Dear B. Scott,
I’m trying to slim down for the summer, any suggestions?
Well, love muffin, I stay working on my fitness and God is my witness! Keeping slim and trim for the summer seems to be on the top of everyone’s priority list, including my own. But to be honest, in the past I was only concerned with being in shape when I had a vacation, photo-shoot or audition coming up. Over the years, I realized that it’s best to adopt a healthy lifestyle so I don’t have to stress my body out with restrictive dieting and/or extreme gym routines.
I’ve asked my friend, Jeanette Jenkins, creator of the Sexy Abs DVD with Kelly Rowland and trainer to numerous celebrities including Tia Mowry, Alicia Keys, and Pink to share with us some easy ways we can all shed some pounds.
Jeanette’s Top 5 Summer Slim Down Secrets
1. Replace all of your sugar-filled drinks with low calorie options. Instead of a Frappucino or large soda (which can pack 300-700 calories), choose flavored ice teas with lemon, iced coffee, Yerba Mate, Kombucha, apple cider vinegar drinks, flavored water and low calorie sports drinks with electrolytes to keep you hydrated, like Gatorade G Series Fit which only has 10 calories a bottle (my favorite flavor is Acai Blueberry).
2. Get your workout in first thing in the morning. Before you grab your phone or check your email, get your body moving! You will boost your metabolic rate so you burn more calories throughout the day and you will be less likely to skip out on your workout.
3. Don’t eat any sugars or carbohydrates for the first two hours after your cardio workout to increase fat burning. You re-fuel your muscles with 50% of the calories you burned during your workout in the first two hours after your workout. You can re-fuel your muscles with your body fat if you keep your blood sugar low during the time immediately after your cardio.
4. Choose low sugar snacks. Every time you eat sugar, your body has to burn the sugar before it will burn your body fat. Thus, the more sugar you eat, the less fat you burn. Great low sugar snack options include: non-fat Greek yogurt with fresh berries, apples, grapefruit, oranges, low fat cottage cheese with whole wheat crackers and tomatoes, protein or meal bars that are under 200 calories and under 15 grams of sugar (Macrogreens Bars, Mojo Cliff Bars and the Lunar Protein Bars are 3 of my favorites).
5. Always love yourself and wear a positive attitude. You can be a size 2 or a size 16 but confidence and a good attitude look beautiful on everyone!
Staying fit is a splendiferously divine thing, just make sure you’re doing it in a safe healthy way. Please keep in mind that you should consult your physician before you start a new fitness regimen. It’s also important to maintain a positive self-image. Don’t get caught up in how everybody else looks because that just might not be your reality or healthy for you. You have to take what nature gave you and work it!
Love,
B. Scott
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