Ask Tina June 2009

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Last seen: 07/17/2009
Location: California
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Tina Vindum, founder and president of Outdoor Fitness, answers commonly asked questions about health, well-being, and exercise.

I need to lose some weight fast. How do I do it?

It's happened to all of us at one point or another: A special event creeps up on you, and you suddenly are anxious to drop a few pounds quickly. Here's a short-term diet and exercise plan to help you shed a few pounds fast. This is not a long-term diet plan! Use this only for a very short period of time.

• Eat mini meals (four to five per day).
• Eat lean protein with no sodium: water-packed tuna, poached chicken breasts, egg whites, whey protein powder.
• Avoid bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and cereal.
• Avoid sugars, including fruits like bananas, grapes, and apples.
• Eat berries only in the morning.
• Eat lots of fiber-rich vegetables, such as salads and cucumbers.
• Drink at least 10 glasses of water daily.
• Exercise daily: two 30-minute cardio sessions, in the morning and the evening, plus resistance training two to three times per week.
• Two to three days before the event, cut out salt, dairy, and wheat.

How do I get six-pack abs?

It's all about the right exercise and a clean diet!

First, keep this in mind: Your core is made up of two layers, the inner unit and the outer unit. The deepest layers of your core are the inner unit, made up of stability muscles. These muscles act as a natural weight belt, holding our insides in place like a girdle. The surface layers of your core are the outer unit, and these are the thick pumping muscles just under the skin.

It's important to strengthen your entire core. For flat abs and a tight waist, you must work both the inner unit and the outer unit. The fastest way to do it is to mix it up. Exercises that have you bending, squatting, lifting, twisting, and rotating will tone your torso and help you to burn the fat that lies over and between your muscles. Strengthening these muscles will also prevent lower-back pain. The TVA/ab flattener exercise in chapter 5 will tighten your inner core muscles.

Don't skip the cardio-at least 30 minutes in your aerobic zone four or more days per week. Also, eat fresh food from the earth. The fitter you get, the cleaner you'll want to eat. You'll naturally steer clear of the junk food aisle.

How do I stay fit on the road?

On your next trip, why not sweat and sight-see at the same time? Trade in the treadmill for a self-guided running tour. Sight-jogging is a great way to get your exercise in and do a little touring at the same time; all you need is a map and a little planning. Here are a few tips to get you headed in the right direction:

• Put on your running shoes and head out first thing in the morning, before streets and sidewalks get congested.
• Many hotels have "runners' maps" that detail routes in the area. Or print out several maps of the area before you leave home and plan a new scenic loop each day.
• Wear a small, snug waist pack to hold your camera, map, and other items you'd like to have on hand.
• Avoid running through cemeteries, national monuments, and religious landmarks as it can be viewed as disrespectful.

For your safety:

• Wear light-colored clothing to make yourself visible.
• Whenever possible, use the sidewalks and walking paths.
• Stay focused: Drivers turning into an intersection will often look out for cars, but not for runners and walkers.
• Be on the lookout for unfamiliar terrain, like potholes, cracks, and crevices that can cause you to trip and fall.

Tina Vindum is the founder and president of Outdoor Fitness. She is the author of Tina Vindum's Outdoor Fitness: Step Out of the Gym into the BEST Shape of Your Life (FalconGuides, 2009), from which this column was excerpted. Vindum hosts a national weekly radio show on Outdoor Fitness and lectures internationally about its benefits. Her work has been featured in Self, Fitness, Prevention, Sports Illustrated for Women, Backpacker, Vogue, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. She lives in San Francisco, California.