It can be easy to keep putting off getting in shape and getting back down to the gym but start today on a high intensity program and you will be feeling summer ready in a month’s time. Many of us have already tried to get into shape for the hotter months and failed because of a lack of discipline or motivation. The key is setting a clear programme for yourself, one you can easily stick to and with clear goals to keep you motivated.

Nutrition And Diet

The first thing to address when trying to lose weight and tone up is your diet. Some nutritionists say that a controlled diet should be used to lose weight and exercise to tone up. You may already think you are on a fairly low calorie diet but find you are not losing any weight, it could be the choices you are making and introducing a few key foods and cutting a few out could make all the difference.

In the last ten years the diet industry has exploded meaning that a mass of ‘diet’ food products are now available from your average super markets. This includes low calorie deserts, biscuits, cereals, breads, ready meals and crisps. Whilst we are sold these as ‘low fat’ foods they are typically processed and higher in salt and sugar. Replace this with a ‘cave man’ diet approach. Don’t go the whole hog and never allow yourself ay 21st century foods but try to make up most of your meals from natural products such as meat, fish, fruit, veg and some cabs such as brown rice and potatoes.

Fitness And Exercise

Any level of exercise is great if you don’t do any at all but it has been suggested that exercise is only truly beneficial if done more than three times a week. Set yourself a weekly exercise target and stick to it. Make sure this is achievable though, if you set yourself too high a target and you can’t maintain it this could cause you to feel negative and take a step backwards.

For example an achievable goal would be to exercise for an hour at a time at the gym five times a week. An unachievable goal would be to plan to do this every day of the week. You may have cases where the weather is very bad, you’re unwell or you have to leave work late, missing your planned exercise will only make you feel like you’re not sticking to your plan where as if you say you will commit to 5 days a week exercising if you miss a day you can just make it up another day.

Motivation

One of the most difficult things to do is to always stay motivated. We all have bad days where we just feel like giving up but motivation is essential to succeeding in reaching your goal. Try-

• Picturing yourself the shape and size you want to be every time you feel you may have a setback.
• Join a club such as Football coaching. Playing football and having goals within this to work towards help keep you focused as does working alongside others with similar goals to yours.
• Allow yourself rewards. If you enjoy sugary and fatty foods from time to time it would be depressing to completely deprive yourself of these. Have one treat meal a week where you can eat whatever you like, or a treat night if you like. If you don’t want to come of the diet at all during the first crucial month instead treat yourself to a spa day or beauty treatment as a reward at the end of the month to look forward to. 

Eilidh MacRae works for Sport 4 Kids who offer Football coaching as a fun way to exercise from a young age.