It's almost time to take those vacation days, ladies. Elle magazine has the tricks to getting the bikini bod you really with their 21 day routine.
It's not 21 days of continuous, agonizing workouts; it's a mixtures of different steps to take each day to move you closer and closer to your goal size. There's more to getting in shape than just hitting the gym. It requires lots of sleep, good foods (by "good" we mean HEALTHY,) and you need to be relaxed.
Padma Lakshmi, the epitome of perfect bikini bod.
Here are the day-by-day steps you should totally try:
1. Get Adequate Amounts of Sleep
Studies show that getting eight hours of sleep help prevents weight gain. Sleep-deprived weight gain is caused by two hormones called leptin and ghrelin. When you're experiencing a lack of sleep, levels of leptin (appetite suppressant) fall and your levels of ghrelin (appetite stimulant) rise. This causes you to be hungrier than you would be otherwise
2. Detox Responsibly
Oz Garcia, PhD. (nutrition specialist for the ever-so-fab Heidi Klum) suggests trying a three-day juice fast through programs such as Blueprint Cleanse or Organic Avenue. One to three days before beginning the cleanse try to eat super healthy (this includes no red meat, dairy, or peanut butter,) this helps ease the body into the cleanse and makes your detox more effective.
3. Attain Washboard Abs
You can't go wrong with crunches... Actually, you can. According to wellness expert, David Kirsch (fitness guru to the lovely Kerry Washington,) 15 perfect crunches are way more effective than 50 sloppy ones. According to Kirsch's new fitness book the proper form for crunches is to lie on a towel or mat with your knees at a 45-degree angle and feet flat. Place hands at the back of your head with fingers locked and lower back flat against the floor (“Imagine there’s a magnet in your belly button pulling you down.”) Fixing your eyes on the ceiling, lift from your shoulders—not your neck. Exhale at the top of the movement and inhale on the way back down to the floor.
4. Burn Calories with Cold Water
After your workout, nothing tastes better than an ice-cold water. Also, it spreads faster through the body than lukewarm water. The cold re-energizes you faster, and cools you off from the inside. But how does it burn calories? As your body warms the liquid to its temperature, you burn between 17 and 25 calories per glass.
5. Enroll in an Exercise Class
We all know how hard it is to stay motivated and actually workout consistently, so signing up for a class at your gym a couple times a week is a great way to keep moving and burn off that fat. Find a class that fits your personality and pay up front, that way breaking a sweat is nonnegotiable.
6. Book a Massage
Body work and massages are “critical,” says Dr. Garcia They reduce levels of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline (which have been linked to weight gain) and increase feel-good hormones, serotonin and dopamine. Getting regular massages can increase relaxation and blood circulation (and decrease bloating.)
7. Squeeze in Outdoor Exercise
The warm weather gives even the laziest of us no excuse to not get moving. Even just walking outside for 20-40 minutes can make all the difference. You can even use your lunch hour at work to take a little stroll. “This is enough to get your endorphins up, improve your mood, and help you regulate your cravings better,” says Dr. Garcia.
8. Embrace Healthful Carbs
CARBS ARE NECESSARY! Yes, it is okay to eat carbs, the good carbs! Select the healthy kind- fruits and veggies like cantaloupe, berries, green beans, and cauliflower, which are full of fiber and absorbed slowly into the bloodstream. Bread junkies, such as myself, do not fret! Try whole-wheat breads instead of processed, these have lots of fiber and are awesome for your digestive system.
9. Watch Less TV
According to ELLE, a study by Yale University found that TV viewers who saw snack commercials were inspired to eat just about anything (regardless of whether they were actually hungry!) The most successful dieters, say experts, watch less than the adult average of four hours per day and weigh in at less than 10 hours per week. But if you must snack, try a yummy yogurt or yogurt-based with some low-fat pretzels.
10. Don't Follow the Crowd
Don't let your friends poor food choices influence your own! According to a 2007 study by Harvard University social scientist, Nicholas Christakis, and University of California at San Diego professor, James Fowler, weight gain is socially transmissible from one person to another. Since then, further research supports this claim, suggesting that when dining in large groups, people have a tendency to consume more by way of subconscious imitation. When dining in a large group watch what goes on and off of your plate. Try starting with a broth-based soup or crouton-and-cheese-less salad before your meal. A low-calorie appetizer leads you to have fewer calories during your meal.
11. Score a Perky Posterior
We all want that perfect butt, and your haute bikini is the best way to show it off! Keep it tight, however. lol! Squats or lunges are a surefire way to firm your glutes. Do two sets with 12 to 15 repetitions (add light hand weights for more of a workout). Another tush-firming exercise: Choose steps over the elevator at work or at the mall, and/or do a hard-core stair workout at home. Run up and down as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then slow-climb for two minutes (repeat this routine for a half hour).
12. Trade Coffee for Green Tea
Green tea has the amount of caffeine you need to keep your energy going throughout your day. Coffee causes cravings and will make you hungrier in the long run. Green tea, on the other hand, is a powerful antioxidant and natural diuretic that can help control your cravings and raise your metabolism. Dr. Garcia suggests drinking four cups a day.
13. Apply Anti-Cellulite Cream
Workouts aren't 100% effective when it comes to cellulite. Add the anti-cellulite cream to your everyday routine. The visible results may only last about 24 hours, but the cream is full of all sorts of good things like caffeine, seaweed, herbs, spices, and bioflavonoids that temporarily diminish dimples. A cream with self-tanner is actually better because the darkening skin will create an optical illusion. “Darker skin absorbs more light than it reflects, and so the surface appears smoother to the eye,” says Meredith Baraf, Victoria’s Secret bronzing expert.
14. Sip Red Wine, not Beer
“Red wine is soothing, and it’s also good for your heart,” says Garcia about the antioxidant-packed beverage. According to a recent study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, light to moderate alcohol consumption (especially red wine) is not only good for the heart, it's also good for the waistline. Though a glass of wine contains about 150 calories, subjects who drank one to two glasses per day over the course of 13 years gained less weight than nondrinkers. How? Resveratrol, a compound present in grapes, appears to inhibit the development of fat cells.
15. Go for a Ride
There's a million ways to tighten those thighs, but the more enjoyable way is to ride your bike. Whether it's a spinning class or going for a ride through your neighborhood. It burns calories and gets those legs looking haute.
16. Cut Back on Starchy Grains
“Wheat tends to bloat you—it makes you hold water, it inflames you, it makes you gassier, and it increases cravings. It’s one of the most important foods to limit on the menu,” says Garcia. Eating a healthy starch like a slice of whole grain bread or cup of steamed brown rice at lunchtime is okay, but avoid white bread at all costs, adds Kirsch.
17. Tone Your Arms
Push-ups are nothing new, right? But that's because they get the job done right and they don't require any weights or equipment. The perfect push-up starts with your perfect alignment, start in front of a mirror so you can make sure you're perfectly straight at all times. Another arm-toning exercise in a hurry is shoulder rotations. Easy enough, right? Do thirty sets, frontwards and backwards.
18. Fill Up on Good Fats
Before you dig into that fettuccine Alfredo, take note: The type of fat you ingest is key, so stick with the “good” fats—the essential fatty acids found in avocado and virgin olive oil. “After water, fat is the most abundant substance in your body. Fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in the diet and are the building blocks for cell membranes, hormones, and prostaglandins,” says dermatologist and wellness expert Nicholas Perricone, MD.
19. Pack On Protein
Protein is not only for building muscle, it's also a potent calorie-burner because your body has to work so hard to digest it. Women are encouraged to eat 8 to 10 ounces of protein, preferably from fish, three to four times a week. Beans, nuts, eggs, and vegetable sources like soy and tofu are also great proteins.
20. Don't Skip Breakfast
Never underestimate the benefits of jump-starting your day with a protein-rich breakfast. An eight-week study done by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University System found that those who ate an eggs-and-toast combo versus bagel and cream cheese reduced their waists by 83 percent more. Researchers also found that subjects who ate eggs in the morning instead of a bagel went on to consume fewer calories over the next 24 hours.
21. Be Green
Mama was right, eat your spinach! Dr. Kirsch calls spinach, broccoli, and asparagus “the dieting MVP” because of their nutrient-dense quality (each contain loads of antioxidants, vitamins, calcium, iron, and folic acid). Plus: “They’re very filling and relatively low in calories. They’re also void of sugar, which can bloat you,” says Kirsch.
*all photos from elle.com
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