09 Mar Tweak your diet to trim up for spring break

For those of you planning a spring break trip, whether you’re young or old there are some last-minute things you can do to look a little trimmer while on vacation.
Some of the ways to burn fat come down to pretty simple math.
You must eat fewer calories than you’re burning each day.
Try to consume 500 less calories each day, while getting a good amount of exercise.
To lose even more weight, cut your calorie intake by 750-1,000.
The types of calories you consume play a big part as well.
Avoid empty calories that provide little nutritional value, such as junk food loaded with sugar, soda pop, and white breads or white rice. You’ll digest those foods quickly and be left more hungry that if you eat more natural foods.
Instead, turn to foods like fruit, vegetables, natural oatmeal and whole grain breads.

Try to eat more small meals through the day, incorporating healthy snacks such as carrot sticks, a peanut butter sandwich and apple or orange.
Drink plenty of water as well.
Do plenty of cardio workouts and incorporate interval training to really get a good sweat going. An example of interval training is to run near your peak level of the treadmill for three minutes, dial it back for 1 minute and then go hard again for three more minutes. Keep repeating the process for 20 minutes or so.
Change won’t happen overnight, but a few weeks of eating like this and exercising 4-6 times per week should tone you up. Then remember your healthy changes and try to continue them through the rest of the year.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com