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Fit for summer!
Life and Style

Fit for Summer!

By FranceInLondon
28/07/2011

Though Londoners are still waiting for summer to appear through the seemingly endless grey skies and rainfall, the season's rituals have not been abandonned: prepping for our hopefully hotter holidays is still a must, and almost a pleasure with some of the fantastic things on offer to help us all get ready!  Whether male or female, most of us suffer from slight pre-holiday anxiety at the idea of taking our clothes off and revealing our winter-worn bodies. Sun-starved and wobbly are two adjectives you don't want attributed to your beach look. Don’t panic, this article sums up all you have to do and how to be fully prepared for the summer.    

Step one - Get rid of a few extra pounds

What may be the most difficult but also often the most necessary part of this programme is to make the extra pounds disappear.


If you want to take as much advantage of these few months as possible, you can simply gather the courage you have and try one of these two most tried and tested diets that guarantee a quick loss of weight without being too draconian:

  • The calorie control diet consists of eating low calorie meals and count everything calorie you eat and allowing you no more than 1200 to 1500 calories a day (we would not recommend you go under the 1200 barrier) depending on how much weight you want to loose and how much time you have. It demands a high degree of self-discipline and the motivation to say no to all high calorie pleasures but it also allows you to have some of these pleasures without feeling guilty because you know that you can cut down on other things. The best way of reducing your calorie intake is by cutting down on alcohol, sugar and fatty food.
  • Another diet alternative is the hyper protein diet, famous among the Hollywood stars, which consists in having full-of-proteins but low in sugar and fat meals or drinks, in order to lower you energetic allowance without loosing your muscles. You’ll feel quickly full although you’ve not eaten all the calories you’d normally need.

 
But, although you’ll surely be pleased to loose quite a few pounds in a short period of time, these diets could also appear a bit depressing and hard to stick to, and, above all, will be very hard to follow in the long term. It means that once you’ll decide to give it up, you’ll not only regain the weight you’d managed to loose, but it’s also going to be harder to restart another diet plan after that. It’s the definition of the Yo-yo diet, which is genius in the short term, but could have really bad effects in the long term.

Eat yourself beautiful

So, my best tips for you would simply to adopt new healthy eating habits that you can easily stick to, and continue to treat yourself once in a while. Eat loads of fruits and vegetables, they’ll fill you up quickly and also have a great impact on your mood and your skin. Plus you can find lots of variety to diversify your meals as much as you want to avoid getting bored. They’ll also be particularly useful when you’ll suddenly be tempted by one of these highly fat or sugary snacks. Stop drinking alcohol and sodas, treat yourself with a big breakfast, a good lunch, but try to eat just a light dinner. Don’t stop eating meat, but eat it in low quantity, and try to replace it by its equivalent in terms of protein but with lot less fat, like fish and eggs. Finally, don’t be ashamed to eat something you can’t resist once in a while and in a little quantity, you’ll see, the pleasure will be even greater.   

 

Step 2 – Get into shape:


Another habit that will help you either loose weight or simply keep your body toned and your mood up is to exercise, by going back to sport, getting a membership to a fitness club or using the one you’ve got but you never used. Training will not only help you get rid of cellulite, tone your body and develop muscles where needed, it will also help prevent cardio-vascular illnesses and help you burn more calories, which is a  good way to allow you some extra little pleasures.

 

Fitness: a lot more fun than it used to be!
Fitness: a lot more fun than it used to be!



If you like outdoor activities, here are some tips to find a sport that will tone you exactly where you want:

  • If you’ve large shoulders, skiing, rollerblading and dancing will help you developing a
    Rollerblading is a fun and cheap way of getting fit
    Rollerblading is a fun and cheap way of getting fit
    proportionate body by muscling your legs. Avoid playing tennis and swimming.
  • To tone you tummy, try swimming on the back, rowing, or to add a bit more fun, start attending salsa classes, which will develop your abdominal muscles and make you fell great. Avoid cycling and swimming the breast stroke.
  • Fed up with your slightly limp bum? The best for you is to take up running or fast walking. You could also opt for what boxers have used for ever and don’t they have a tight bum?!: the skipping rope.
  • Against the strong calf, practise modern-jazz dancing, go swimming or stretching. But avoid cycling.
  • If you’ve got rather  big thighs, go running, rollerblading or skiing.



Want a bit more glamour to your workout?

You can't do better than Sofitel London St James' luxury "Technogym Bootcamp"!

Who said fitness couldn't be both relaxing and glamorous?
Who said fitness couldn't be both relaxing and glamorous?
  • What is it? Technogym, with its expert combination of workout support and training guidance, provides you with a Master Trainer, who is instrumental in creating a unique bootcamp training experience.
  • What does it involve?The Technogym bootcamp takes place in the park nearby, a stone’s throw away from the hotel. You are first briefed on the session, and then you start by a power walk or jog to the park where a variety of exercises is undertaken. Sessions lasts an hour and the pace is set according to the speed of the group.

Work out in the lap of luxury at one of London's most prestigious hotels

Still not glamorous enough for you?

Sofitel London St James has also introduced a "So Luxury Bootcamp" to add relaxation to the drills with a choice of treatments in their award-winning spa.

  • The luxury bootcamp is available for individual guests but also allows for groups involved in specific events such as team building or hen weekends to experience something new and exciting along with everything else the hotel has to offer.

For more information and booking, you can contact So SPA by Sofitel on 020 7747 2204, or E-mail them at So-SPA.London@sofitel.com

 

Step 3 - Prepare you skin for the perfect tan:

Now that you’ve fixed the perfect plan to redefine your curves, it’s time to take care of what will be the centre of all the attention this summer: your skin.

Do not think that you’ll start tanning only once you’re sunbathing on the beach or by the pool. The major part of getting the perfect golden tan is actually mostly dependent on the skin preparation before the holiday.


So, what’s this preparation all about? Smooth and moisturise you body, get rid of the dead skin and the imperfection to uncover a new, perfect and beautiful skin. All you have to do is follow the programme below step by step:

-    Apply a scrub all around you body, from the face to the very end of your toes, to get rid of the dead skin and make your body smoother.
-    Hairless legs are a must if you want to be proud of your shiny legs. For the method, it’s up to you, but waxing or epilating is preferable to shaving to avoid the hair growing back faster and coarser. Ok, it might be a little more painful but one must suffer to be beautiful.
-    Apply a good moisturiser insisting on the very dry parts of your body such as the legs and arms. Do it every day after a shower.
-    Then, why not treat yourself with an all inclusive spa session with massage, scrub, depilation… It could be a perfect kick off start to your summer it will ensure a glowing skin and will also get rid of all the stress you’ve accumulated during the year.


Talking of Spas...

Sofitel London St James’ “Ready, Steady, Holiday” package is the perfect one-stop solution to your pre-holiday panick.
Make an appointment now and let the relaxing surroundings of So SPA by Sofitel be the ideal setting to prepare you for your summer holiday.

 

Indulge yourself at Sofitel London St James' Award Winning Spa
Indulge yourself at Sofitel London St James' Award Winning Spa



Choose from:

  • Waxing:
    Bikini and half legs waxing for perfect summer legs.
    Or
  • A Luxury Body Scrub:
    Nourishing but gentle, this scrub provides a vital stimulant for cell regeneration while leaving the skin refined and illuminated.
  • And indulge in a well deserved and truly blissful Mini Pedicure with a cocktail of your choice!


Duration: 1 hour - Cost: £50.00

To book your Ready, Steady, Holiday package contact So SPA by Sofitel On 020 7747 2204, or E-mail: So-SPA.London@sofitel.com – www.sofitelstjames.com
Offer valid until 31st August 2011, subject to availability.


Enjoy, and see you on the beach!

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