Best Body for Summer

Get slim, strong, and powerful with fat-blasting cardio, firm- all-over moves, and an energy-boosting eating plan

By Caroline Bollinger , Caroline Bollinger is Prevention's fitness editor.

Yes, you have great intentions. But juggling work, family, and home leaves you little time for that last item on your to-do list--you, and getting into a shape you're happy about. No worries: It's not too late. With our new plan, you can still shed up to 10 pounds, firm and tone, and lose inches--all in just a month! Keep going, and you'll lose even more--at the rate of about 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Studies have confirmed that when it comes to weight loss, programs that combine diet and exercise are superior to dieting alone because they preserve muscle--the key to keeping your metabolism in high gear. And that's the basis of this full-body shape-up plan. We help you maximize your efforts with progressive calorie-burning cardio workouts and strength moves that target multiple muscles at the same time.

The balanced diet is portion- and calorie-controlled, so it's almost impossible to slip up. A plus: The meals are packed with fat-fighting fiber, which keeps you satisfied, boosts your energy, and helps you lose more weight. A recent University of Rhode Island study found that women who combined exercise with a high-fiber, low-calorie diet that's similar to ours lost three times as much weight over 24 weeks as those who exercised without changing their eating habits. Plus, you'll start seeing results in as little as 2 weeks, which is great incentive to keep you on track.

Sure, the program is intense (though we did give you a few rest days!), but we'll be with you every step of the way. And just think of the payoff: You'll be at least a size smaller by the Fourth of July!

The Fitness Expert Nina Moore, a certified trainer at Sports Club LA who's worked with clients for more than 13 years, designed this plan.

(Posted May 2007)

Your Program at a Glance

The Workout 3 days a week: Fat-Blasting Cardio Alternate between progressively fast and slow intervals of the cardio activity of your choice. This doubles your weight loss without doubling your workout time.

2 days a week: Strength-Train Tone up with sculpting exercises that hone multiple muscle groups at the same time, so you get a full workout in only 4 moves.

1 day a week: Cross-Train Pick a fun cardio activity to keep your calorie burn and motivation high and your risk of injury low.

What you'll need:A chair or bench, an exercise mat, and sets of 3- and 5-pound dumbbells. The weight should be hard to lift by the end of each set. If it's still fairly effortless for you, increase the weight.

The DietMix and match from varied and easy recipes to stay satisfied and energized. Each day you choose one easy-to-prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack that deliver a total of 1,800 calories and 25 g of fat-fighting fiber (we did the counting for you).

Best Body for Summer: The Workout

Trim down with calorie-burning cardio routines, and tone up with metabolism-revving strength moves. See the back of this pullout for the 2 Fast-Sculpt Routines.

Your cardio intensity Use this 1-to-10 scale to maximize your calorie burn during Fat-Blasting Cardio.

Warm-Up, Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level) Easy enough that you can sing Slow Pace (5-6 intensity level) Moderate enough that you can talk freely Quick Pace (7-8 intensity level) Brisk enough that you can talk, but you'd rather not

Week 1

NOTE: *Swimming, jogging, cycling, etc. may be substituted for walking. **all calculations based on a 150-pound woman.

Day 1 Fat-Blasting Cardio-28 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 2 min Fast Walk* at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 1 min Walk (5-6 intensity level) Repeat Fast/sequence 6 times 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 2 Strength-Core Control (over) Do 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, resting 1 minute between sets.

Day 3 Fat-Blasting Cardio-34 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 3 min Fast Walk at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 1 min slow Walk (5-6 intensity level) Repeat Fast/sequence 6 times. 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 4 Strength-B Butt Camp (over) Do 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, resting 1 minute between sets.

Day 5 Repeat Day 3.

Day 6Cross-train-30 minutes Give your cardio a kick by doing something new: inline skating (burns 816 calories per hour), bicycling (544/hour), or dancing (442/hour**).

Day 7 Rest.

Week 2

Day 8 Fat-Blasting Cardio-40 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 5 min Fast Walk at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 1 min Walk (5-6 intensity level) Repeat Fast/sequence 5 times. 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 9Strength-Core Control Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, resting 1 minute between sets; up the amount of weight you lift on the first set, and on the second set if possible.

Day 10 Fat-Blasting Cardio-45 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 6 min Fast Walk at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 1 min Walk (5-6 intensity level) Repeat Fast/sequence 5 times. 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 11Strength-train B Butt Camp Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, resting 1 minute between sets; up the amount of weight you lift on the first set if possible.

Day 12 Repeat Day 10.

Day 13Cross-train-40 minutes Beat boredom. Try an activity or class you've never done before--kickboxing (burns 680 calories/hour) or power yoga (burns about 306/hour).

Day 14 Rest.

Week 3

Day 15 Fat-Blasting Cardio--43 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 10 min Fast Walk at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 1 min slow Walk (5-6 intensity level) Repeat Fast/sequence 3 times. 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 16Strength-Core Control Try the "Make It Harder" moves or increase weight lifted. Do 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, resting 45 seconds between sets.

Day 17 Fat-Blasting Cardio-42 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 15 min Fast Walk at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 1 min Walk (5-6 intensity level) Repeat Fast/sequence 2 times. 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 18Strength-B Butt Camp Try the "Make It Harder" moves or increase weight lifted. Do 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise, resting 45 seconds between sets.

Day 19 Repeat Day 17.

Day 20Cross-Train-50 minutes Anybody for swimming (burns up to 680 calories/ hour)? Just be sure to keep your heart rate up during the cardio of your choice.

Day 21 Rest.

Week 4

Day 22 Fat-Blasting Cardio-45 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 35 min Fast Walk at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 23 Strength-train A Core Control Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise (do the "Make It Harder" version whenever possible), resting 30 seconds between sets.

Day 24 Fat-Blasting Cardio-50 minutes 5 min Warm-Up (3-4 intensity level, progressing to 5-6 by minute 4) 40 min Fast Walk at a quick pace (7-8 intensity level) 5 min Cool-Down (3-4 intensity level)

Day 25Strength-train B Butt Camp Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps of each exercise (do the "Make It Harder" version whenever possible), resting 30 seconds between sets.

Day 26 Repeat Day 24.

Day 27Cross-train-60 minutes Hiking, biking, inline skating, basketball, tennis, racquetball, or a combination...it's up to you. The only requirement is that you keep your heart rate up for an hour.

Day 28 Beach day!

Best Body For Summer: Fast Sculpt Routine

Strength-train A: Core Control

1. Rollover lift: Tones back, abs, and butt Lie facedown, arms overhead (1). Lift arms, head, and chest 2 to 4 inches off floor (1a). Hold for 1 count; lower. repeat once, then roll onto back. lift head and shoulder blades 3 to 4 inches and reach toward feet (1b). Hold for 10 counts for 1 rep.

Make it harder: While face-down, lift legs 3 inches off floor as you lift upper body.

2. Bridge with Fly: Tones chest, shoulders, legs, butt, and abs Holding a dumbbell in each hand, lie faceup with upper back and head on chair or bench, knees over ankles. raise dumbbells, arms straight, palms facing in (2). With abs tight and hips lifted, lower arms out to sides until level with shoulders (2a). Raise arms, squeezing chest muscles, for 1 rep.

Make it harder: Extend right leg so parallel to floor (2b). Switch legs halfway through reps.

3. Plank with leg raise: Tones chest, arms, abs, and butt Place hands shoulder-width apart on chair or bench, arms straight, feet hip-width apart, and body aligned from head to heels (3). Keeping abs tight, raise right leg 6 to 12 inches off floor, squeezing glutes (3a). Hold for 1 count, then lower. Alternate legs for 1 rep.

Make it harder: Bend elbows and lower into a push-up. holding in the down position, raise and lower right leg, and then push back up.

4. Core reach: Tones abs and back Lie faceup with legs extended toward ceiling, arms overhead with palms up (4). Contract abs as you raise head and shoulder blades off floor. Reach hands toward feet (4a). Hold for 1 count, then lower.

Make it harder: As you reach hands toward feet, lift hips a couple of inches off floor.

Strength-Train B: Butt Camp

1. Plie extension: Tones butt, legs, inner thighs, and triceps Stand with feet wide, toes out. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, arms overhead, palms up (1). With back straight and abs tight, bend knees, lowering until thighs are almost parallel to floor. Knees should be over ankles. at the same time, bend elbows to lower weight behind head, keeping upper arms close to ears (1a). Stand up while raising weight for 1 rep.

Make it harder: Do the move with a dumbbell in each hand.

2. Pelvic lift: Tones hamstrings and butt Lie faceup with left heel on chair, knee slightly bent, and right leg extended toward ceiling (2). With arms at sides, press heel into chair and squeeze glutes to lift hips as high as possible (2a). Lower hips about an inch from floor for 1 rep. switch legs halfway through set.

Make it harder: Squeeze a small ball or rolled-up towel between thighs to engage inner-thigh muscles.

3. Lunge with curl: Tones legs, butt, and biceps Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells at sides, palms forward. Step right foot forward about 2 to 3 feet, lifting left heel. Bend knees and lower until right thigh is almost parallel to floor, right knee over ankle. at the same time, curl dumbbells toward shoulders. Lower weights as you press into right foot and stand back up. Alternate legs for 1 rep.

Make it harder: Bring back foot forward to meet front foot, then step forward with foot that was in back.

4. T-Chair: Tones legs, butt, and shoulders Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with back against wall, feet 1 to 2 feet from wall and about 6 inches apart. With arms at sides, palms in, bend knees, squatting until thighs are parallel to floor, knees over ankles (4). Holding squat, raise arms out to sides to shoulder level (4a), then lower, for 1 rep.

Make it harder: Lower into squat, then lift left foot several inches as you do arm raises. Switch feet halfway through reps.

From Prevention.com