Get Your Body Beach-Ready in 4 Weeks

If you just need to lose a few pounds and tone up, you can get your body beach-ready in a few weeks. Before you start your workout, check  your diet. Cut back on the fats, extra carbs and increase your fiber and water intake. Don’t sacrifice nutrition to lose weight. Eat a balanced diet that includes healthy carbs, not sugary foods like soda and cake. You’re going to need your energy for this workout. A combination of cardio and strength exercises can help you lose weight and tone your muscles for a firm, beach-ready body. Make sure you check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine, especially an intense program.

Start out by warming up you muscles with some light exercise, such as fast walking, jogging or jumping rope. Once your heart rate increases and you start to sweat, you are ready for the real work. Stretch your muscles before and after your workout to reduce the risk of delayed onset muscle soreness. Do 10 minutes of intense cardio followed by 10 minutes of strength training for a total of 20 minutes each day during the first week. Increase the time  you work out by 5 minutes each week.  By the 4th week you will be working out for 25 minutes, not including your warm-up and cool-down period.  When doing strength exercises, start slowly by doing 5 to 8 repetitions of strength training exercises. Work a different muscle group at each workout to allow your muscles to heal between workouts. You should be able to do 15 to 20 repetitions of each exercise by the end of the 4-week program.

Monday

10 minute warm-up followed by 5 minutes of stretching
10 minute cardio – jumping rope, jogging, running
10 minutes upper body strength training
10 minute cool-down followed by 5 minutes of stretching

Tuesday

10 minute warm-up followed by 5 minutes of stretching
10 minutes cardio – running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike
10 minutes abdominal strength training
10 minute cool-down followed by 5 minutes stretching

Wednesday

10 minute warm-up followed by 5 minutes of stretching
10 minutes cardio – jogging on a treadmill
10 minutes lower body strength training
10 minute cool-down followed by 5 minutes stretching

Thursday

10 minute warm-up followed by 5 minutes of stretching
10 minutes cardio – aerobics or treadmill workout
10 minutes arms strength training with dumbbells
10 minute cool-down followed by 5 minutes stretching

Friday

10 minute warm-up followed by 5 minutes of stretching
10 minutes cardio – jumping rope, jogging, running
10 minutes abdominal strength training
10 minute cool-down followed by 5 minutes stretching