Avoiding the Holiday Pounds
MSN had a great article on How
to Stay Slim During the Holidays. Then
I read a great suggestion about High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT.
1.
Break up
Your Exercise – yes, you are supposed to exercise an hour a day but it doesn’t
have to be an hour all at once. It can
be 10 minutes here, fifteen minutes there.
Park your car far from the front door, go up and down the stairs a few
extra times. Go for a 15 minute walk if
you don’t have time for a longer walk.
2. Exercise with a friend – more fun to go for a
walk or to the gym with a friend.
3.
HIIT – Geralyn Coopersmith, global director of
performance and fitness training at NIKE, Inc. recommends HIIT. (BHG.com). She notes that this type of training burns more calories and more
fat. A study of women working
out 3 times a week, 20 minutes at a time using HIIT, burned more calories
and more fat than women who worked out twice as long but at a slow and steady
pace. Her HIIT for a stationary bicycle
is:
- 5 minute warm up
- One minute sprint
- Two minute recovery
- One minute sprint
- Two minute recovery
- One minute sprint
- Two minute recovery
- One minute sprint
- Recovery
I tried
the HIIT workout on a stationary bike and it was great. Definitely felt the calories burn off during the
sprints.
4. Dance to some holiday music – dancing is great
exercise and can burn off some calories.
5. Stay hydrated – if you are thirsty you are becoming dehydrated.
5. Stay hydrated – if you are thirsty you are becoming dehydrated.
6.
Focus on veggies/fruit – at a party, load up on
the celery, lettuce, cucumbers and for fruit the grapes, melons. A Los Angeles nutritionist, Jackie Keller,
tells celebrities to pile their ‘plate high with asparagus and green beans a
few days before a “be-seen “event. They’re
high in filling fiber but less likely to expand your stomach”.
7. Treat yourself - it is the holidays and it is OK
to enjoy the food and fun. At a resort
this week, the first dinner out, I ordered whatever I wanted. Yes, the meal was high in calories, but oh so
good. The next night I had a lighter
meal, good but not quite so calorie laden.
Sources: How
to Stay Slim During the Holidays. ,
“Get Intense”, Dec. 2014, BHG.com,
Image Source: HIIT
Comments
Post a Comment