Sarah Shivnan is a British personal trainer living and working in Shanghai. In this regular blog, learn tricks and tips for healthier living in the big city.

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Finally, the long cold winter days have passed and layers are coming off ready for summer. For some, this time of year can be a nightmare, with the thought of singlet tops and shorts filling people with utter dread. You can no longer hide those winter kilos that you’ve been carrying with jumpers and coats. For many people, this time of year means a sudden rush to hit the gym until the fabulous bikini body is ready to be unveiled.

A lots of clients I meet around this time set unrealistic goals in time for their July beach holiday, that isn’t to say results cant be achieved in a matter of weeks, you just have to be realistic and consistent with your training.

The Six Week Exercise Plan!

Firstly, as any trainer will tell you, no matter how hard you train in the gym, unless you cut back on your calorie intake and make dietary changes you will pretty much maintain your current weight and have difficulty shifting those awkward extra kilos. Normally I don’t recommend diets, as they are difficult to maintain and often have a yo yo effect. However, if you have a short term goal in mind, such as a wedding, beach holiday or you’re heading back home for the first time in years and want to make a grand entry, here are a few tips to drop a few kilos in a short period of time.

- Stop eating Chinese food! It is soaked in oil and puts on weight that seems to be hardest to shift.

- Cut out the carbs. Normally I never tell clients to do this as carbohydrates are essential – especially when you are training regularly – but short term it’s okay, as long as you are aware that you may crave carbs more and it’s hard to keep up. You can try to eat only protein and veggies for a few weeks to kick start your weight loss, then slowly bring in some carbs during the day time. Whatever you do, don’t forget the carb curfew – nothing after 7pm!

- Train four to five days a week. Yep, doing a light walk or a few reps here and there is certainly a good start, but if you want results fast then the key is intensity. This doesn’t mean walking or jogging longer because your body and endurance adjusts to the training after a while, especially if you do the same program. Vary your training as much as possible. Drop the duration and bump up the speed. Try interval training, mixing high intensity cardio with weights, which is much more effective. Don’t fall into the trap of doing the same program, each day try something different. You will feel muscle soreness in the beginning; make sure you stretch properly before and after your work out and work through the pain.

- Strength and weight training. I often see women with 1lb pink dumbbells in the gym, which is pretty pointless. Notch up the weight and start feeling the burn, otherwise you are wasting your time. Work large muscle groups, such as legs, chest and back. Doing a thousand sit ups a day will not get you that flat stomach – strength training, cardio and a sensible diet is the key to fab abs!

- Make it fun! Find a sport that you enjoy. Now that the sunshine is out – enjoy it! Try a game of tennis, football or go for a swim. Make the most of the sunshine but remember to drink plenty of water.

- Muay Thai boxing! For me, this is the best training to really shape up. Even for trainers, you can get stuck with your own program and need motivation. This is the most intense training (after Irish dancing of course) I’ve ever done. It gets the fastest results and it’s a great stress reliever.

Email: [email protected]. Web: www.personaltrainingshanghai.com / www.shanghaibootcamp.com