Infinite Ideas - Look Good on the Beach: Simple Ways to Look Hot in the Sun

Introduction

Lets get one thing clear. Beauty is only skin deep. The way you look isnt going to achieve world peace, eradicate poverty or stop global warming. Beauty and its pursuit is shallow, superficial, self-indulgent and frivolous. That said, no one can deny that the way you feel about the way you look is so bound up with how confident and happy you feel, and for that reason alone it deserves a bit of attention. Since you are more exposed on a beach than pretty much anywhere else thinking ahead a little can pay real dividends and this book will give you some simple, practical ideas to lose a bit of weight, tone up, pick the right beachwear and if all else fails fake it!

Genes and good bones aside, a healthy diet and regular exercise are the twin cornerstones of good looks. Without them you wont look your best the energy and joie de vivre that a vigorous workout can impart have yet to be bottled (in legal substances anyway). But looking good shouldnt really require deep pockets, a coterie of therapists and stylists, a good surgeon and an account at Chanel. You can do it on the cheap; you just need a few brilliant shortcuts, the right tools and a bit of privacy. Over to you!

Burn fat faster!

Eating less and moving more will result in weight loss. If you rev up the exercise part of the equation, youll lose kilos quicker.

Taking a bath burns calories. And, given the choice, who wouldnt prefer a nice long soak to a nice long session on the rowing machine in the gym?

Most daily activities, such as watching TV, doing housework and sleeping use energy, but they are unlikely to exceed your energy intake from food. The secret to burning fat faster is to maximise the fat-burning potential of everything you do, from your daily chores and activities to proper workouts. Here are some tips for you to mix and match as you like.

Try working out for longer

If the prospect of an intense workout at the gym or a 15 km hike around your local park horrifies you, try working out less fast, but for longer. For example, walking briskly for an hour burns the same amount of calories as running for half an hour.

Have a more energetic day

You can burn up to 300 calories more simply by being more active in the way you do everyday things. Instead of ambling along to work, stride briskly. Do those dull old household chores youve been putting off for ever, such as cleaning the windows, scrubbing the kitchen floor, tidying the garden and redecorating the bedroom. Put some good old-fashioned elbow grease into it and youve got yourself a workout. Why not start your day in an upbeat mood and dance to a few songs on the radio? And when you next go to the shops, walk instead of driving.

Build some muscle

Use weights, either on gym machines, in a workout class or as part of a home fitness routine. This will help you burn fat and not just because simply lifting weights uses energy. Pumping iron (yes, its such a male term, but women, please take note) builds muscle tissue, which is metabolically more active that fat tissue. Muscle uses more energy than fat just to exist, so the more muscle you have, the more calories get used, even when youre resting. You really dont need to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger for this to be true.

Learn to love intervals

Not going off mid-performance to have an ice-cream or a glass of wine, but interval training. The idea is that you can increase the amount of calories you burn during any exercise by increasing your speed, the intensity or the duration, even for brief intervals. If you are walking, swimming or cycling, you could go steady for about 1520 minutes, then go faster for a couple of minutes, then slow down again and speed up in random bursts. To earn extra good marks, increase the duration and frequency of the intervals of harder work. Its tough, but really effective.

Remember, the fitter you are, the better your body becomes at using its fuel, which translates into a leaner, more toned you. The more exercise you do, the quicker youll see results. This makes it worth learning to love exercise.

My idea of exercise is a good brisk sit.

Phyllis Diller

Consider joining a group or exercising with a friend. Commitments made as part of a group tend to be stronger than those made independently.

American College of Sports Medicine fitness book

How did it go?

Q I dont really want to pump iron and get lots of muscles. What kind of exercise should I do in the gym that avoids muscle development?

A To bulk up you need to use specific training techniques and work very, very hard much harder than a normal, regular exerciser could ever dream of. Dont give it a second thought, since you wont suddenly become the Incredible Hulk without trying. Instead, think about this: kilo for kilo, muscle takes up less room than fat. This is why many women who take up weight training find they drop a dress size.

Q When I lift weights, my muscles go all shaky. Whats that about? Is it a sign that Im ill?

A It sounds like its a normal reaction, and that you are doing good things in the gym. For the best results when weight training, you need to repeat the exercise until you experience muscle exhaustion thats when you think you really cant squeeze out another repetition and, you guessed it, your muscle starts to shake. If you give up before you reach this point, youre not working hard enough and wont see the results you want. If youve only just started exercising, you might well reach this point after four to five repetitions. As you continue, it will take longer and longer to get there.

Trip ups

They say travel broadens your mind, but it can also thicken your waistline. Heres how to holiday without piling on the pounds.

Looking at your holiday snaps can be a turning point in deciding to lose weight. Seeing how plump you look in them can be quite a shock.

At the time you thought you looked like you were closely related to Charlize Theron, but perusing the photos you appear hideously out of shape from every angle in every picture. Are there tell-tale photos taken at tables, laden with the remnants of blow-out meals and several empty wine bottles? If youve been confronted by this kind of personal excess baggage, nows the time to get a grip and be slim and toned by your next break.

The aftermath of a holiday can be scary, but often its the prospect of going on holiday that fills us with fear. Away from our normal routines, we worry about how were going to eat in a calorie-conscious way to avoid returning with an extra three kilos as a souvenir. If you go to somewhere really remote and exotic, you might come back a stone lighter thanks to some nasty tummy bug, but otherwise, travelling and staying abroad is likely to trip up your diet plans.

This doesnt mean that you shouldnt go on holiday. You cant put life, fun and new experiences on hold while you try to get to your target weight. The key is knowing your way around foreign menus, choosing dishes wisely, watching the portion sizes and going easy on the local beers, cocktails, vino, sangria and port or whatever other alcoholic temptations are on offer.

Heres a whistlestop tour of popular holiday destinations and the pros and cons of local cuisine:

Spain

Go for: gazpacho, stuffed peppers, grilled fish, salads, paella, mussels, grilled chicken and rice, tortilla.

Skip: fried dishes, whitebait (theyre cooked in batter, so its a snack with more than 300 calories), fish served with oily sauces, albondigas (fatty meatballs) and chorizo (a high fat sausage).

Greece

Go for: pitta bread, salads, baked fish, stuffed tomatoes, grilled fish, fresh fruit, seafood kebabs, lamb and pepper kebabs, tzatziki and hummus dips. When you order salad, ask for the dressing on the side.

Skip: baklava sweets, moussaka (a high-fat dish), meatballs, taramasalata (just a tablespoon is 50% fat and contains 200 calories), and spicy sausages.