Did you wake up the morning after Thanksgiving resolving to work off all the delicious turkey and dressing and pie—oh, my!—piled on in a delirium of feasting? Are you ready to kick those resolutions into high gear and renew your commitment to healthy living? Here’s a two-day way to get your fitness party re-started.
Work Out In Your PJs. Crank up a fun fitness DVD and work out in your living room if you can’t summon the energy to get out of the house and go to the gym. Pick out a DVD that doesn’t last more than 30 minutes and feel the burn as you twist, turn and lengthen your tummy. Fitness expert Bianca Jade, who doubles as editor in chief of MizzFIT.com, recommends the Pussycat Dolls workout DVD.
Come Home to Veggies and Protein. Return to menus with loads of protein to tell your body to burn up body fat. Ditto with vegetables for the benefits of fiber. All the mashed potatoes and pecan pie signaled your body to store fat, so stop sending that message. Stay off sugar and starches totally during the two days after Thanksgiving. Get rid of the excess water that starches and sugar retain by rehydrating and drinking water.
Schedule a high-intensity workout the day after. Block excess calories from getting stored as body fat by working out hard between 12 and 16 hours after the big meal. Try a fast run or a high-intensity strength training workout.
Delon Nelson, owner of D&I Fitness Studios in Manhattan and New Jersey, designed an eight-exercises-in-eight-minutes-circuit workout that should fit the bill. He suggests trying to complete the circuit in less than eight minutes by giving each move up to one minute. If you find that time-frame too rigorous, use the remainder of the minute to rest before going on to the next exercise.
Repeat the sequence three to four times, and rest three minutes between circuits. Shoot for at least 15 reps and no more than 30 reps every minute for each exercise.
Start off with manual squats. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and while bending your knees push your butt backwards into a sitting position until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Return to a standing position and squeeze you butt. Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up.
Move on to pushups. You can do these on your knees or up on your toes.
Continue to alternating forward lunges and stand with your feet together. Take a big step forward and bend both knees as soon as your foot hits the ground. Lower your body until both knees are bent to 90- degree angles. Return to a standing position by pushing off with your front leg. Repeat with the other leg.
Holding a medicine ball at chest height will intensify both pushups and alternating forward lunges.
Find the remainder of Nelson’s eight exercises at Your Perfect Post-Thanksgiving Workout courtesy of Shape magazine.
