December is one of the busiest months for a lot of you out there. However, I want you to make the decision this
holiday season to not let yourself get caught in the trap so many women fall into of not working out to make more time for holiday errands or events. It is a big mistake to risk losing the lean muscle mass and strength that you have
worked so hard to build and maintain.
Why you ask? Well reason #1: you worked hard for it! It has probably taken you several months or even years to get to
your current level of fitness. Why let any of it slide to hit the mall?
Reason #2: Losses in lean muscle mass
will lower your resting metabolic rate, which accounts for the vast majority
(about 60-75%) of your total daily calorie burning. This means that everyday
you will be burning less and less calories which will is basically inviting ugly,
unwanted body fat to join you during the holidays. Plus, losing strength will
mean that the next time you start to work out your performance will be sub par
and you’ll get smacked in the face with that ugly word that no one ever wants
to encounter when it comes to their training: regression!
Reason #3: There’s no need to let
this happen, there are many clever ways to maintain or increase the number of
calories you burn per day, both from exercise and from your normal daily
activities, to stay fat-free this holiday season. Use the strategies below to
maintain and/or increase your current amount of lean muscle mass and maximize
your daily calorie burn to best protect yourself against the deadly holiday
bloat!
1.) Log
you food intake daily
Studies show that when dieters write down what they
are eating, they automatically eat significantly less food. This doesn’t mean
you can’t indulge in some holiday treats on occasion, but by holding yourself
accountable and writing every bite down, you may find that one cookie is
satisfying enough.
2.) Hit Your Totals
Your body is magnificent and vey
basic at the same time. What do I mean? It cannot differentiate between 50
push-ups performed in a row versus 50 total push-ups performed in a day. When
you honestly cannot find a five to
20-minute time slot to complete an effective total body workout, look for
hidden chunks of time during the day to get in a certain number of daily
repetitions for a certain number of exercises that work your entire body. Got a
free moment from now until you need to take the turkey out of the oven? Then,
bang out 10 push-ups, 10 rows, and 20 lunges. Using this method throughout the
day will lead to big numbers by the end of the day that will burn the same
amount of calories in addition to creating similar muscle building effects as
if you did all of the exercises at once during a single workout.
It is important to note that this
“Hit Your Totals” routine is merely a back-up option to the ideal 45-minute strength-cardio
interval style workouts which are scientifically proven to burn nine times more
fat than ordinary exercise. Short rest periods between exercises create the
optimal hormonal environment for rapid fat loss and lean muscle gain, where as
the long rest periods (full recovery) between movements do not. However, it
comes down to effective (“Hit Your Totals”) versus doing nothing. So be sure to
at least do something everyday. The hit your totals routine is a good place to
start.
Make sure to pick multi-joint, compound
movements that hit as much of your body’s major muscle groups in the shortest
amount of time possible (e.g. squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, rows, etc.).
Use the plan below as guide to build your own “Hit Your Totals” workout. Adjust
the repetition ranges accordingly based on your current strength levels. The
only thing you need is your body weight and adjustable dumbbells and/or
resistance bands. Perform this plan up to three times per week, resting a day
between workouts. Make sure to alternate between Plan A and Plan B for more
variety. You can either hit your total by doing one exercise first (e.g.
perform push-ups rest-pausing as needed until you get 100 total), or by simply
employ circuit style training (e.g. 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 rows, repeat 10x
throughout the day to hit your totals).
The Hit Your Total Workout For Extra
Busy Weeks
Workout A-
Body weight Squats: 100-200 total
Push-ups: 50-100 total
DB/Band Rows: 50-100 total
Workout B-
Body weight front Lunges: 50-100/total per leg
Off Chair/Couch Dips: 50-100 total
DB/Band Curls: 50-100 total
3.) Use your body not a machine
Machines have made us an incredibly
out of shape and overweight society. This holiday season make it a point to not
use them! Now I don’t mean to say that you cannot drive to the mall during the
holidays. However, when you get to the mall, try to park further away so you
can do more walking to get inside. Avoid using elevators and escalators and opt
for the stairs; all those steps truly do add up. Instead of having your naughty
kids carry the bags, burn more calories by carrying the bags yourself (sorry,
that was the former naughty kid in me raging, ha ha). Stay on your feet as much
as possible and resist the temptation to let a robot or machine do the work for
you.
4.) Engage in more outdoor activities
Whether
it’s football, a bike ride or whatever other winter activity gets you
motivated, get outside, have fun, and move with a purpose as much as possible. All these calories here and there
truly do add up and could make a difference between you fitting in your pants
or ripping your pants by the time the clock strikes midnight this New Year!
Sarai D. Jones