You just looked at the calendar and realized your Spring Break is only about two weeks away – yikes! With all the cold weather and comfort foods you forgot that you’d be putting on a bikini soon, and now you’ve got to get in shape FAST!
While two weeks is not enough time for a total body transformation, you can still make some changes to feel confident playing by the pool. It just takes some dedication, planning and use of the workout tips and diet tricks below to help you slim down in the time you have left.
YOUR 2-WEEK SLIM DOWN PLAN
Commit to working out 5-6 days each week. You’ll alternate between strength training and cardio. When combined with clean eating and a few other tips below, you may be able to drop a few pounds and definitely get rid of bloating to look slim and trim for vacation.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – Circuit Training 45-60 minutes
Complete 4 rounds of this strength training circuit. You’ll tone muscles while keeping your heart rate up for maximum calorie burn. Rest: No rest between exercises; 1 minute rest between each round.
What you’ll need: Dumbbells and/or a medicine ball (or perform all moves with body weight only)
2. Reverse Lunge with Bicep Curl – Step backward into a lunge with dumbbells by your sides, bending both legs bent at 90 degrees. Press back to start, and do a bicep curl as you stand up. (If you don’t have dumbbells, perform a body weight lunge or hold a medicine ball near your chest). 
3. 1-Leg Shoulder Raise – Hold dumbbells by your sides and stand on one leg. Raise arms straight out at your sides with a slight bend in your elbows until your hands reach shoulder height. Slowly return to start. Repeat 15 times. (If you don’t have dumbbells, use a resistance band or even water bottles).
4. Russian Twists – Sit on the ground, leaning back at 45 degrees. Bend knees and life feet off of the floor. Hold a medicine ball and twist from side to side. Repeat for 30 seconds. (If you don’t have a medicine ball, do this with a dumbbell instead).
5. Squat to Press – Stand with feet about shoulder distance apart with dumbbells by your shoulders facing in. Perform a squat, then as you stand up, press the weights into the air, then slowly return them to shoulder height without resting them on your shoulders. Repeat 15-20 times. (If you don’t have dumbbells, hold a medicine ball at your chest as you squat, and press up into the air with both hands).
6. Skaters – Start in a high squat position with chest lifted. Jump onto your right foot, keeping a bend in your knee. Quickly extend left leg behind you as you land, and touch left hand down to the ground by your right foot. Press up powerfully through your right foot and quickly jump onto the left leg, repeating the motion on the left side. Repeat for 30 seconds.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday – Cardio
Option 1: Do 45-60 minutes of steady state cardio (ex. Jogging, elliptical, swimming, cycling, hiking). On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest, aim to stay around a 6 or 7 for the duration.
Option 2: Do 15-20 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT). This form of exercise can actually be more effective for weight loss than steady state cardio, but to make it work you have to put in all your effort! Yes, it’s much shorter, but 20 minutes should feel long if you’re doing it right! Here’s an example of HIIT to start with:
- 2 minutes – fast walk or light jog to warm up
- 30 seconds – sprint as fast as you can
- 1 minute – walk slowly or stop completely, let your heart rate come down
- Repeat the sprint/stop combo for 20 minutes
- 2-5 minutes – walk slowly to cool down
Option 3: Combine option 1 & 2 – Mix and match your cardio options. If HIIT feels like too much, do it one out of the three days or vice versa with the steady state cardio.
Diet Tips for Fast Weight Loss
When you’re only about two week away from a goal, there’s not much room for cheats and junk food. While major calorie restriction or drastically cutting carbs are never great long-term solutions, they can be useful for short periods like this. You may want to consider combining these two options for the best results. Carbohydrates cause water retention, which is part of the reason why people lose weight when they cut carbs, because your body will drop some of that water, making you appear more lean. Cutting up to 500 calories daily can help you lose ½ - 1 lb. per week.
The best and most simple solution is to focus on clean, healthy, organic foods and drinking LOTS of water (the more water you drink, the less you store). The tips below will help you to lose fat, lose water and de-bloat so you can fit into that bikini even better!
14 Simple Eating Tips
1. Eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day – don’t starve yourself!
2. Cut out sugar (primarily added and refined sugars), fruit juice, and any processed/packaged food
3. Make all of your meals at home and skip restaurants to avoid added sodium, sugar, and calories.
4. Cut out alcohol
5. Stop eating around 7pm
6. Eat mostly vegetables, healthy fats and lean sources of protein – chicken breast, ground turkey, fish, eggs, coconut oil, avocado, nuts, asparagus, spinach, green beans, carbonated drinks, etc.
7. Eat slowly and eat spicy foods to help prevent overeating
8. Eat protein and fat at every meal to keep you full
9. Depending on how your body reacts to foods, you may want to avoid the following which can cause bloating: dairy, onion, garlic, sweet potatoes, beans, cruciferous vegetables, artificial sweeteners, grains, apples
10. Avoid high sodium foods such as canned soups, cured meats, packaged foods, canned vegetables, pasta sauce, soy sauce, etc.
11. Drink up to 1 gallon of water per day
12. Drink 1-2 cups of black coffee per day (a natural diuretic and energy booster)
13. Sleep 8 hours every night to reduce cravings and hunger
14. Stop eating when you feel satisfied, not full
It will take some hard work and sacrifice, but keep I mind how you’ll feel looking your best on the beach! It will all be worth it in the end!