Get bikini-fit for summer

Record-breaking April temperatures made Yorkshire hotter than the Med and had many of us groaning as we struggled into our summer gear.

We thought we had a few weeks longer before we had to expose those bingo wings and love handles.

And if you've pushed and panted your way into last year's linen trousers only to ask: "Does my bum look big in this", you really don't need the answer.

What you need is a big push into a healthy eating and exercise programme that will get you looking leaner and feeling fab.

We all know the best way to drop a few pounds is to eat less and do more exercise, but it can be difficult to get motivated.

So we asked York fitness guru Grace Hucey for some top trim-up tips for summer.

Following a varied career which spanned working in nightclubs, being a fashion manager and working as a presenter on York TV, Grace now runs her own healthy lifestyle business in York. She is a qualified nutrionist, as well as a member of the Register of Exercise Professionals and an advance instructor in fitness, personal training, weight management and pilates.

Grace said the key point to remember is that exercise must go hand-in-hand with dieting.

"You can't lose weight by exercise alone. Giving yourself the right nutrition is vital," she said.

"You need to cut back on white bread, biscuits, crisps and processed foods and up your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. An ideal one would include muesli with fruit and yoghurt."

For other meals, Grace suggests dividing your plate into three parts. "Fill half with vegetables, one quarter with protein such as meat or fish and one quarter with your carbs - potato, rice or pasta."

Grace reckons by cutting out 250 calories a day and using up another 250 through exercise, you should lose weight.

"That's as simple as swapping your lunchtime sandwich for a salad and cycling to work, or getting off the bus a stop earlier."

Avoid crash diets, is Grace's advice, and lose weight steadily at a rate of one or two pounds a week. To do this, you will need to do a moderate level of exercise that raises your heart rate for 30 to 45 minutes, three times a week.

Grace explained: "You need to do some cardio work to strip away the fat. That means swimming, brisk walking, jogging, cycling - anything that raises your heart rate to 75 per cent of its maximum."

Grace suggests an easy way to check you are working out hard enough.

"We call it the rate of perception test. If one' is being able to talk normal and ten' is being totally out of breath, the aim is to exercise at about a seven' or eight' where you can still talk, but only just. Then, you should be working out at about 70 or 80 per cent of your maximum."

Grace says there is no excuse for not being able to fit exercise into your life.

"Walk into town, use the stairs rather than the lift at work, in your lunch hour go out and have a quick walk around town. Also, you don't have to take your 30 minutes in one block - you could walk the dog for ten minutes three times a day."

But she advises anyone recovering from an illness, or unused to exercise, to seek professional advice before embarking on a rigorous fitness regime. Also, people must stretch before and after a work-out.

Grace knows most women will want to target their trouble spots before stripping off for summer. That means, arms, legs, bums and tums.

She said: "There are lots of exercises you can do at home, you don't have to join a gym."

However, she added, being a gym member, going to a weekly exercise class, or even hiring a personal trainer, can help with motivation as well as push people out of their exercise comfort zones.

Grace said: "You have to keep challenging yourself. Muscles have memories, so you have to change your programme regularly to get the most from your efforts."

To help you shape up for summer here are Grace's top tips...

Exercise

1. Do cardio work for a maximum of 45 minutes three times a week. After 60 minutes, your body starts to burn muscle.

2. Mix it up with interval training: walk briskly, then jog, walk again.

3. To get stronger, increase resistance by about five per cent every couple of weeks 4. Rest worked muscles for a day.

5. Challenge your muscles and overhaul your routine every four to six weeks.

For your arms: Tricep dips

This is a brilliant exercise for bingo wings' or flabby arms. You can do this at home, using a sofa or bed, just make sure it is fixed or stable. Sit on the edge, hands behind you, slip your bottom off the edge, begin with arms straight, then lower your body, keeping your arms at 90 degrees. Push back up until your arms are straight. Start with a few and add more as you become stronger.

For your bum:

Using a Swiss ball, this is basically a squat. Lean backwards, trapping the ball between your back and the wall, then squat down, keeping your back straight and your knees at 90 degrees, keeping your knees behind your toes. Again, start with a few and add more as you become stronger.

For your tum:

Always do your abs last. A basic crunch will work those lower abs. Lie down with knees bent and hip-width apart. Make sure your back is in neutral' position (roll it up, then down, then settle in the middle). Take a deep breath through your nose and as you exhale pull in your tummy muscles (imagine pulling your naval towards your spine) then lift your upper body towards your knees. Again, start with a few and add more as you become stronger.

Food

1. Cut refined foods.

2. Eat five portions of fruit and veg a day.

2. Drink two litres of water daily.

3. Swap your favourites for lighter options (ie bread for crispbreads) 4. Eat every four hours to maintain blood sugar levels.

For more advice or help, call Grace on 07772 435418.