Crank up your core strength with plank variations

Side plank with knee touch

Elevate your side plank by dropping your top elbow and raising your top knee towards each other. Perform 10 reaches per side, holding at the crunch and coming back to side plank each time

Basic plank with mountain climber

Elevate the basic plank by dropping your body down to a push-up position, elbows bent, and reaching one knee towards the same side elbow. Repeat one side after the other. Perform 10 touches per side with quick switches from side to side

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3ways to drink more water

Change it up 

if you don’t love the taste of plain water, embrace other high-fluid liquids such as iced herbal teas or sparkling mineral water. I love muddling fresh berries into sparkling water, or a glass of iced cacao tea to wake me up in the morning

 Include higher-water foods

 they’re plentiful in summer. Dig into some fresh watermelon after a workout or make your own fruit and vegie juice icy poles

This for that

 don’t forget that caffeine and alcohol cause you to excrete more water, so either reduce your intake over the hotter months or make sure you consume a cup of water for every coffee or alcoholic drink you consume 

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4 reasons to try a spin class

If you’re looking to boost your cardio but are sick of the monotonous repetition of the treadmill, why not try a spin class?

A favourite on gym timetables around the world, spin involves an intense cardio workout on a stationary bike to music. Here's 4 great reasons to try a spin class today:

1. Get fit fast

The class follows an interval program, meaning you will burn more fat and improve your fitness, fast!

2. It's low impact

One of the best parts of spin is that it is low impact, meaning you can give yourself an intense workout without placing any stress on your joints. Also, because you’re in control of your machine, you can choose the level of resistance suited to your fitness.

3. Get motivated

If you enjoy the cardio benefits of stationary bikes, then you’ll love spin because the loud music and lively instructors will keep you motivated and energised.

4. Burn fat

Spin has the potential to burn over 500 calories in a 40-minute session, do we need to say more?

Check out your local gym for a spin class near you and get pedaling!

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Fool-Proof Ways to Get Your Diet Back on Track

Start by making a post-holiday game plan

When you're shopping for the feast, grab a few extra essentials that will really matter when you're through the leftovers: eggs, fresh or frozen veggies (for omelets), Greek yogurt, pre-cut veggies, fruit, hummus or nut-butter (for smoothies and snacking) and canned salmon or tuna (for adding protein to salads) can help you automate the get-back-to-business eating habits. If you're traveling or back to work, pack snacks. Toss part-skim cheese, 1 ounce of nuts or nut butter, fruit and whole food-based snack bars in your bag and taken with you to-go

Eat more, not less

It may sound counterintuitive, but the first step to getting back on track after holiday food coma is to actually eat! Why? Going long periods of time without food does double-duty harm on our healthy-eating efforts by both slowing down your metabolism, and priming you for another binge later in the day. (Think: You've skipped breakfast and lunch, so you're ready to takedown a whole turkey by dinner!) Make it your mission to eat three meals and two snacks every day, and don't wait longer than 3 to 4 hours without eating. Set a "snack alarm" on your phone if needed

Start tracking

Loads of research demonstrates people who log everything they eat — especially those who log while they're eating — are more likely to lose weight AND keep it off for the long haul. Start tracking on an app like MyFitnessPal, when the pounds start sneaking up on you. It'll help you stay accountable for what you've eaten. Plus, you can easily identify some other areas of your daily eats that could use a little improvement when it's written out in front of you

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