One of the other articles on this site deals with suitable foods for your summer diet so lets take a closer look at your summer exercise plan.

Fortunately summer is by default the season with the best weather making exercise both easier and more pleasant.

No need to drag yourself down to the gym in the cold. No need to try and fit a game of tennis around the rain showers. No going out in the snow wearing your t-shirt and shorts (just the idea makes me think of school! I remember having to play football during a thunder storm once with a pitch black sky and lighting breaking over the field as we tore around soaked to the skin trying to keep warm!).

No, this is the season designed for outdoor pursuits. You won’t need a gym membership or any expensive equipment.

Just get yourself some training shoes, together with some basic accessories - shorts, t-shirts, vests etc. and you’ll be all set for your summer exercise plan.

The principle of summer exercise is simple - to burn off more calories than you’re taking in which will force your body to burn the fat reserves you have and therefore get slimmer.

Essentially therefore it speeds up your fat loss. The summer diet part cuts down your calories as well as cutting out junk food that can be high in fat but low in nutrition and can mess metabolism up your  something rotten to boot.

You’ll already lose weight just by eating the right foods but an exercise plan will also burn more fat so propelling your results.

Here’s what you need to do.

You need to work up a sweat for 30 minutes to an hour as often as you feel able. In winter I often stick to 2-3 times a week but in summer I will exercise virtually every day.

The amount of exercise I do each session depends on how much time I have available and what I feel like.

Sometimes I’ll run just a few miles. Other times I’ll do 8 or 10 miles in one go.

It’s best to do  this aerobic exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach otherwise you may only be burning the energy you just consumed in your last meal.

So I get up early before work (which is easy in the summer with the beautiful warm, light mornings) and head out to exercise outdoors. No expensive gym membership required.

30-60 minutes later I return home, spend 10 minutes recovering then get on with my day. I take a shower. Get dressed. Get ready for work. Then just before I leave the house (usually an hour or so after I’ve finished exercising) I eat breakfast.

Leaving this “gap” between exercise and eating is important because after exercise your body will continue to burn calories for an hour or so.

By not eating during this window of opportunity I once again supercharge my fat loss and maximize my results.

It’s as simple as that!

So what types of exercise counts?

The short answer is virtually anything that makes you sweat and raises your heart rate.

If you’re really unfit a quick walk may do this for you. I love to jog, cycle or swim and these are all ideal pursuits as are things such as:

- Tennis
- Squash
- Basketball
- Football
- Kick boxing
- Judo

Heck, even an hours vacuuming the house or mowing the lawn can count if you keep up the pace enough. So you can power through your household chores *and* get fit for summer at the same time.

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