Fun Day is at the heart of your every meal and workout routine these days. You’ve already picked the perfect outfit, and you’re determined to shape up for your new bikini top. But, before you try a wacky new diet or a juice fast, read through these tips from an Exercise Science major for healthy ways to feel as confident as possible come April 28.
Senior Ex-Sci major, Alex* has a few key rules to slimming down and toning up for any event. The goal, he says, is to drop about 1500 calories from your diet per week—that means cutting out about 200 calories per day. But tread cautiously, collegiettes. You definitely don’t want to cut out the wrong foods or put your body in any harm.
Cutting out about 200 calories a day should help you lose one to two pounds per week, which is a healthy weight loss goal, Alex explained. “The no carb diet or all green diet fads going around on campus won’t work. You need a balanced diet to lose weight the healthy way.”
Alex recommends cutting out alcohol and soft drinks as simple ways to see results in just two weeks. When one night of epic partying can mean 800-1000 calories in drinks, we can’t entirely disagree—and frankly, we could probably use the cleanse. He also warns that you don’t want to go extreme with calorie cutting, since this can shock your body and actually cause you to gain fat around your waist. “Essentially, if you get less than 1500 calories per day, you’re starving your body,” Alex warns, “which will cause a reactionary system that activates fat storage mechanisms in your abdominal region to protect your digestive system.” Do not try this at home, collegiettes!
How else can you cut out those 200 pesky calories? Alex says that while it’s under debate, switching from two to three meals per day to five small meals each day could help you cut calories because you’ll feel more consistently satisfied, and are less likely to indulge in a binge eating spree. But don’t reach for those baked potato chips at the Spa—instead, Alex told us the Ex-Sci major’s trick for easy, healthy eating: “eat the rainbow.”As long as you eat fruits and veggies of every color of the rainbow, you’ll receive all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. This trick is HC-approved!
What Ex-Sci major would give us an interview without stressing the benefits of exercise? None we know! Unsurprisingly, Alex highly recommends frequent exercise, especially if you’re on a tight schedule. Aerobic exercise, which is just a fancy word for cardio, will get you faster results than weight lifting, he claims, so stick to anything from the elliptical and treadmill to basketball, tennis, biking, rowing, swimming or racquetball—all of which are available at Skidmore. Anything that gets the heart rate up, makes you breathe harder, or breaks a sweat for a consistent 20-30 minutes each day, for five to six days per week, should show results in just two weeks!
When we started counting up calories burned in exercise, we were a little shocked. An average mile run burns about 100 calories, Alex told us. That’s it? “That’s it,” he said, “If you have the time, run two to three miles at the gym and do an ab workout. That combined with all the walking you do around campus should help you burn an extra 600 calories right there. That extra weight will come right off your stomach region, and you’ll start to feel significantly better, all around.”
We wondered how running could help tighten up our target spots, like abs, thighs and arms, but Alex was quick to give us insight. “Cardio will automatically tighten up your abdominal and leg muscles. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do in less than two weeks to show results in arm muscles. For that, you’ll need on average, six weeks of dedicated exercise.” And while weight lifting may not give us that immediate satisfaction, this ex-sci major still recommends a daily ab workout, since those muscles are more likely to show results quickly. And of course, stretch after every workout! “I personally feel more alive after a workout. I feel like I can take on my day,” Alex confesses.
While you may not be able to change your BMI in just two weeks, there are still plenty of healthy, easy tips to tone up for an event like Fun Day. “Nothing but good nutrition and a lot of exercise will get you a healthier looking body in two weeks. I cannot stress this enough,” Alex said. So while we at HC think you all look fabulous, if you must diet, please do it the healthy way and follow our Ex-Sci-approved tips for healthy weight loss. After all your hard work, treat yourself to a new haircut or some trendy spring sandals. We can’t wait to see you strut your stuff at Fun Day!
*Names have been changed.