Ah ... Summer, and a nice, long holiday coming your way in a hurry, possibly even a little bit of vacation if you live anywhere but Silicon Valley. Now is the time for barbecues, ice cream, resting in shade, and relaxing from a year of hard work.
The bad news: This could be the time when a few weeks of ignorance can mess up those abs you worked so hard for all spring to bring up to the surface! I'm not trying to deny you the simple pleasures of summer, but just making a couple of points.
Barbequeing
Kingsized, juicy steaks are nice, but they can also pack the most incredible amounts of calories. If you go barbecuing, make sure to get lean and mean beef, or even better: Skinless chicken breasts! Have you tried fish? Salmon and swordfish ain't half bad!
Ice Cream
Read the label, and figure out how much fat is in a single bowl of ice cream. Also bear in mind that the "suggested serving size" is usually about the size of a miniature thimble to bring the "calories per serving" down. This usually translates to a normal, real-life serving being 2-3 suggested servings. Even though the "light" versions are better, they STILL pack a lot of calories. Don't be fooled by "50% less fat!" stickers - half of a gazillion is still pretty much.
Obviously, the best solution is the frozen popsicle-kind of ice cream - barely more than frozen juice! The one warning flag I'd like put up is artificial colorings, preservatives, and God knows what else they put in there. Probably not as bad as glow-in-the-dark breakfast cereal, but not exactly pure spring water.
Alcohol
A cold beer is sure to enhance the barbeque, and sure enough, wild summer parties are legendary. But keep yourself under control. Not just because you run the risk of making a fool of yourself and get slapped, but because you mess up your entire hormone balance for up to a week. That means no muscle growth and increased fat storage. Sounds like a blast, huh?.
In addition, alcohol has almost as many calories per gram as fat (7 calories compared to fat's 9 calories. Protein and carbs only has 4!)
Relaxing
Ah Man... Now I'm over the line, right? Well, yes and no. As usual, it's a matter of how far you take things. If you have a one week vacation - by all means, go ahead and rest. Grow roots for all I care, it'll probably just do you good.
However, if we're talking 3-4 weeks of doing nothing, it's time to get a grip on yourself. Muscle atrophy, i.e. losing muscle mass due to inactivity can kick in after 2 weeks or so, so you want to make sure to at least get a little bit of muscle stimulus during your vacation. Even though you're not going for hardcore, balls-to-the-walls training, hit the weights. You do it all year ANYWAY, so how big of a deal could it possibly be to add a few more? Especially when those workouts just might be the MOST important ones you'll do all year!
Click HERE For Tips On Training While Traveling!
Good Luck and Have Fun!
mattdanielsson@hotmail.com
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