What is a holiday if you have to constantly keep track of calories in every dish and add it up to see how much you transgressed? In order to keep the holiday weight off, Right…?
Holidays are, after all fun times, sans rules and monotonous routines. You can be forgiven for giving in to the urge to splurge at the banquet table. But when that just-once becomes way too often during the holiday period, you are bound to return back with weight that has piled on with vengeance, the holiday weight. And those two to four weeks of indulgence could take on a stubborn stance, giving you the finger for the reckless bingeing sessions.
If that described your post-holiday status, check out what Jason Young, Personal Trainer at Dubai based GymNation, has to say about the back after break woes, as he presents five easy tips to shed that holiday weight.
We work hard all year round, so when the holidays come it is only fair to let go for a while and push the reset button on our bodies and minds. For some people that means completely pausing any exercise or diet plan, for others it means keeping things going, but at a slightly slower pace. However, no matter how the holidays translated for you, these 5 tips will help you claw back into your usual routine and shed those extra holiday weight gained during all the bingeing sessions.
Tip 1: Just get started
Getting started is half the battle, so set that as your first goal. When the alarm clock goes off on your first day back – don’t press that snooze button! Whether it’s a walk around the block or a gentle workout at the gym, get that first session out of the way and the rest will follow. Make sure to choose a regimen that is flexible – like a 24-hour gym or an accommodating personal trainer; group classes are great but can become a deterrent due to their time-bound nature. Wait till you are back in the swing of things to sign up for that spin classes.
Tip 2: Limber up – Stretch, Stretch and Stretch
There is no need to break a world record on your first day back. Whether you have been off for 1 week or 3, make sure to warm up fully and take the time to listen to what your body is telling you after your break. Push yourself gently back into your routine, but not so much that you cause any injury or an unusual level of discomfort to your body.
Tip 3: Set small and realistic goals
Whether you have gained some pounds or lost some gains, you can always claw back to your ideal state if you keep your nerves around you. For the first few weeks, map your goals to how you feel or look as opposed to what the scale reads.
Tip 4: Attack from all fronts
Holiday weight is not just about ‘not hitting’ the gym enough times…but also about your eating habits that have changed. Quick and visible results demand quick and visible changes. Restrict carbs to earlier part of the day and around workout times; increase your fibre intake, cut back on that salt to ensure you don’t retain water weight; and make sure you are drinking between 2.5 and 4 litres of water a day.
Tip 5: Activate that ‘Afterburn’
No, it is not just a buzzword! Get the most out of your workouts by ensuring you keep burning calories even after you are done at the gym. Engage in compound movements like Thrusters (a combination of front squats and overhead presses), deadlifts and the likes. Involve some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training in your routine) and drop the steady state cardio. HIIT workouts increase your metabolism and raise your total energy use, which is the amount of calories your body burns for energy daily. Follow simple routines like TABATA, where you can do 8 sets of a compound exercise with 20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest to maximise your way back to that pre holiday state.
(For more information, check www.gymnation.ae)