How to shred calories all summer long

Jun 10, 2011 5:47 AM by Michele Borboa, MS

Posted in Health & Wellness / Diet & Fitness / Losing Weight

Fitness Trainer Secrets To Stay Slim

Spring seems to be the big push for slimming down for beach parties and poolside fun, but once summer arrives, the heat, countless cookouts and cross-country vacays can start getting in the way of workouts and cause the pounds to creep on. We talked to Jennifer Cohen, Muscle Milk Light trainer, for ways women can shred extra calories this summer to keep their svelte physique. We also talked with celebrity trainer Andrea Orbeck, the trainer credited for helping Heidi Klum get her pre-pregnancy body back, about the diet and fitness plans she designs for her celeb clients.

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Woman walking in office

Keep moving at the office

If you don't have the summer off and still have to report to the office a few days a week, use your workspace as a way to burn calories. Cohen recognizes that a hard-core workout at your cubicle may not be appropriate but suggests some sneaky ways to get some exercise. She says, "It can be hard to work out at the office without getting stared at by co-workers, but a simple thing like walking to someone's desk instead of calling can get you up and moving."

Other office-friendly ways to burn calories:

Bring stuff to a co-worker or ask co-workers questions in person, instead of calling or IM'ing.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator (you can burn between 150 to 250 calories for every 15 minutes!).
Stretching at your desk.
Stand up and walk around while you're on the phone or waiting for a call.
Use your lunch break to powerwalk or catch a mini-workout at the gym.

The office workout >>

Tune in and trim up

If the heat has sapped your energy and you don't want to go outside to exercise or even think of going to the gym, use your couch-potato time to fit in some exercise. "Watching TV at home is a great time to do some simple exercises," says Cohen. "Crunches during the commercials will burn about 5 to 8 calories per minute or you can also do incline push-ups off your coffee table and double that calorie burn at about 10 to 12 calories per minute."

Personal training fitness secrets to try at home >>

Exercise smarter

Whether you like exercising at home or prefer the gym, Cohen recommends interval training as often as possible. "Interval training is the key for the busy person," she says. "Using burst training and alternating between high impact and low impact means getting much more out of a short time. Hitting 80 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate on and off can turn a 15-minute workout into the equivalent of 1 hour of working out!"

Workout tips to stay fit this summer >>

The Muscle Milk Fitness Retreat

Andrea Orbeck is a renowned celebrity trainer, credited with transforming the bodies of Heidi Klum, Karolina Kurkova, Doutzen Kroes, Kimora Lee Simmons, Maria Menounos, Usher and Seal. She is specifically responsible for helping Klum get her pre-baby body back. We had a chance to get the low-down on Orbeck's successful Supermodel Sculpt and Pregnancy Sculpt workout routines at the "Muscle Milk Fitness Retreat" in Beverly Hills. Orbeck taught us all her signature moves and told us about the nutrition plans she puts her celeb clients on. The Muscle Milk Fitness Retreat is a three-week event held in Beverly Hills featuring group fitness classes led by Hollywood trainers, designed to get celebs in shape for summer.

More summer body boosters

Think yourself thin: 5 Ways to use your brain to change your body
Avoid diet disaster this summer
Workout tips to get fit for bikini season

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Tags: beach body burn calories calories exercise fitness health and wellness lose weight slimming secrets travel weight loss women's health womens fitness workouts

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