We all get a case of the holidays, and it usually stems from the break in our traditional flows. Our work hours are off, family is in town, the halls are decked and the dreidels have been spun — the holidays are a perfect storm of habit cacophony. The change also impacts our eating and exercise habits.
When they roll around, that little voice inside your head gets a little louder, the one that whispers “hit the snooze” or “have another cookie, no one is watching”. However, you must resist that little voice and get back on track as soon as possible. Several exercises will help you return to your healthy routine.
Tune in to learn the how-to’s, the when’s, and the why’s for the following 5 exercises, and learn how they will help you move on from unhealthy holiday habits.
5 Exercises to Keep Off the Holiday 15
1. BURPEE TABATA
Burpees are my favorite exercise — said no one ever. There is a reason why most people despise burpees is generally due to their sadistically heavy tax on every major muscle group in your body as well as crushing your respiratory system in a matter of seconds. Think you’re tough, see how many burpees you can do in 5 minutes … it’s humbling.
But, when you contain burpees to short windows, followed by even shorter periods of rest, you can sustain longer periods of exertion while alternating between metabolic energy source preferences.
Your 20-second working set will push you toward your anaerobic threshold, which translates to burning glucose. The 10-second rest allows your heart rate to drop closer to baseline (1). Numerous studies have shown that interval training leads to increased levels of fat metabolism that go well beyond the time you stop sweating. So when you’ve got a day full of indulgences, start it off right with some fasted tabata.
Fasted Burpee Tabata
20 Seconds Active//10 Second Rest x8
Repeat 2-3x
Or follow this video
When: First Thing In the Morning
What to eat before: Nothing (Fast)
Why: Ramp up fat utilization for the remainder of the day
2. COMPOUND WEIGHT LIFTING + ACCESSORY WORK
In my personal opinion, nothing replaces a good session with the ol’ iron, or rubber-coated assorted metal — whatever is in the gyms these days. The right program design can whittle down a lackluster, 2-hour stroll between exercise machines into a fat-burning, muscle-growing, metabolism-boosting, holiday-muffin-top-fighting session.
When you’re in the gym, modulation of reps, weight, and pattern is everything. If you are looking for the most bang for your buck, start your session with one of the two compound lift gold standards — deadlift or squat. There isn’t a single movement you could do in the gym that will hit as many muscles in a shorter period than one of those two exercises.
The more muscles you stimulate, the more calories burned, and the more potential you have for nutrient uptake in the post-workout period aka your holiday indulgences. When it comes to reps, keep them low and explosive — Shoot for something in the range of 5-8 for your compound lifts, and make sure you exert maximum effort through each of these sets.
After any compound lift, target the primary and secondary mover muscle groups with a higher rep range and lower weight. Muscle growth happens at all weight and rep ranges, but the sweet spot seems to be around 10-12 reps. As an aside, follow up any compound weight session with some core work. Compound lifts generally require a decent amount of core strength; however, strengthening your abs and lower back can pay dividends in injury prevention.
- Deadlifts 5×5
- Banded Lateral Shuffle 5×10 yards (per side)
- Lateral Lunges 3×12 (per side)
- Plank Get Ups 3×12
- Renegade + Gorilla Rows 3×12 (per side)
- Hollow Hold 3×15 seconds
When: Before a large meal (like Xmas dinner)
What to eat before: Phat Fudge or Carb/Protein/Fat Mix
Why: Empty glycogen stores and create a caloric deficit
3. POST-MEAL WALK
The last thing you want to do after a big meal is exercise, but quite a few studies have shown that a post-meal walk has some pretty incredible powers for managing postprandial blood sugar levels. Healthy individuals regularly secrete insulin, however, those with insulin resistance oftentimes have a delayed release, causing high levels of post-meal blood sugar. Based on a 2016 study, low-intensity exercise in the range of 50-75% of your VO2 max, done thirty minutes after a meal can drastically blunt the blood glucose peak that occurs after a large meal (2).
Is this strategy going to burn off the calories you just guzzled down? Barely — but it will certainly have you making strides toward a healthier metabolism while building community accountability amongst your friends and family.
So next time you leave the dinner table to change into sweats to accommodate your newly minted food baby, throw on a pair of sneakers and hit the road for a leisurely walk with your holiday glutton crew.
When: Post meal
What to eat before: The meal you just ate.
Why: Increase insulin sensitivity to create more efficient nutrient partitioning.
This exercise is not preemptive punishment or a golden ticket to eat whatever you want, it’s an intelligently timed movement strategy to prime your metabolism to handle the task at hand!
I’ve talked about the anaerobic threshold and its relation to metabolic flexibility in previous posts, but I’ll give a quick dip into what it is and why it’s important in the context of the holidays. Generally speaking, as your body nears its anaerobic threshold, it shifts its primary fuel source from fat to carbohydrates (3). Your anaerobic threshold on average lands somewhere near 180. However, it can vary based on your aerobic conditioning. For example, a 35-year-old triathlete will have a higher threshold than a 35-year-old desk jockey.
When you consider the context of your day, you likely have a bolus of delicious, fluffy, sweet carbohydrates in your future. While burning as much fat as you can may seem like priority number one, you can actually make your carbs work for you if you make room for them via glycogen-depleting exercise.
I recommend doing some sort of group-based class, because let’s be honest — how often do you spend 50 minutes pushing yourself via cardio without someone leading the charge and a group of people commiserating with you? Group classes like cycling, interval training, or boxing are perfect for depleting glycogen, building up a caloric deficit, and releasing some feel-good hormones to help those of you who usually reach for booze to deal with your holiday-related family issues.
When: The Day after a big indulgence
What to eat before: a small balanced meal of protein, fat, and complex carbs
Why: Lower glycogen stores, to kick start a healthy fat and protein-focused diet (call it keto if you want)
4. GLYCOGEN DEPLETION VARIABLE CARDIO CLASS
Disclaimer, this next strategy MAY feel like transactional health, but it is not. This is not preemptive punishment or a golden ticket to eat whatever you want, it’s an intelligently timed movement strategy to prime your metabolism to handle the task at hand!
I’ve talked about the anaerobic threshold and its relation to metabolic flexibility in previous posts, but I’ll give a quick dip into what it is and why it’s important in the context of the holidays. Generally speaking, as your body nears its anaerobic threshold, it begins to shift its primary fuel source from fat to carbohydrate (3). Your anaerobic threshold on average lands somewhere near 180 – your age, although it can vary based on your aerobic conditioning — a 35 year old triathlete is going to have a higher threshold than a 35 year old desk jockey.
When you consider the context of your day, you likely have a bolus of delicious, fluffy, sweet carbohydrates sitting in your future. While burning as much fat as you can may seem like priority number one, you can actually make your carbs work for you if you make room for them via glycogen depleting exercise.
I recommend doing some sort of group based class, because let’s be honest — how often do you spend 50 minutes really really pushing yourself via cardio without someone leading the charge and a group of people commiserating with you. Group classes like cycling, interval training or boxing are perfect for depleting glycogen, building up a caloric deficit and most importantly releasing some feel good hormones to help those of you that usually reach for booze to deal with your family.
When: The Day after a big indulgence
What to eat before: A small balanced meal of protein, fat, complex carbs
Why: Lower glycogen stores, to kick start a healthy fat and protein focused diet (call it keto if you want)
5. FAT-FUELED YOGA
The holidays are stressful, and there is nothing like a good yoga session to set intentionality and calm the nerves, but did you know that yoga has the power to keep your blood sugar in check? A recent study reviewed the effects of yoga on individuals with adult-onset diabetes and confirmed that yoga was a cost-effective and non-invasive adjuvant therapy to keep the insulin resistance-based disease at bay (4).
So why fat-fueled? While yoga is certainly a physical activity that can be enjoyed in a fasted state, eating a small amount of fat beforehand helps balance blood sugar which helps some people maintain energy levels throughout a longer session. Insider’s tip: Phat Fudge contains the right mix of fats and performance ingredients to kick-start your next yoga session!
Example Yoga Flow to do at home
When: Anytime you feel stressed
Why: Balance blood sugar, lower stress/anxiety
Getting Back to Healthy Food After the Holidays
Exercise will help you lose some of that holiday fat, but you must also quickly revert to your healthy diet. “What healthy diet?” you might ask. Here are some rules to follow.
- Eat on a Regular Schedule: Eat your meals and snacks at the same time of day to keep track of the food you’ve consumed.
- Drink Water: Water flushes the system and assists with metabolism. It can also make you feel fuller so you don’t have the urge to snack.
- Choose Healthy Items: Consume whole foods when possible. Avoid foods that are processed and high in sugar.
- Prioritize Sleep: Unhealthy sleep habits contribute to the production of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger. Aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep to keep hunger at bay.
- Set Realistic Goals: Avoid starving yourself to get that holiday weight off quickly. Gradually revert to your normal schedule and watch the pounds disappear.
