Ok ladies, now that we have sufficiently stuffed ourselves with chocolate, ice cream, and plenty of wine from Valentine’s Day weekend, it’s time to focus on the next big thing: SPRING BREAK! Before we know it, we’ll be having those “week before spring break and last chance to make a difference” workouts and healthy food cram seshes, right? I’m here to help us all through panic week. Shedding pounds and toning your body is actually a lot easier than you think. Between the extreme to-do lists and other crazy unexpected life situations, finding the motivation to work out can be tough. And when I say tough, it’s like the evil of all evils that is preventing you from curling up in bed with a glass of wine and saying goodbye to the world, which we all know sounds like heaven compared to squatting till you can’t bend to sit. Fear not collegiette beauties; this is going to be better than eating that last piece of cheesecake.
We all want to be the slow-mo goddess, walking down the beach, shamelessly shaking our salty hair freely in the wind. There’s no reason why we can’t! Keep up these tips and tricks for at least two weeks, and I guarantee that you won’t just see the results; you’re going to feel them!
Rule number one: morning time equals go time. When you wake up in the morning, take time for yourself. Get a good solid stretch in, maybe hit your favorite yoga poses, and breathe. After you’ve warmed your sleepy body up, it’s time get the burn going. Do ten pushups to really wake your muscles up. Each day, try and do one more than you did the morning before. Do this for ten days and congratulations — you’ve done 145 pushups more than you did the week before! Pair this with three 30-second planks — regular, left side, and right side — and you’ve now just completed a mini morning workout session. All in a matter of less than 15 minutes!
By strengthening your arms and upper body, your torso is lengthened, and those abs will start to turn from flab to FAB! For a more involved arm routine, take five pound weights in each hand and do a combination of 15 bicep curls, 15 tricep dips, and 15 shoulder lifts (arms straight out, lifting up to shoulder height and back down to your sides). Complete this cycle three times. As you progress in your workout routine, you can increase the weight of the dumbbells.
You probably like to dabble in dancing in the club every now and then. If you’re me, there isn’t a second you aren’t vibing to the beat of the music. Dancing is complete self-expression and exploration! Get a playlist of about six different songs you love to get down to, and seriously dance it out. Rotating, rolling, and popping your body all in fluid motion works so many different muscles you wouldn’t even think about. Drop it low, then take it slow, girls. Get sexy with it! Shakira’s hips don’t lie for a reason, and neither did B.o.B. and 2 Chainz when they saw her “dancing like she do it in the mirror.” You will have gone from casually bumping to the beat to stepping out with the ladies ready to own it *snap snap, hair flip, cue wind*. Once you get down on your own, you’ll actually be surprised at the difference you feel when you get down in general! Squatting low, swinging your hips back and forth, and rolling your upper body to the flow of music really works your core muscles. Other moves that really turn up the heat can be anything from jump squats to popping your body to the beat of songs. Gaining control of your body and feeling the rhythm really works up a sweat when you do it nonstop.
If you haven’t done yoga, you haven’t lived. Yoga doesn’t just change the composition of your body; it completely puts the mind, body, and soul at balance. Having a relaxed mind allows you to see things with a fresh outlook and benefits overall health. FSU offers all levels of yoga, including yoga Pilates fusion, on Thursdays at 4 pm! Yoga strengthens your entire body, and as you move through each pose with controlled breathing and body flow, the sweat really starts to pour. Not to mention, walking out of yoga feels like you’ve just been reborn.
Tone It Up, brought to us by coaches Karena and Katrina, has plenty of quick, amazing total body workouts that motivate you to keep stepping it up and reach your fullest potential!
Little changes in your daily lifestyle can also have a huge impact if done habitually over a period of time. Drinking a lot of water speeds up your metabolism and is proven to produce weight loss. To prevent massive sweet attacks, treat yourself to a piece of dark chocolate at the end of the day. Giving yourself one small indulgence a day balances a diet and prevents cravings! Eat six small meals throughout the day instead of three huge ones. Be very conscious of what you eat. Cook for yourself, and avoid minute-made dinners. Eat wholesome and natural foods that aren’t fried and saturated with artificial everything. Balance — that’s all it takes!
For easy and delicious foods, Real Simple has all the healthy recipes!
We got this, girls. Spring break? Bring it on. Challenge yourself to really commit. You won’t be regretting it when you walk out killing it in your favorite bikini! There are seven days in a week, and a pound of body fat is 3500 calories. 35 divided by seven equals five. That’s 500 calories a day you have to cut out from eating in order to lose a pound per week. Combine that with all these small lifestyle changes, and you’re well on your way to looking and feeling your best.