Summer is quickly approaching AND I’m super jazzed. It’s my favorite season for several reasons:

1. I love the heat. LOVE it.
2. My birthday is in July.
3. Summer BBQ’s are my favorite to-do’s.
4. There’s no school (I realize this is no longer applicable to my life, but I still get nostalgic about summer break).

With all of the great things that come with summer – there’s also the dreaded fear of bikini season. It’s time to dust-off those two pieces and put on those suits.

After coming off a heavily indulgent winter and spring season, I tend to find the need to abolish some extra ‘fat’ that has made its way around my muscles. The quickest (and most effective) way to do so is by incorporate short, fast bursts of energetic cardio (i.e. some sort of sprinting). Think interval training. Whether using your legs, a bike or an elliptical – I recommend incorporating a Tabata. A Tabata is a high-intensity workout protocol that generally includes a burst of aerobic activity for a set period of time, followed by a short rest. It’s then repeated eight times. What’s more – you can download a Tabata app on your phone to regulate/personalize your timing (I recommend this one).  Here’s my favorite Tabata workout:

What You’ll Do:

• Find a track, treadmill, ellipitical , etc.
• Set up the tabata timer; move as fast as you can (think 8-9 on a 1 to 10 scale) as you can for 20 straight seconds
• Rest for 10 seconds
• Repeat 8 times

When You’ll Do it:

• At least three to four times a week. The more interval training you incorporate in your workouts, the quicker you’ll abolish that fat!

Helpful Tidbit:

• As mentioned, this same Tabata set can be down using any type of cardio. So if running ain’t your jive – try it on a rowing machine or elliptical and follow the same pattern (exert your maximum effort for 20 seconds, rest for 10, and repeat 8 times over).

To learn more about how interval training can burn fat, check out this read from The Poliquin Group – The Truth About Cardio for Fat Loss.

I’m a big proponent of taking the initiative to help yourself feel better. When you’re feeling depressed, find some sun. When you’re feeling stressed, go to a yoga class. Time and time again, studies have proven that exercise is one of the best tools for stress management. Thanks to Shane Parrish of Farnam Street Blog, I recently became aware a new book highlighting this concept  – Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. The author, John J. Ratley, describes how exercise can literally “remodel” your brain by fighting memory loss, improving your mood and stamping our your negative stressors. It’s worth a read. Especially on those mornings when you need extra motivation.