Buff for the Beach
The Express Diet

Few of us know more about how to get bodies looking their best -- fast -- than someone like Wesley Tanaka, a certified personal trainer and owner of New West Fitness. Some tips:

• Decrease sodium intake. “The Asian culture tends to cook with soy sauce and salt and then add more to cooked food for extra flavoring. Too much sodium retains water, makes a person look fuller and less defined.” Tanaka suggests substitutes: spices, garlic, or mustard.

• Cut down on carbohydrates. “On one plate of food, eat 1/4 carbohydrates (i.e. rice) versus the typical plate. Your best bet is more fish and skinless chicken, and increase your fruits and veggies.”

• Stick to grilled and broiled foods. “Barbecuing is an excellent way to cut back on fats, since the fat drips off the food.” Tanaka says he’d stay away from sautéed and stir-fried foods, which tend to contain a large amount of oil.

• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. “Eating fruits in their natural state is better than buying canned juices, which add sugar and preservatives. Fruits are also mostly water so you’ll be well hydrated.”

• Eat less more often. Have smaller meals but more of them, and try to eat your lightest meal in the evening where you’re less active, says the guru.

•Drink up. That is, with water -- not alcohol or caffeine, which can dehydrate the body.

• Emphasize cardiovascular fitness. Walk, jog or engage in other activity that substantially elevates your heart rate for at least 20-30 minutes daily. Says Tanaka: “It’s best to do activities in the morning, when there are less distractions and less likelihood for excuses!”

• Toning exercises with weights should be done twice to three times per week, but not on consecutive days. Tanaka recommends concentrating on higher repetition workouts (15-20 repetitions) versus doing split routines.

New West Fitness (415-605-0044) is based in San Francisco and provides tailored, on-site, fitness and nutritional counseling to small and midsize companies.