With just a few days to go, here's how to keep your body tight and Tatler Ball-ready
Giving yourself just under a week to get into shape for the Hong Kong Tatler Ball might sound ambitious, and while we can’t expect any miracles, there are still a few things you can do to keep your body looking slim and minimise bloating without jeopardising your health. It’s important to mind that reckless cleanses and crash diets have no place in enhancing body composition—if anything, they’re completely counterproductive.
So where to start?
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Nutrition
Work out your daily maintenance intake requirements. A rough guide to this will be your bodyweight in lbs x12—we then subtract 500 calories the total. So if your weight is 140 lbs, you should aim for a daily intake of 1180 calories. This won't be a huge amount of food, but you would do well eating three meals per day, each with a good balance of lean protein, healthy fats and fibrous veggies. An occasional piece of fruit won’t hurt, either.
See also: 5 Flat-Belly Foods To Eat This Summer
Training
Train every day. While this doesn't mean that you have to demolish yourself in a flurry of fitspiration, training 2-3 times per week with weights while adding some additional daily activity can be beneficial. On days where you don't train with weights, throw in some cardio—this could be a spin class, a yoga session, a hike or a run.
NEAT
This stands for “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis” but ignore the complex acronym—this actually means being active. Walk everywhere. Take the stairs. If feasible, use a standing desk.
Prioritising NEAT will burn hundreds of additional calories per day without creating stress on the body. In fact, walking outside in the sunshine will reduce stress and reinforce proper circadian rhythm, ultimately resulting in better sleep—and getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis plays an important role in weight loss.
See also: 10 Ways To Eat Healthy While Dining Out
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Low carb diet
Dropping your carbohydrate intake will result in faster initial weight loss due to loss of water retention. Dietary fats and carbohydrates are both used as energy sources, so when one drops the other should increase to maintain healthy energy levels. In this case, make sure you keep a healthy fat intake when lowering carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are also a major source of fibre, so it's essential to eat a good amount of fibrous vegetables when lowering your carbohydrates.
Avoid FODMAPs to minimise bloating
FODMAPS are a collection of molecules found in food and are responsible for abdominal bloating and distension for many people. It might be worth excluding them for a period of time. You can easily find a list of FODMAPS online.
Beau Elvis Radclyffe-Thomas is a certified personal trainer with Ultimate Performance. To find out more, visit upfitness.hk.