Workout Wednesday – Zap the (Holiday) Fat

In case you hadn’t noticed it’s the holidays. The red cups are out at Starbucks, every commercial has an annoying  jingle written to the tune of a Christmas Carol (that you used to like) and cookies, candies and deliciousness are everywhere. As a Washington Sports Club radio ad so eloquently put “People don’t gain weight over the holidays, but people who don’t workout do.” Huh? Strangely worded, but I like the sentiment. Amazing food is everywhere, you can’t avoid it all, but what you can do is workout.

Don't let these get the better of you! (oh but click for recipe!)

It’s time to amp it up a bit so you can indulge here and there without dire consequences (my skinny jeans don’t fit kind of dire). It’s time to burn more fat with intervals and circuits!

 

Intervals:

Try this workout from Women’s Health Magazine.

1. Pick your cardio of choice (bike, elliptical, treadmill, pool, rowing machine, or running outdoors at a park or track), and then estimate your maximum heart rate using this easy formula: 220 – your age = max heart rate. (So if you’re 28, your max heart rate would be roughly 192 beats per minute.)
2. Warm up for 10 minutes at a low intensity. Like we said, the old-school “fat-burning zone” can still fit into your workout.
3. Speed up until you’re sprinting at 90 percent of your max heart rate; continue at that pace for 20 to 30 seconds.
4. Return to a low intensity until your heart rate drops to about 120 beats per minute, usually about two to four minutes, depending on your fitness level.
5. Do another 20-to 30-second sprint, followed by another round of active recovery. Continue until you have done a total of six to eight intervals.
6. Cool down at a very low intensity (such as walking on the treadmill) for at least five to 10 minutes before stopping exercise completely.

Circuits:

I found this great short circuit workout from Tone It Up. If you’re not familiar with them they are two kick-ass ladies with an awesome health and fitness website, blog and newsletter. Check them out for great resources!

Tone-n-Pump workout by Tone It Up (click to see more from TIU!)