Summer workouts: How to lose weight fast

The sweltering heat, sweat and the burning sun have a great plus side! What makes summer the best time to lose weight? Read on.....

When the temperatures are high, hunger takes a back seat and thirst is unquenchable. This is the big advantage of summer. You naturally eat lighter foods and consume plenty of liquids; making it so easy to knock off the fat you've been yearning to.

Let your body's natural instinct kick in and then assist it to get you into ship shape!

Here's how:

Make good of the light meals

Start your day with a bowl of cereal with chilled milk. Add some nuts, dry fruits and seeds.

A bowl of low fat yoghurt and fruit makes a perfectly refreshing mid-morning snack.

Have cold soups, salads, wholegrain sandwiches for lunch.

An evening snack will pep you up. Try iced tea and raw veggies with a low fat dip or paani puri.

Round off your day with a dinner of lightly cooked fish, chicken or lentils with a serving of warm bread and a salad.

Drink plenty of water, fresh juices, chilled tea or water/ soda flavoured with lime or fruit juice.

How to burn it

Follow a quick high intensity work out regime to super charge your weight loss plan.

Do this 4- 5 days a week at home.

You need

• A carpeted, wooden or any soft floor surface to perform these exercises on
• Workout shoes
• A mat
• A clock with a seconds hand
• Your favourite high tempo music
• Water to sip on

Please check with your doctor before beginning this or any other exercise program.

This workout combines fat burn and a muscle tone element.

Place your clock where you can see it easily while you exercise.

Do as many reps of each exercise for 20 seconds, maintaining proper form. Then rest for 10 seconds.

Repeat the same exercise 4 times, then move onto the next for 4 cycles, then the next; and so on, until you have completed 4 cycles of all the 8 exercises.

This will take a total of 16 minutes.

Click on NEXT for the exercise regime...

Start in standing position, squat down (keeping your knees in line with the toes).

Get your hands onto the floor.

Thrust both legs out to the back into push up position.

Jump them back in and stand up.

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Go into a squat maintaining proper alignment as mentioned previously and reach your hands towards the floor.

Then come up to standing as you raise your right leg out to the side and take your arms overhead.

Squat down again and come up lifting the left leg to the side.

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Lie face up on the mat. Place your hands behind your head with the elbows out to the sides.

Raise your legs and bend your knees at right angles.

Now crunch by raising your upper body till your shoulder blades come off the floor and at the same time raise the hips as you crunch and squeeze the tummy muscles.

Slowly lower (legs stay off the floor all through) and repeat.

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Jump and take your legs wide apart as your arms go out to the side and then jump to bring the legs in and arms down.

Do this in a fast motion.

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Lie face down. Place your hands outside and in line with your shoulders.

Push yourself up into plank position. Now lower your body towards the floor keeping shoulders and hips in a straight line.

Do not arch your back or let the tummy touch the floor. Come up.

Take your hips up putting your body in an inverted V position, lower back to plank and then go in for another push up and inverted V.

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Lie on your tummy and take your arms out to the sides in line with the shoulders.

Simultaneously raise your upper body, both arms upwards (squeezing the back of the shoulders) and the right leg.

Lower down, raise up again for the next rep, raising the left leg this time.

Keep alternating legs with every rep.

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Stand with your legs a little more than hip distance apart.

Place your hands palms up near your shoulders.

Go down into a squat pushing your hips back, jump up throwing your hands up in the air and then sink back down into the squat.

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Get into a plank position. Bring your right foot in and knee towards the chest.

Imagine yourself climbing a mountain. Take the right leg back and then bring the left knee in.

Keep alternating the legs and maintain your hips in line with the body. Go as fast as you can.

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Phew!

After all that hard work, relax your muscles by lying face up on the floor. Pull your knees into your chest and gently rock side to side stretching and massaging your back.

Raise both the legs up in the air and with your hands pull them in towards you (don't bend the knees) to stretch out the back of the thighs and calves. Relax and roll over onto your tummy.

Prop yourself up on your elbows pulling your torso forwards and upwards to open up the abdominals.

Lie down and with your hands pull the heels into the hips, pressing your pelvis down to the floor and stretching out the front of your thighs.

Relax and then link your fingers behind your hips and raise your arms up as high as you can stretching the chest, arms and shoulder. Turn your head over to one side and relax for a minute.

Don't forget to have a couple of glasses of water after your workout!