BrandAlley

Who’s looking forward to tonight? The Opening Ceremony marking the start of the Olympics is finally upon us and we’re excited to see what all the hours of training, preparation and hard work has created. If it’s anything like China’s 2008 Beijing Olympic’s Opening Ceremony, we’re betting it’s going to be pretty spectacular. Good luck everyone who’s taking part!

As it’s summer, and we’re going to be inundated with images of these fabulous sporting bodies, it’s about time we started working on our own. These athletes have given us inspiration to start hitting the gym and getting a little healthier, and with this hot spell it’s the perfect time to strip down and show those toned muscles. Here’s our how to on a quick fix body work-out that will help you release endorphins and tighten your muscles. It all results in a healthier look, so what are you waiting for? Start getting fit now!

Interval training is a great way to burn fat and see fast results. Some find interval training easier than regular training which sees you working out at a constant rate. The effects often take longer which can lead to people giving up. Here’s how you do it:

After your warm up of a gentle jog or lighter exercise, sprint for 5 minutes. Work out as hard as you can for this time, then slow to a walk for the next 2 minutes. What you’re looking for is a sudden raise in your heart beat, then a drop to a relatively normal level. Repeat this for half an hour. The effort in raising your heart-rate and letting your body recover is what helps you lose weight quick. Try this with all your work-outs and you’ll notice a difference soon. Here at BrandAlley HQ, we take the walk in to the office each morning as our 10 minute work-out. We walk fast raising our heart rate and then sit down for the cool down – everything can be turned into a work out!

For those of us who want more definition, planks are great way to improve your core muscles (abs and back). These muscles hold you in like a corset and support your spine keeping your body balanced. Simply lie on the floor face down and lift yourself up with your toes and elbows so your body is in a line. Suck in your tummy and hold for a minute. To help dissolve your love handles turn your plank into a side plank, with your elbow in line with your shoulder. Lift hips up and down around 20 -30 times in 3 sets.

After 2 weeks of these exercises and healthier eating, you’ll have a body to rival the champs! Let’s hope this warm weather lasts so we can show it off a bit more!