How to stay fit over Spring Break

Spring Break—a time of relaxation, splendor, and pleasure. Some of you have worked hard for that spring break body, doing your best to get those abs.

But is it a time to let it all go? How do you keep all those gains you made in the gym? What should I be eating and what are some things that I should be staying away from?

On that note and staying on realistic terms, let’s say that you don’t workout all spring break. Here are five ways that you can still keep your figure without going to the gym when that time comes around.

1. Limit your alcohol consumption. This one is probably the most important. Let’s face it, most people, when they go on vacation, like to enjoy quality time with friends while having an alcoholic drink. The problem occurs when they have too much. Most people don’t realize how many calories and carbs are in alcohol. The term “beer belly” is a popular phrase for a reason. Remember that.

2. Stay away from the salt and cut the dairy. No, I’m not talking about salt water; I’m referring to the condiment. Sodium makes the body hold and retain water, as does milk. If your body is always holding and storing so much unneeded water, the muscles in your abs won’t be as defined as you’d like them to be. This trick is small, but it makes a big difference. Water is important (which we will discuss next), but it needs to be filtered through the body.

3. H2O is the key. Water is essential for protein conversion and carbohydrate uptake. Your body can’t deliver amino acids to muscle tissue without adequate amounts of water. Fat in the body is mobilized through a process called hydrolysis, which means that insufficient liquids will hinder fat breakdown. Make sure to drink plenty amounts of water and don’t just drink when you’re thirsty.

4. No carbs at night. Eating too many carbs at night is not a good thing. They turn to fat while you sleep, and believe me, we don’t want that.

5. Try eating at least 4-5 times a day. What most people don’t realize is that eating more actually helps with weight loss better than eating less. A fast metabolism is what gives your body the ability to burn calories faster. If you decide to not eat as much, however, your metabolism slows down because your body thinks you’re starving yourself. Therefore, it’s going to store all of that fat because it thinks you won’t be getting enough nutrients from other sources of food that you aren’t eating.