Hey guys, welcome back to The Road to Hawaii series. In the last few weeks, I’ve been walking you through the exercises I do and the benefits these exercises have on my different muscle groups. In the second half of this series, I want to go into more detail about each week that passes and show you what I do on a daily basis, how I fit in my workouts alongside work and travelling. I also want to show you physical and numerical results I see (my measurements and weight).
EXERCISE. In one month, I am travelling for a photoshoot in Asia so I’ve started turning up my ‘cutting down‘ phase. As I mentioned last week, I’ve increased my cardio to start burning calories and excess fat. This will help create that overall lean look and provide me with the definition that you see on the magazines. How am I doing this? I have added 2×30 minute sessions of high intensity interval training (HIIT) this week. This involves sprinting for 2 minutes and then walking for 1, before switching back up to a sprint. This constant change of pace tricks your body into burning more energy and calories because there is no time to be complacent. I’ve added this cardio workout into my normal routine of weight lifting to ensure I am still building muscle and strength.
DIET. I’m still eating the same as I showed you guys back in week 1, because I want to keep the muscle and strength I’ve gained over the last few weeks and do not want to lose all of that hard work. In the last week of May, I’ll be undertaking a ‘No Carbs, No Sugar’ challenge to really strip down that excess fat. It’s 10 days of cutting out all sugars and carbs, to give your body a cleanse and reset. I’ll talk more on the challenge when I take it on at the end of May. Don’t forget that as a basic rule of thumb, you should be increasing your protein intake (eating eggs, meat, fish) as this will help aid your muscle development and burn fat.
SUPPLEMENTS. Because of the industry I work in and having photoshoots lined up, as well as trying to be as healthy as I possibly can be, it’s also about the way I look. To really cut down and look lean, defined and athletic – it’s a combination of exercise, diet and supplements. First thing in the morning, I’ll take a multi-vitamin and cod liver oil tablet to really give me those extra vitamins and minerals. This week, I’ve also added a supplement called a fat burner. Now, it does what it says – it burns fat, however, this isn’t a magic tablet and you should not rely solely on a fat burner. It’s there to aid alongside a good diet and exercise regime. The role of a fat burner is to increase your metabolism, which means it’s going to help break down your body’s fat cells and convert them into energy, meaning you’ll be burning fat a little bit faster. How does it do it? The main ingredient of a fat burner is caffeine and caffeine gives you energy. If you are already a caffeine addict through energy drinks or coffee, then I’d advise against taking a fat burner. Too much caffeine is not good for you. Period.