Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Burn Holiday Fat

The Truth about How to Burn Holiday Fat

Thanksgiving marks the start of a 6-week period where we are bombarded with strategies to burn off the dreaded holiday weight gain. However, many are generic and flat out useless.

These strategies will do nothing to help your holiday fat loss cause.

It is amazing how every article posted tells you that you simply need to Burn More Calories - but leads you to believe this is easily accomplished by engaging in some form of cardio; cooking, shopping, walking, etc.

There are a few reasons why this will not lead to successful holiday fat loss.

1. You are essentially being punished. You are told that if you eat excess calories, it's going to cost you and you will have to make up for the "damage done". I thought the holidays were meant to be enjoyed and spent with a bit of joy and cheer - not wasted on such a negative mindset based on fear and punishment. What good can come from it?

2. How much time do you have? If moving more is THE solution, are you ready to make the time to add in the extra activity?

EX - Eat a piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream = 450 calories

Misleading Solution - Brisk Walking, burn 3-5.7 calories per minute, do you have 80 to 150 extra minutes just to burn this one indulgence off? What about all the other treats?

3. Do you want to Maintain or Achieve?
"So go ahead and indulge, just plan on some extra time on the treadmill, and you will be back to your pre-holiday weight."

This is a quote that is floating around out there! Yes, there is a difference between maintaining your weight over the holidays VS. not going overboard, gaining weight only to end up working your butt off to get back to where you started - if that.

4. "The best way to burn that holiday fat is on a treadmill" - NOT!
"Treadmills are one of the most efficient means of burning calories. That is due to the fact you exercise one of your bodies largest muscle groups, your leg muscles." Once again another piece of misleading information. Traditional cardio is not the solution to fat loss. It does little to nothing to boost your metabolism.

It is amazing that the basic principles of Fat Loss are abandoned during the holidays. Most people are obsessed with how many calories are burned during a workout, but one of the keys to losing fat is making sure your body continues to burn lots of calories 24 to 48 hours after the workout. You can easily gain control, boost your metabolism and make your body work for you over the holidays. Your Holiday Fat Loss Solution lies in moderation and Short Burst Resistance Training.

Stick around ~ tomorrow I'll be sharing one of my favorite Fat Blasting Holiday Workouts!
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