Almost time to take off those coats!!

Ok Zumba Ladies! It was a BEAUTIFUL day today. Alhumdullilah. Praise God!!! Absolutely gorgeous ! A sign that summer is coming sooner than later. All I can think is that I better get it together because coats are about to come off soon. Keep sweating with me so we can reveal a more slender us in the coming months. See you on the dancefloor!!

How to Lose Weight Before The Summer

(From Discoveryhealth.com)

With summer just around the corner, many of you are beginning (or resuming) going to the gym in an effort to reveal those hidden six pack muscles. While for most this is the typical beginning of another trip down Failure Avenue, for many it is the beginning of a journey to achieve the body they have always wanted. It is quite possible, today more than ever, to ditch those tank tops and strut your stuff around the beach this summer.
These simple tips can prove a valuable aid in helping start you down the correct path:

• Modify bad eating habits now – remember you must create a caloric deficit for your body to dig into fat reserves. Your regular weekend drinking and munching sprees must come to an end if you are to achieve your goal. Start simple, eliminate sugary soda and other refined carbohydrate snacks; this can shave off a decent amount of calories per day. Opt for more satisfying, nutritionally dense foods, such as nuts, lean meats and slow digesting carbohydrate sources.
• Hit the weights regularly – besides helping develop those underdeveloped and underexposed abdominal muscles, weight training also significantly boosts metabolic rate; in fact much more than a corresponding cardio session. While cardio is important to burn excess calories, if coupled with regular, intense weight training the results can be phenomenal.
• Get adequate rest – this will serve two major purposes, for one your body regenerates its cells during the restorative phase of sleep, making it important to get ample shut eye. Secondly, since summer will be approaching, the odds are high that a lot of partying will be on your itinerary, causing major sleep deprivation. During sleep levels of growth hormone and testosterone also raise significantly, rewarding you for your efforts in the gym.
• Drink ample water – no other essential element has been found to hinder athletic performance as much as dehydration. Just a little degree of dehydration can make your energy levels suffer, besides from being downright dangerous. Adequate hydration has also been reported to have a favourable effect on metabolic rate in addition to the ability to suppress appetite. Dieters who drank two cups of water before each major meal consumed on average 20% less calories throughout the day. There is simply no reason that your water level should not be increased if you are a hard working athlete.
• Wise supplementation – losing weight does not require rocket fuel. Many simple, yet affordable supplements can give you the edge needed to break a plateau. Caffeine, for example has been shown to increase metabolic rate as well as promoting fat breakdown. Green tea extract has a favourable effect of metabolism also, in addition to being a powerful antioxidant. With the simple addition of a few common supplements, used judiciously, your goal can become a reality

Apply these few tips for at least eight weeks, and then stare in awe at your new body.