Fitness Expert Offers Year-Round Beach Body Tips for First Day of Summer

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Fitness and nutrition expert Sandra Koulourides is the founder of Fuel + Fitness, a balanced approach to a healthy lifestyle based on nutrition education and core conditioning.

We tend to want fast results — a quick fix. But what really counts is a can-do attitude and a willingness to learn. You don't need to go to extremes with diet or exercise to look and feel great.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (PRWEB) June 20, 2012

Today is the first day of summer, which means beach season is back, but many Americans may not be looking forward to the days of swimsuits and sandals. Obesity is on the rise, with recent reports showing that 70 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Fitness fads are also ascendant, cropping up in news programs, talk shows and late-night infomercials. Sandra Koulourides, founder of Fuel + Fitness, says what individuals really need is practical, everyday advice to get in shape and stay in shape.

“We tend to want fast results — a quick fix. But what really counts is a can-do attitude and a willingness to learn,” Koulourides said. “You don't need to go to extremes with diet or exercise to look and feel great.”

Koulourides, creator of the “Horizontal Conditioning” workout (and a DVD series by the same name), teaches her clients that health starts with diet, which is the fuel for the body. To help those wanting help to feel and look their best, she developed an infographic based on the following 12 real-life guidelines:

1. Don't skip meals. Keep your metabolism humming by feeding your body throughout the day.
2. Add good fats — such as nuts, nut butter, avocado, olives and flax seeds — to all meals. Fat helps the body feel full longer, which helps prevent overeating.
3. Consume complex carbs at all meals. They provide energy throughout the day. These include whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
4. Include a lean source of protein like eggs, fish, poultry, or lean beef at all meals. Proteins increase your body’s metabolism and are essential for a strong, healthy body.
5. Taper carbs as the day progresses. Carbs are for energy; eat more during the parts of the day that require more energy: morning (breakfast) and afternoon (lunch).
6. Have an afternoon snack that consists of complex carbs and protein. Think: apple slices with peanut butter or yogurt with fruit. This will help you have more self-control at dinner, which is when most overeating occurs.
7. Drink plenty of water and green tea; it increases your metabolism and gives your body energy. Add lemon or lime for flavor, but don’t add calories, such as sugar or honey and avoid artificial sweeteners.
8. Limit alcohol calories. Alcohol can sabotage any healthy eating program.
9. Weigh yourself weekly. If you gain a few pounds, get your weight back down right away.
10. Keep a journal. When you write down everything you eat and drink you will be more accountable for every bite you take. Journaling is the number one weight-loss tool.
11. Get active. Get at least three cardio sessions in per week: walk, jog, swim, or take a class. It will help keep your weight down and give you more energy.
12. Add two to three days of muscle work to your week. Muscle increases your metabolism continuously. You don't have to lift weights. Use body weight or do anything that challenges your body.

“That old saying, ‘You are what you eat,’ is especially true when you’re talking about your body,” Koulourides explains. “Eating healthy is about balance. Exercise isn’t a license to eat junk, and healthy food is delicious. It is not that complicated. You just have to know what to do and do it.”

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Fuel+Fitness was founded in 2008 by fitness and nutrition expert Sandra Koulourides. Not a diet or fad workout, the program is a balanced approach to a healthy lifestyle based on nutrition education and core conditioning. Fuel+Fitness offers Horizontal Conditioning™ classes and DVDs, instructor training, one-on-one nutrition consultation, and health, wellness and motivational speaking.

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