Model: Jayashree Outfit & styling by: Dev R Nil Make-up: NABIN Picture by: Pabitra Das Location courtesy: Club prana at Hyatt Regency

Summer is sizzling and most of us are itching to dive into a swimming pool. Some of you may even be lucky enough to get away for a beach holiday.

And if you are anywhere near the water, you have to be in your swimsuit, right? Unless you want to stick out like a beached whale, make sure you get into great shape before you get into that suit. Easier said than done? Not really!

EAT FREQUENTLY

If you are like most people, then you probably run your tank empty for hours before filling up till you spill over the brim! This is the best way to put on body fat. Correct the situation by eating small and frequent meals throughout the day. Every time you have to digest the food ingested, you burn some calories. This is known as the thermogenic effect of food.

Eat small and frequent meals to lessen the likelihood of providing too many calories at one go, making it difficult to store new body fat. The body is then coaxed to burn more fat for energy because it is used to getting fuel and does not need to or tend to store too much fat for future use. This is partly because it does not worry about when the next feed will be. Basically, long gaps between meals slow down the rate at which the body burns fuel. The body learns to conserve; it is very smart and learns to adapt. It holds on stubbornly to stored food (fat) just in case it has to go another extended period of time without a refuelling.

Remember Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve? He was eating throughout the movie. Can you find a better body to pack into swimming trunks?

WORK OUT

Even if you don’t have the time or the opportunity to go to the gym, there is a lot that you can do at home or outside to ensure your metabolism keeps ticking throughout the day. If you have a short distance to cover and it’s not too hot or humid, walk instead of driving or taking public transport.

You can do a 30-minute workout at home by choosing multi-joint, full body exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, burpees, jumping jacks, high knees, walking lunges, spidermans and step-ups (use a small stool or step board). Do them in a quick circuit with minimal or no rest and you will feel the heart pounding and your muscles burning. Even a simple exercise like the Surya Namaskar performed rapidly 10-15 times can make your metabolism sky rocket and burn loads of calories.

Forget about doing abdomen exercises to keep your belly fat down. Instead, invest in a Swiss ball and work on your core muscles. Take a 10-minute power walk in the evening to keep your metabolism from slowing down at night. (Caution: exercising too vigorously at night may cause disturbed sleep.)

STRENGTH TRAIN

Strength training is the best way to change your body shape. Keep your training simple, your form pure and don’t clutter your mind with too much technical jargon. Just make sure you train harder than you did the last time — this will create a positive adaptation stimulus. A lot of people I come across automatically assume they will improve just by visiting the gym every day. Your body will not change unless you give it a good enough reason to change! The only way to stimulate your muscles into shape is by progressively making your session harder and harder.

One last warning — you may have to order a smaller swimsuit!

NO GRANDMA’S CARDIO, PLEASE!

Attention: All of you who like to go to sleep on the treadmill!

I saw this guy whose beard actually grew a bit during the course of his cardio session! But what I could not see then and what is bound to happen sooner or later is that this guy will get fatter. Even if he loses some body weight, which is likely, he will still be a fatter person than before because his ratio of body fat to lean mass will definitely alter for the worse.

It’s a myth that you have to work out continuously for 20 minutes before you begin to burn fat. The common wisdom you are likely to receive at any gym is that you need to exercise in a range between 60 to 80 per cent of your maximum heart rate. Ignore that theory. Your body uses more energy when working at high intensities — just look at a sprinter’s physique.

So all you cardio lovers shake yourself out of your grandma’s programme and get intense. Do your cardio training in short bursts to rev up your metabolism and turn your body into a fat-burning machine. If you can’t sustain the intensity for too long, work in intervals and alternate between hard and easy sets. This will create great “after burn” and give you a body that will just love slipping into a swimsuit.

STAY HYDRATED

Water plays a great role in fat metabolism. In fact, water is responsible for almost every process in the body — digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion. It also regulates body temperature, constitutes half our blood volume, acts as a lubricant for the body’s joints and is the foremost transporter of nutrients.

The jury is still out on how much water is essential but play safe and drink at least two-three litres a day. Avoid foods and drinks with high sodium content as they cause water to be held in the stomach, making it unavailable to dissipate heat.

Follow the above mentioned tips, stay away from junk food and get your regular seven hours of sleep and you are on your way to a body you will be happy to flaunt in the beach or pool.