Preventing Holiday Fat with Supercharged Workouts
Want to prevent unwanted pounds from too many holiday desserts? Don’t fret! You don’t have to do a lot of work while getting fit and staying in shape through the holidays. You just have to be smart and focused. Short, intense workouts give you a big bank for your buck, since they not only burn lots of calories while you’re sweating, you continue to burn calories for hours afterward. Each workout below gives you something different and, collectively, give you everything you need to stay fit and look great. So, go ahead, have that pumpkin pie or chocolate cheesecake. You earned it.
Cardio Blaster
This is one of the best workouts you can do to improve fitness and burn lots of calories in a short time. Start with a 15-minute warm-up, then run or bike for 3 minutes at 90 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate (should feel like a 9 on a scale of 1-10). Take 3 minutes active recovery and repeat 3 to 4 times. Finish with a 10-minute cool-down. This workout is like weight training for your heart—it strengthens your cardiovascular system, gives you good health and fitness, and makes you a better fat-burning machine.
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Cardio-Sprint Pyramid
There’s nothing like sprinting to increase muscle power and get your legs, glutes, and core tight and toned. This workout mixes cardio with muscle-sculpting sprinting for a fun workout you’ll never forget. Start with a 15-minute warm-up, adding a few 20-second bursts at the end to rev your engine and prepare for the workout. Then run or bike fast for 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, and 30 seconds (adjusting the effort with the length of the segment), following each fast segment with an active recovery interval equaling the same amount of time. Finish with a 10-minute cool-down.
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Running Circuit
This high-octane, non-stop circuit combines short bursts of running with concentrated body-weight exercises to sculpt your body into a Rodin creation. Do each exercise for 30 seconds in the order listed. Complete the circuit 2 to 3 times.
- 30-second sprint
- squat jumps
- crunches
- push-ups
- 30-second sprint
- side-to-side lunges
- v-sits
- burpees
- 30-second sprint
- forward plank
- side-to-side traveling push-ups
- 30-second sprint
To prevent those pounds from appearing on your waistline this holiday season, do each of these workouts once a week. Not only will you get fit fast, you’ll have a body begging to be kissed under the mistletoe!
By Jason R. Karp, Ph.D.
Dr. Jason Karp is a nationally-recognized running coach, 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, and owner of RunCoachJason.com. He holds a PhD in exercise physiology. A prolific writer, he has more than 200 publications in international running, coaching, and fitness magazines, has authored five books, including Running for Women and Running a Marathon For Dummies, and is a frequent speaker at national fitness and coaching conferences.
