Back in shape: 3 fine-tuning tips for the perfect beach body

Summer is here!

Just like Christmas, it comes suddenly and unexpectedly every year. 

Last week, I was out with a few friends. Most of them are going on vacation soon. And almost without exception, they want to lose a few pounds to feel better about themselves on the beach.

They jokingly reproached me: if I was going to book such wonderful trips for them and their families, I could also provide the appropriate fine-tuning for their figures in future. Better still: include a summer sexy beach body shaping program in the trip.

No sooner said than done. Et voilà!

Note: Dear Sirs, I was out with my friends, but this issue concerns you too. You can also implement all of these measures.

BACK-TO-SHAPE, your kick to your desired weight

I slept on my friends' suggestion for a night and implemented it the very next day.

To this end, I have brought an expert on weight loss and health on board:

Daniela "Die" Schumacher is a weight loss coach and instructor of a great online group course that focuses on figure and health.

In six weeks, she teaches participants how to get their bodies to start burning fat again. Specifically, the fat that sits on their hips. Three years ago, Daniela was my running coach. Together, we conquered the running trails around Lake Baldeney in Essen (editor's note: the most beautiful lake in the world).

Daniela is a true "buddy." She is 100% committed to her protégé and extremely motivating. Every meeting and every conversation with her is full of valuable insights and enriches both your health and your soul.

You don't have to live in Essen or hang out with Daniela at Lake Baldeney: Daniela shares her vast knowledge with you online in easily digestible chunks. For example, in her closed Facebook group BACK TO SHAPE – Your kickstart to your ideal weight.

Here, she helps her members get fit—currently also for the summer. Her free inspiration, tips, and information are wonderfully suitable for everyday use and easy to implement.

Guest post by weight loss coach Daniela Schumacher: 3 steps to getting beach-ready

I asked Daniela if she would share her top three tips for getting beach-ready with me and my readers. She said yes.

In addition to the three tips, I managed to get her to give you a gift. 

Dear Daniela, welcome to inventia! And now—GO! :-*

Dear readers of inventia

Stephanie asked me for my top 3 tips for getting beach-ready. I'm happy to share a few of my secrets with you. The holidays aren't far away, but you can still lose a few pounds and reduce your waistline if you put in a little effort. And you can do it in a very healthy way.

Shaping tip #1: Cut out sugar and carbohydrates* for 3 days.

Eliminate sugar, carbohydrates, and starch from your diet for 3 days: sweets, cakes, cookies, desserts with sugar, sugar in tea and coffee. Fruit, jam, honey, sweet spreads, juices, and alcohol. All grain products such as pizza, pasta, potatoes, and rice, cereal, bread, and rolls.

Why fruit too? Fruit is very healthy. But it also contains sugar. Mainly fructose, which cannot be used to produce energy at all. It is therefore sent directly to the liver. If small amounts of fructose are consumed during a meal, the liver converts it into glycogen, the storage form of sugar—no problem.

When large amounts enter the body, the liver converts the fructose into fat. The next storage location for this fat—from the liver's perspective—is the abdomen. Fruit is glorified and often consumed as a substitute for snacks. Fruit is a healthy dessert. A healthy sweet treat. Packed with valuable vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.

If you're not trying to get beach body ready, eating 1–2 pieces of fruit a day is certainly no problem. It's best to eat them right after a main meal, rather than as a snack between meals.

At first, you "only" lose water. Sugar, carbohydrates, and starch need water at the entrance to the cell in order to get inside. Carbohydrates therefore bind water in the body. If you eat fewer carbohydrates for a while, it is not needed.

After a few days, this can easily add up to 2–3 kilograms on the scale.

And I can promise you: that's very motivating. Namely, to keep going—so that you can start burning fat.

But doesn't my body also need carbohydrates and sugar? Vegetables haven't been removed from the list. They still contain sufficient amounts of carbohydrates.

And to answer the question correctly: No, carbohydrates, or rather the glucose they produce, are not essential for the human body. We do not need to consume carbohydrates in order to survive. Protein and healthy fats, on the other hand, are essential.

Our bodies are capable of producing glucose, an energy fuel, themselves. Evolutionarily speaking, it was once very important for this to function reliably, as there were often prolonged periods of hunger. This mechanism is still in place today.

* Please note the information for diabetics at the end of this article. 

Shaping – Tip #2: Intermittent fasting*

The term comes from Latin and means periodically interrupted.

There are phases when you eat and phases when you fast. This results in mini fasting phases of 12–16 hours. And now a lot is happening in the body. The reserves in the liver and muscles are slowly being depleted—fat burning is triggered. The energy for our 5 trillion body cells must now also be produced from body fat. All digestive organs are now allowed to rest.

The intestines are cleaned out, allowing the pancreas to take a breather. The immune system does not have to worry about food coming in for quite a while and can concentrate on other areas of the body that may need attention.

Consider which eating and fasting phases best suit your everyday life. Choose one phase in which you eat and one phase in which you fast.

Shaping tip #3: Training on an empty stomach*

Exercising on an empty stomach also stimulates fat metabolism.

Exercising on an empty stomach means exercising without food in your stomach. Either first thing in the morning before breakfast or after a fasting period of 4–5 hours.

At the same time, avoid sugar and carbohydrates on this day.

For me, it's not about diets, but about a long-term change in awareness. My credo is to change not only my participants' diet, but also their eating habits. I achieve this by explaining to them exactly how food works in the body.

You can also combine these three tools—cutting out sugar, short-term fasting, and exercising on an empty stomach—to great effect.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the individual tools, you can, for example, start the day with exercise, wait until noon for your first meal, and then have a longer fasting period behind you.

So, dear readers of inventia: Let's get cracking and GET BACK IN SHAPE!

Click here to visit Daniela Schumacher's website

* Important note for diabetics: A strict low-carbohydrate diet may cause you to quickly become too healthy for your medication. Be especially careful with insulin injections. If you take too high a dose, you risk a drop in blood sugar. Many diabetics have to reduce their insulin doses by approximately 20–30 percent or more when avoiding carbohydrates. However, those who are treated exclusively with metformin tablets do not risk a drop in blood sugar. Any application of the advice given is at the reader's sole discretion. The suggestions are not a substitute for medical or therapeutic treatment. The author cannot accept any liability or responsibility for any consequences resulting directly or indirectly from the information provided in this article.

Shall we stay in touch?