Read 120 times since Thursday, July 29, 2010
The summer is one of those times of the year when we all seem to let our hair down. In the process of having a good time, however, we can end up gaining some extra pounds that we hadn't intended to and therefore if you want to have a good time but stay healthy over the coming weeks, check out these four useful tips.
1. Join a gym - one of the easiest ways to stay fit this summer is to take out a gym membership. It might seem like the most obvious way to keep in shape, but it's the one that is most likely to see you lose weight and keep it off.
This is particularly true if money isn't especially in abundance.
For example, if you were paying 50 pounds a month for a gym membership, you're likely to be committed to going as it's a rather substantial outgoing to some. Compare this to if you were trying to lose weight yourself by exercising at home, although this is a great way to lose weight, as it isn't costing you anything, it's harder to be motivated.
2. Eat barbecued food - you may be reading this and thinking that this is just a blatant lie, but eating barbecued food can be one of the healthiest ways to eat - it's all of the accompaniments that increase the calorie count.
If you're not convinced, think of the way that you would cook a burger in an oven and compare it to how you would cook it on a barbecue.
In an oven, it will be on a baking tray with all of the fat dripping out directly onto the tray, meaning that the burger is cooking in its own fats.
Compare this to a barbecue, however and all of the fats leave the burger and drip down onto the coals, which results in the majority of the unhealthy fats being removed from the burger.
Just remember not to have any salad dressings, creamy cheeses on your burger or butter on your potatoes and eating at a barbecue can be particularly healthy.
3. Walk everywhere - in the winter months, the weather in the UK is usually cold, rainy and windy, which means you generally have to be an avid walker to choose to go to the supermarket by foot than by car, irrelevant of how close it might be.
In the summer, however, it's a whole different story and walking anywhere seems so much more peaceful and relaxing. Whether it's to your local shop, friends or simply for a walk around the park on a morning or evening, walking is a great way to stay fit and something that most can do at their own speed.
4. Think about what you drink - aside from foods that are high in fats, one of the easiest ways to put on weight is by drinking alcohol.
If you want to lose weight this summer, however, it doesn't necessarily mean cutting out all alcohol (although that is the recommended option if you are really looking to lower your weight).
Instead, just look at what you're drinking, as although you may prefer one type of drink, you might be a lot better off opting for something that you haven't thought of.
For a pint of beer or lager, for instance, you'll generally be looking at close to 200 calories. Swap a pint of this for a gin or vodka and slimline tonic and you can look to shave off around 100 calories per drink.
As a very basic guideline, the clearer the alcoholic beverage, the fewer calories it has and never use a full fat mixer - always go slimline. For more information about gym membership, visit the Fitness First website at http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk.
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