Say hello to your checklist for a hotter you. Follow these fun, practical strategies, and the results you’ve been after are in the bag!
1. Stick to it for two weeks
If motivation is your hang-up, change your exercise routine every 14 days. A University of Florida study discovered that people who modified their workouts twice a month were more likely to stick to their plans compared to those who changed their regimens whenever they wanted to. Boredom didn’t appear to be a factor; it seems people simply enjoyed the variety more.
2. Bring up your year
For a strong backside that will turn heads wherever you go, Marta Montenegro, a Miami-based exercise physiologist and strength and conditioning coach, recommends completing 100 kettlebell swings nonstop with a moderate weight at the end of a legs workout. If you can’t access a kettlebell, do deadlifts and hip-thrusters instead. “Women tend to overemphasize the quadriceps even when they think they are working the butt. With these two exercises, you’ll have no problem engaging the glutes and posterior muscles of the legs,” Montenegro says.
3. Never Skip the Most Important Meal
For once we’re not talking about breakfast but rather the recovery meal after your workout. “So many women skip post-exercise nutrition because they don’t want to ‘undo the calories they just burned,’” says Amanda Carlson-Phillips, vice president of nutrition and research for Athletes’ Performance and Core Performance. “But getting a combination of 10 to 15 grams of protein and 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of your workout will help to refuel your body, promote muscle recovery, amp up your energy, and build a leaner physique.”