Do you have your pool ready body? As I write this, it is February 3rd, and in Las Vegas, that means you have about 7 weeks to get ready for pool season. It’s funny, being a personal trainer, you know when pool season is coming up, because you get more business. I almost want to say more than new years. But it does make sense, because no one is getting naked outside in January, unless you are sick and twisted, or you live in Hawaii. 
The fact of the matter is, we are talking about 7 weeks here! If you look like the picture on the right, we have a lot of work to do. So i’m going to give you a detailed plan of how to get ready for the pool season.
Rule 1: Start RIGHT NOW. I know a ton of people who tell me they want to come check out my gym “sometime” and never get around to it. There is always something that comes up, you get busy with work, or you have your kids. People make excuses up the butt. There will always be an excuse, and before you know it, you are at the beginning of another summer where you don’t have the body you want. It’s really unfortunate, but you have to be proactive.
Rule 2: Start doing something you know you will stick to. Whether it’s TRX classes, or a personal trainer, or just getting your ass back in the gym, do something you know you will keep up for the next 7 weeks. A lot of people come to me, because they know they wouldn’t do anything otherwise. That, and the fact they just spent some money to get results:) This rule is also applies to nutrition. Don’t do some stupid diet plan you will only follow for 10 days, and then eat 4 pizzas in one sitting. Pointless, you’ll have lost weight for a week. Good job.
Rule 3: PLAN. You know that you are going to be going to work every day right? And usually those days are pretty much the same, regardless of what happens during the day, minus a slight change here and there. So it would make sense, to also KNOW what you are going to be eating throughout the day. Take your day off, and prepare meals for the week. If you go to work, without food, and without a plan, lunchtime will roll around, and you’ll be wondering what you should eat. You are more likely to make bad choices if you leave it up to that, than if you have tupperware filled with chicken and asparagus, with a greek yogurt. THIS, also applies to your workouts. Schedule them in each day, just like an appointment, and you are less likely to skip them.
Rule 4: Make a commitment to yourself. You need to allocate time for all of your workouts, preparing food, and sticking to this. So you have to say, for the next 7 weeks, you are going to commit to your program. Take drinking out of the mix. I know for a lot of you in Las Vegas, that’s a cardinal sin. Oh NO! You can’t drink for a whole month and a half! Is the world coming to an end? Try it. 7 weeks. No drinking, and take out fast food totally. All restaurant food. If it’s a good enough restaurant, it’ll be there in 7 weeks. If not, you shouldn’t be eating there. This goes back to rule number three. People do have 30 minutes to prepare meals each week. If you want an example, check out this video . Do some form of workout 4 times a week. Doesn’t have to be cardio, doesn’t have to be weights. Just do something you know you’ll do. Combine these rules, and I promise you’ll look like you should be in a bikini, or shirtless, when that time comes.
Tony Cress is a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, Personal Trainer, and TRX Suspension Training Instructor in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can reach him at tony@tonycress.com, and on his website, www.tonycress.com
