10 glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration and to help move fat stores to be burned as energy, water intake is the most overlooked part of weight loss.

5. Have Fun:
My favorite part!  Do things you enjoy to lose weight, sports or any activity that gets your heart rate up. You’re less likely to stick to a workout program you don’t like, Also don’t always do the same routine change it up and keep your body guessing most people get to a sticking point when their body becomes use to doing certain exercises or programs. Frequent changes are the best way to bring change to your body.

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