How to get a Beach Perfect Body during December using Cheat Days

When it comes to weight loss, finding an approach that suits your lifestyle and preferences is key, but for many people doing this during the December Holiday Season can be quite tricky.

But it can be done and there is a trick to it: You schedule your cheat days on holidays and the rest of December you embrace a strategy of following a balanced diet and mindful eating.

So you have your 'regular balanced diet days', and you have your 'go ahead and eat holidays'.

Here's a suggested approach for weight loss via dieting in December 2023:

1. Set Realistic Goals: Determine your weight loss goals for December and make sure they are achievable and realistic. It's important to aim for gradual and sustainable weight loss rather than quick fixes. So if you say "I want to lose 1 to 4 lbs during December" then that is a doable goal for most people.
   

2. Focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods: Incorporate a variety of nutrient-dense foods into your regular days. Include lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats in your meals to ensure you're getting essential nutrients while managing your calorie intake.

3. Practice Portion Control: Pay attention to portion sizes and be mindful of your calorie intake. Use smaller plates and bowls to help control portion sizes and avoid overeating. Consider using portion control tools or measuring cups to ensure accuracy.

4. Plan for Special Occasions: On holidays or special occasions, you can allow yourself to enjoy some indulgences and have a cheat day. Choose your favorite treats or holiday dishes mindfully and savor them without guilt. You should also have three extra cheat days So for 2023 your cheat days will likely be mostly on Sundays: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 25th, 31st. The 25th/Christmas Day falls on a Monday, so that is effectively a bonus cheat day. So you get 6 cheat days and 25 regular days.
   

5. Prioritize Balance: While cheat days can be enjoyable and provide a mental break from restrictions, it's important to maintain a balanced approach. Focus on maintaining a healthy and balanced diet on regular days, emphasizing whole foods, lean proteins, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

6. Stay Active: Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine throughout December. Exercise can help burn calories, boost metabolism, and support your weight loss efforts. Aim for a combination of cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises to achieve overall fitness. You could even hire a personal trainer to meet with you once per week during December to help you exercise and stay on track.
   

7. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger, so staying hydrated can help prevent unnecessary snacking. Water can also support digestion and overall well-being.

8. Seek Support: Consider seeking support from a registered dietitian or a weight loss program to help guide you on your journey. They can provide personalized advice and help you create a sustainable and healthy eating plan.

Remember, the key to successful weight loss is consistency, balance, and creating a healthy lifestyle rather than relying solely on cheat days. Find a dieting approach that works for you, aligns with your goals, and promotes long-term success and overall well-being.

8 Fun Ways to get a Sexy Body

Everyone wants to have a sexy body, but many people have difficulty achieving that goal. The biggest problem I find is that many people become discouraged because they are doing exercises they don't actually enjoy.

But what if you did exercises that were actually FUN  to do and you could actually lose weight, build muscle and look awesome as you get better at the activities? Well here are a list of exercises that help turn flab into fab and allow you to have fun while doing them.

#1. Mountain Biking

#2. Snorkeling

#3. Boxing, Kick Boxing or Thai Boxing

#4. Fencing, Kendo, Swordfighting for Stage or Spearfighting

#5. Martial Arts

 

#6. Tennis

#7. Ballroom Dancing or Competitive Dancing

#8. Parkour or Freerunning

Don't expect to see huge changes overnight doing these activities. Like all exercises and sports you only see the results after you've been putting in the effort for months or years. Take it slow at first, have fun and enjoy yourself.

Also try to do so safetly. Wear protection (helmet, knee pads, etc) to help prevent sports injuries. You will achieve your goals of looking sexy and feeling great, but you will want to do it without putting yourself at risk of injury.

Visual Standards of Beauty Vs Physical Standards of Health

If she was alive today, Marilyn Monroe would fail the Thigh Gap Test.

Why? Because her thighs would be touching. The standard for passing the Thigh Gap Test is whether you can stand with your feet together, your knees touching and there is a gap between your thighs, where the thighs don't touch at all. That is it.

It is a ridiculous standard of beauty perpetuated in western culture where being super skinny is considered by some to be attractive - a standard which then dictates that countries with the highest starvation rates therefore must have the most attractive people. Except since beauty contestants from Sub-Saharan Africa are not usually winning any international beauty contests, I do think that standard of beauty is really just a MYTH because it has no basis in reality.

Name a historical beauty, a really famous one, like Sophia Loren for example and I will bet they would fail the Thigh Gap Test. Twiggy, the fashion model from the 1960s/70s would pass it, but she was no great beauty.

Notice also that men are not being held to this ridiculous standard of beauty either. Any man who can pass the Thigh Gap Test probably has ridiculously skinny legs.

There are other standards of beauty out there too. Some are just really silly.

For example:

The Finger Test - Touch your index finger in a line from your nose to your chin. Do your lips touch your index finger? If so, you're probably beautiful according to the test. The test is also known as "The Finger Trap" or "The Rickett’s E-line Test".

This particular test is popular in China and other Asian countries. The test has no scientific basis and supposed has to do facial proportions, but if you read actual science into what humans perceive to be beautiful, symmetry is considered to be more important. The Finger Test doesn't even consider Symmetry.

The Anaface Test - Anaface stands for Analyze Face, it is a website where you upload a photo of yourself and then they supposedly check how symmetrical and proportional your face is. However the website has since been debunked for being inaccurate and based on facial proportions that apparently expect the perfect 10 score to look more like an alien.

The Beach Perfect Body Test - This is pretty simple test. Go to the crowded beach wearing a swimsuit and walk around and check how many people you catch staring at you. If you catch more than 5 people staring then you are beautiful. Unlike the Thigh Gap Test, this is one test men can actually pass.

The Golden Ratio - The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio considered to be visually pleasing to humans. It is a ratio of 1.6180339~. It is known as phi (Φ) in Geometry, and was used historically in Greek/Egyptian architecture, in India, in Feng Shui, in Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, etc. In terms of beauty it means that various proportions of the human body should follow a ratio of roughly 1 to 1.6180339~, so if width of your ear is a distance of 1, the height of your ear should be a distance of 1.6180339~. Although honestly, this is really just an excuse for mathematicians to force their ideas unto others.

On the plus side, the Golden Ratio is one test that Marilyn Monroe passes.

But you know what, over 90% of people pass the Golden Ratio Test. So the good news is that according to the Golden Ratio Test we're all pretty much beautiful because it is very easy to get the math to conveniently fit.

So those are some commonly used (and often inaccurate) standards of beauty.

But what are some physical standards of health?

Well there is BMI (Body Mass Index), which compares your height to your weight and then estimates whether you are anorexic, underweight, average, overweight, obese or morbidly obese.

The BMI system works for most people, but ignores the possibility that someone might have a lot of muscle mass. Bodybuilders for example cannot be accurately measured by BMI.

Next there is Body Fat Percentage (BFP), which is more accurate than BMI because it calculates your total weight, the fat content of your body, and how much fat is in your body by percentage. The trick to BFP is that it is tricky to calculate accurately. People can try doing it using measurements, or by using machines, but both just provide an estimate that could be off by as much as 5%.

For women between ages 20 and 40, 19% to 26% body fat is good (26%)  to excellent (19%). For women age 41+, 23% to 30% is considered good (30%) to excellent (23%).

For men between ages 20 and 40, 10% to 20% body fat is generally good (20%) to excellent (10%). For men age 41+, 19% to 23% is considered good (23%) to excellent (19%).
Having more body fat than the amounts listed above is considered unhealthy because the person is overweight, whereas having lesser amounts is likewise considered unhealthy because the person might be at risk for anorexia*.

* However we should note that some athletes fall into the very low body fat percentage and thus having a low BFP does not necessarily mean the person is unhealthy.

Lastly Heart Rate is a great measurement for determining whether a person is unhealthy as it is tied to a strong and healthy heart and a diet that is free from cholesterol. A person's normal heart rate is between 60 and 80 beats per minute when at rest. In contrast a professional athlete will have a heart rate between 40 to 60 beats per minute when at rest. Someone who has over 90 beats per minute while at rest is considered unhealthy because they have high blood pressure, which is often a sign that they have a weaker heart or a cholesterol problem.

Doctors also routinely check Blood Pressure too, which is measured as a comparison between a resting heart rate (diastolic) and a post-intense-exercise heart rate (systolic). Blood Pressure is then measured as the larger systolic number over the smaller diastolic number.

So for example 105 over 70 is considered normal.

80 over 50 is the blood pressure of a professional athlete.

190 over 100, omigod, how have you not died from an heart attack? Please see a doctor right away!

CONCLUSIONS

What I hope people will take away from reading all of this is that hopefully you will focus on the healthy standards over the false standards of beauty. Yes, a person can have a thigh gap, but they might also be anorexic, have dangerously low body fat and have high blood pressure (anorexic people often die from heart attacks due to weak hearts).

Be healthy and happy and your beautiful smile will be all that matters.

Build a Beach Perfect Body - In The Winter!!!

It is November and it is starting to snow in Toronto maybe once per week. By December it will be snowing more regularly. By January there will be a foot of snow on the ground.

But if you count the months until mid June (the start of swimsuit season) then there is November, December, January, February, March, April and May - 7 months to get prepared if your goal is to lose weight and look fit for swimsuit season.

Now pay attention... most people only start trying to get fit a month or two before swimsuit season - and most of them FAIL to meet their exercise / weight loss goal.

The reason why is because they are focusing all of their exercise goals into a month or two month period and then wonder why they failed. When asked why they will point to reasons like not enough time, the workouts were too difficult, they fell off the wagon diet wise, lack of motivation and so forth.

I argue that they need to change their approach.

#1. Stop trying to do everything a month or two before swimsuit season. Start exercising NOW, many months before swimsuit season is even close. Thus their excuse that they didn't have enough time will be null and void.

#2. By doing the first it also means the workouts don't need to be quite so intense. People burn out and lose motivation if their workouts are too intense. In contrast if they start exercising over a 6 month period their workouts will be about one third the intensity of a 2 month workout regimen designed to accomplish the same goal. Thus the second excuse about workouts being too difficult will likewise be null and void.

#3. If you are going to make lifestyle / dietary changes you need to make permanent changes that you can stick with it. Now I admit that means making changes during the Christmas holiday season - a season during which many people are prone to binge eating on chocolate treats, xmas dinners, etc. But it can be done and you can do it if you give it an honest try. Start by making the switch to dark chocolate only (70% or better) - no more sugary chocolate or "white chocolate". Eat more veggies during xmas dinners and make fruits and vegetables part of every meal you eat, and every snack. Find the fruits and veggies you love and stock up on healthy foods you love.

#4. Find ways to motivate yourself. Music I find is a great motivator. Another way to motivate is to use fun activities that you enjoy doing. eg. Ice skating, downhill skiing, or just plain going for an afternoon walk and taking your camera with you.

Wait, its cold outside! I hate going outside in the cold!

Then invest in some thermal underwear. Learn how to layer clothing so you don't feel the cold. Get tight fitting clothes that fits really well and keeps you warm. Wear 3 or 4 layers under your jacket, get good thermal gloves, a neck warmer, hat, thermal longjohns for wearing under your pants/jeans, warm boots, thick socks - and voila! You will probably be so warm you will be unzipping layers!

Dressed like that and you can go jogging / winter walks / ice skating / tobogganing like when you were a kid and you won't really be bothered by the cold at all.

Next you need to avoid the temptation to just relax all winter indoors watching cable television, mucking around on Facebook and nonsensical videos on YouTube. Cancel the cable (33% of it is advertising anyway), take a vacation from Facebook, and go outside and make your own winter oriented videos and then post them on YouTube instead of watching other people's junk.

Things To Do This Winter!

#1. Cross Country Skiing - burns a tonne of calories! Burns 500 to 700 calories per hour depending on your weight.

#2. Take Up the Biathlon - cross country skiing with a rifle on your back! Yeehaw! Who says cross country skiing isn't a manly sport???

#3. Archery Biathlon - don't like guns? Take up the archery biathlon. Basically the same idea, but using a bow and arrow.

#4. Snow Shoeing - also burns lots of calories. Good for balance training too, plus it doubles as weightlifting for your legs. Try it and you will see how hard it is.

#5. Snowboarding - Good for cardio and balance. Works your abs too!

#6. Downhill Skiing - Same as snowboarding, makes for fun cardio.

#7. Ice Skating - Great cardio and balance training.

#8. Hockey - On skates or as Road Hockey, this sport will get you outside and having fun while also providing great cardio. Just don't forget to shout CAR!!!

#9. Shoveling Snow - Okay so technically it is not a sport... but it is very good cardio and weightlifting exercise. Shoveling snow is very hard so if you have a poor heart be certain to take it easy while shoveling snow because it is so difficult people are known to have heart attacks.

#10. Taking the dog for a walk - Seriously. Pets need to get outside and exercise too. So take the dog for a walk as often as you can. Or better yet, try competitive dog jogging.

Five Steps Toward A Beach Perfect Body

If your goal is to lose weight and attain a "Beach Perfect Body" then you need to get your fitness program off to an effective start, or make modifications to your existing exercise regimen and diet, to achieve the body you want with these five steps:

#1. Know Your Goals

The first question you really should ask yourself is, "Do I want to lose weight, or build muscle?"

Because if you don't know the answer to that you won't be able to go after that goal properly. It's best to focus on just one goal at a time because if you try to do both at once you will feel demotivated when you don't see immediate results in terms of weight loss (plus muscle weighs more than fat, so you will actually gain weight as you put on muscle). Muscle gain takes time, but in the beginning you can actually gain muscle faster than the speed you lose fat. So in an one month period you could actually gain 10 lbs - from gaining say 15 lbs of muscle and losing 5 lbs of fat. This speed of muscle gain is mostly due to muscle memory and the fact you are just starting. It will slow down dramatically within the first year. To avoid all the confusing aspects of trying to gain muscle and lose weight simultaneously you are better off focusing on your weight loss goal FIRST, and then adding the muscle later when your body has become a more effective machine. Your ultimate goal will depend on factors such as food consumption, time spent doing cardio exercises, time spent in the gym weightlifting, and your workout intensity will effect how quickly you reach your primary goal. Then once your primary goal is reached then you can focus on secondary goals. It is simply more efficient to focus on one goal at a time.

#2. Don't Focus on Losing a Specific Weight

This goes double for trying to gain "10 lbs of muscle". Stop thinking about measuring things that way. Instead just focus on doing your exercises and the feeling you get during and after the exercise when you know you've had a good workout. Don't worry about lifting a specific weight either or trying to beat your record time for jogging around the block. Muscle fibers are most effectively stimulated for growth at fatigue around 8-10 reps. That means that sprinting for 10 seconds or lifting a single weight 10 times will cause muscle growth. Additional sets of reps is to ensure that you rip extra muscles so you can bulk up a bit faster and jogging further than a 10 second sprint is so you can burn additional calories. Focus on your goals and the positive feelings you get from exercising / having fun, and stop worrying about how quickly you can bulk up or how quickly you can lose weight.

#3. Exercise according to your Schedule

Don't go on a program that requires five days in the gym, if you know you're only good for two days per week. It's great to be ambitious but without being realistic your dreams are just a fantasy. If you're short on time plan for an intense 30 or 45 minute workout - even if it is at home. If you only have a pair of dumbbells, plan to use exercises that only focus on what you have available to you and explore different ways to use those dumbbells to get better results and use different muscles.

#4. Remember that Good Nutrition is over 70% of Results

The attitude that "I can eat whatever I want because I work out!" isn't helping you. Sure, it will help you maintain your current weight - but if your goal is weight loss you are really shooting yourself in the foot by binging on junk food after you workout. Eat healthy, eat smart and you will see much faster results. You won't just see physical changes like more toned muscles and shiny hair but you will also notice mental results such as more energy, feeling more clear headed, and being happier.

#5. Hire a Personal Trainer in Toronto

What do athletes do when they train for a competition? They hire a coach. If you know you are making mistakes with your exercise routine and need to correct your bad habits, your form, etc then you really need a coach who can tell you what to do, how to do it properly, and stay motivated so you keep doing it.

With safe and efficiently organized workouts, accountability and privacy, a personal trainer is the way to go for fast, long lasting results. If you live in Toronto hire me as your personal trainer. I offer custom exercise programs for every client based on their individual needs.

Attaining the Beach Perfect Body using 6 Minute Cardio Sessions

How long can you exercise at your top speed before you need to stop and rest?

Maybe 5 or 6 minutes?

Aim for 6 minutes if you can.

Lets pretend that your goal is to get a "Beach Perfect Body" by shedding some unwanted fat around your middle. Spot training doesn't work losing fat (it will actually bulk up that area with added muscle) so your only real choice is cardio - running, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc.

So you really need to burn lots of calories doing cardio. But maybe you don't have a lot of time in your day (or at least that is the excuse you keep telling yourself).

It is true that 1 hour is only 4% of your day... and that 30 minutes is only 2% of your day... And 15 minutes is only 1% of your day.

But every percentage of your day that you spend exercising - especially at your top speed - boosts your metabolism, kickstarts the Afterburn Effect, releases adrenaline into your blood, and burns calories.

6 minutes is only 0.4% of your day. It is a TINY percentage of your daily activities. But imagine if you use those 6 minutes to do vigorous jumping jacks you will burn 60 calories* right there.

* calorie estimate based on a weight of 165 lbs.

Do that 6 minutes of every day for a month and you've lost 1,800 calories - a little over half a pound.

If you are in an hurry you have to realize that you are not going to get a "Beach Perfect Body" by doing only one 6 minute session of jumping jacks every day. But what if you did them 10 times per day, spaced out evenly? Three times in the morning, twice during your lunch break, twice when you get home, and three times between 7 and 9 PM.

Well then you'd lose "at least" 18,000 calories - a little over 5 pounds. I say "at least" because you might burn a lot more if you managed to kickstart the Afterburn Effect multiple times during the day.

The Afterburn Effect is a heightened metabolic state which causes your body to burn through fat in an hurry in order to replenish your body. It is often triggered following periods of intense exercise - preferably a period of at least 5 minutes during which time you raise your heart rate dramatically.

Which means doing 6 minute cardio sessions - intense bursts of exercise - multiple times per day can give you multiple Afterburn Effects which will really burn calories fast and leave you feeling invigorated and wanting to do more because you will be on a bit of an adrenaline high.

So lets pretend that every year you wanted to lose weight for the swimsuit season... say 15 pounds. Then hypothetically you could go jogging for an hour every day for 3 months and you would shed the weight. But jogging might not get your heart going fast enough to kickstart the Afterburn Effect, which is why you can actually get better results by using the same amount of time to do high intensity exercises like sprinting, vigorous jumping jacks, basically any kind of high intensity exercise.

The adrenaline combined with the Afterburn Effect will leave you feeling very energetic and after a few days of doing the exercises you will want to do them more often - and even look forward to them.

In which case you won't lack for motivation as you shed the pounds and aim to get that Beach Perfect Body.

How to Hire an In Home Personal Trainer

Its Spring. April. The time of year when many young people want to start losing weight so they can get that "Beach Perfect Body" for the summer.

Chances are likely you spent the winter hibernating indoors (because lets face it, even Toronto gets cold in the winter despite being one of the warmer places in Canada). You might still even have some extra weight from Christmas, which is no big deal.

And if you are like me, you probably just ate a chocolate bunny or multiple chocolate eggs during Easter long weekend. Unlike me, you might not be so active that you burn off the extra sugar from the chocolate bunny so quickly.

So in an effort to stay on top of your personal fitness regimen, or get started on a program, since you've never really taken exercise seriously before, you start thinking about hiring a personal trainer. A personal trainer who will not only design a custom program to address your individual goals, strengths and limitations, but will also provide accountability, consistency and constant motivation to help achieve your goals more quickly, and in a healthy manner.

Now when it comes to in-home training services all you really need to do is find a personal trainer you like. Some people prefer more of a drill sergeant routine and some people prefer a personal trainer who is more like their best friend / coach. I am the latter, I am extremely talkative. Once you do find a trainer who suits your needs then you just need to workout a schedule, a location, a payment plan... and that is it! You're done.

The personal trainer comes to your house or condo or local park (some people prefer to train outdoors when the weather is nice) and you do your workout with privacy and without silly onlookers gawking at the person doing jumping jacks, punching a boxing pad, etc. Or maybe you are more confident and just don't care that people gawk at you.

 

The convenience of completing workouts in the comfort of your own home or condo gym helps make sure you stick to workouts because its part of a schedule and people crave regular schedules. Having a personal trainer who is punctual, extremely reliable, and results driven also means that you keep coming back for more (although maybe not until next year, when its that time to get ready for summer again).

The best part is once you get into the rhythm of regular exercise it becomes a lifestyle change and begin to feel younger, stronger, faster, fitter and more confident about yourself.

Don't just get in shape for Summer. Get in shape for LIFE!

13 New Years Resolutions for a Beach Perfect Body

Want to have a beach perfect body in 2013? Here are 13 New Years Resolutions to help you achieve that dream and make it a reality.

#1. Never give up. Just keep doing it even though you make mistakes.

#2. Set realistic goals over the long term and start working on those goals TODAY. A realistic goal is losing 2 lbs of fat per week (you may build some muscle by accident along the way too, but that is an added bonus). Don't get discouraged if you gain weight in the first week because that will probably be new muscle weight.

#3. Don't procrastinate. Its today or never because tomorrow never comes.

#4. CARDIO BABY, CARDIO!

#5. Weightlifting helps too. Maintains muscle tone and builds your confidence. But remember that cardio should come first. Aim for 80% cardio and 20% weight training.

#6. Healthy eating means a good balance of everything and not binging all the time.

 #7. If you do binge due to loss of control, don't worry about it, just get right back to your fitness routine and work even harder.

#8. Take your vitamins daily. Easy right? Vitamin supplements make sure you are getting enough and you feel more energetic as a result.

#9. Eat an apple every day. Really easy! Apples contain chemicals which cut back on your hunger so you don't feel as hungry.

#10. Take up new sports and activities that are fun. eg. Archery, boxing, kickboxing, rock climbing, snorkeling...

#11. Get yourself a training buddy / jogging partner with similar goals.

#12. Stretches! Stretching uses muscles you often forget about and maintains flexibility.

#13. Track your progress by counting calories, measuring your weight daily and keep track of everything in a journal. People who track their progress see the results, feel more confident and are twice as likely to stick with it and succeed.

10 Tips for maintaining a Beach Perfect Body

Brazil is famous for a number of things, but when it comes to health and exercise Brazil is most famous for its beautiful women, hunky men and sunny beaches.

Not everyone in Brazil is fit however. Yes, its true that fitness gyms are ubiquitous in Brazil... as commonplace as tiny Brazilian bikinis and men's Speedos, but did you know that Brazil's obesity rate is rising rapidly?

So you may be in for an eye-popping experience if you visit Brazil and see ample-sized women wearing bikinis and men with beer bellies spilling over the tops of their Speedos. Yes, it sounds disgusting, and its true.

The evidence is alarming for a country known for its beautiful women and hunky men. Brazilians are getting fatter and fatter, and in a country with a fondness for cosmetic surgery and breeding supermodels it is rather embarrassing.

Its described as the “American tendency” says Gloria Valeria da Veiga, a professor who specializes in obesity studies at the Institute of Nutrition at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil's booming economy has spawned a consumer class of people who can afford to eat fast food constantly and eat out regularly. The obesity rates in Rio, Sao Paulo and Brasilia where the working class has busy schedules means they also have less time for exercise and are buying more packaged, salty and sugary foods.

In the past the traditional Brazilian foodstuffs included manioc root, sweet potatoes, fish and fruits... But now that has been replaced by supersized portions of beef, potatoes and rice at restaurants... which means lots of carbs being eaten by a consumer class of people who don't exercise much.

33% of Brazilian children ages 5 to 9 are overweight and 14% are obese;

20% of Brazilian teenagers are overweight and 5% are obese; (This suggests teenagers are either getting more exercise than children, are eating better or both.)

50% of Brazilian adults are overweight and 15% are obese. (This suggests that once they go off to college and enter the working class of adults that they start putting on the pounds.)

Stats from the National Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, 2008-09 study.

Now of course these obesity rates aren't terribly high compared to some other countries. eg. Canada's obesity rate is 24% for adults and the USA is 36%. But give Brazil a decade or two and they may be waddling around like the Americans already do.

So how do we maintain a Brazilian Style "Beach Perfect Body"?

Exercise like a teenager. It is evident the teenagers are doing something right so lets go down the list of the types of activities do in terms of exercise.

#1. Bicycling. Teenagers ride bicycles (or rollerblades or skateboards) everywhere because they don't have a car yet. Want to have that beach perfect body? Start by cycling instead of taking a car.

#2. Walking quickly. Ever noticed that teenagers don't walk slowly? They're almost jogging they buzz from place to place so quickly. They're burning extra calories just by going a little bit faster.

#3. Walking instead of Driving. Again, like the bicycle teenagers will walk to where they need to go when they don't have a car.

#4. Running up stairs. When was the last time you ran up the stairs 2 or 3 at a time? That is cardio and teenagers do it for fun / because they're impatient.

#5. Jumping fences. If you haven't jumped a fence lately you're probably out of shape. Go ahead, trespass a little. Hop a fence or two.

#6. Swimming. Swimming is really good cardio exercise. It burns calories and swimming outdoors will also get you a nice tan in the process. If you don't know how to swim consider getting swimming lessons.

#7. Go outside more often. If you're staying inside and watching TV or on the internet constantly the chances you have an expanding waistline go up dramatically. It takes exercise to shed the pounds and the best way to exercise is to go outside.

#8. Play in Team Sports. Take up soccer, football, basketball, baseball for fun. It will get you outside and moving. If team sports aren't your thing try archery, boxing, dancing, martial arts, yoga or activities you can do alone.

#9. Teenagers are picky eaters. They basically won't eat anything that they think is disgusting, too fattening or maybe they just don't know how it was made and don't trust it. Do the same. Or you could even adopt the Traditional Brazilian Diet of manioc root, sweet potatoes, fish and fruits.

#10. Drink lots of water. Teenagers tend to drink a lot and so should you.

BONUS! Hire a personal trainer to get lots of extra advice and encouragement to exercise. If you live in Downtown Toronto and need a personal trainer you could hire me.

The Frugal Summer Workout

Summertime is a great time to exercise and lose weight as long as you can avoid the beer tents and ice cream shops. In the summer most people eat less and become more active outdoors.

Below is a series of four exercises which take about 12 minutes to do. Done daily they provide a full body workout which focuses on the body parts most exposed in the summertime: Legs, butt, triceps and abs. Thus this workout is good for if you want to get that beach perfect body and is a great compliment to your regular cardio and/or weightlifting routine.

#1. Wall Sit for 1 Minute

#2. 20 Squats

#3. 20 Dips

#4. 20 Crunches

Repeat each of the four exercises 3 times in a rotating order and you've got yourself a full body workout that costs you nothing.

And its only 12 minutes per day!