The best fitness hacks to stay on track this summer

Fitness Instructor Courtney Black on how to hack your summer fitness routine.

Talk us through your fitness routine?

My routine involves lots of steps that I know I can sustain year round that make me feel good and energised. Sticking to my five workouts from my app per week 45 minutes each, trying to get as much fresh air as possible and always prepping and planning healthy meals that are going to nourish my body – cooking
your own food and actually knowing what you are putting into your body.

What your pre-summer fitness tips?

Myself like most people, tend to try get a bit leaner for summer and this year, I want to tone up a bit more for my birthday trip to Italy. My biggest tip is to keep on track the rest of the year and avoid any crash diets that will make you feel under pressure or unenergised. The best way to stay in shape year round is to finda workout routine that you love and actually enjoy doing. Then for your diet, I would advise to stick to a slight deficit (maybe a few hundred calories under your maintenance) to keep that lean look year round while still being able to maintain this.

What are your summer hacks to maintaining fitness?

Travelling taker-up a big part of my summer so I need to find a routine that I can do from anywhere which is why I love my dumbbell only and bodyweight workouts. Keeping them short and effective so I am always sticking to 45 minutes of movement each day. Choosing foods that are going to keep me energised and sticking to the 80-20 rule where I keep 80 per cent of my diet as whole foods and 20 per cent as soul foods.

How do you stay consistent during your travel?

I use my app (Courtney Black app) as all our workouts are either bodyweight or dumbbell and you can follow along live. These workouts make fitness so much more accessible and enjoyable.

What are some easy exercises for long-haul flights?

Sitting down for long periods of time is no good for our bodies so it’s really important we get them moving but also stay in tune with our bodies while doing so. I would opt for a long walk the morning after or the evening you land if you can and then the next day grab some medium dumbbells and get a 45-minute full body sweat on and really focus on warming up and mobilising your body beforehand to get into that lower back, hips and anywhere that may feel stiff post flight.

What advice would you give to anyone who is struggling to find time to work out?

Workout at home. My app makes this so much fun and it takes away the traffic to the gym or your class
and also just makes everything so much more accessible and quicker. You can be done in 20-30 or 45 minutes, and everyone can make time for that. Stop scrolling on your phone when you wake up or skip 30 minutes of TV of an evening and just try find a time where you can put your body first.

What is your take on cheat meals?

Cheat meals is a bit of a toxic phrase in my opinion because it brings guilt or some kind of bad negative feeling around food. A meal is just a meal, some more nutritious than others. I always tell my clients, friends and family the best way to incorporate balance into your life if to have what you fancy in moderation. If you fancy some chocolate, have some rather than waiting until your chest day and bingeing on way more than just that small piece of chocolate you were craving.

It can be hard to find the drive to work out – what keeps you motivated?

Motivation doesn’t come easy and there is nothing worse than feeling demotivated but motivation comes from results and unfortunately they aren’t going to happen if you do not make a change and take the first step. A workout is always easier five minutes in when you have actually started. The hardest part is getting going, remember why you want to workout and how it makes you feel after.

This is The Summer Escape Issue – where do you plan on travelling to this Summer?

I am back in London for a week to see my family and then heading to Paris for the weekend. From there, I am staying in Spain for a few weeks before heading on my birthday trip to Italy with my partner. We are then heading to Greece with his family and finally south of France for me and my mum’s annual summer trip. Lots of travelling so lots of hotel workouts and outside workouts too! I cannot wait to relax, workout hard and enjoy some beautiful food.

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