Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Burn Calories Fast with Circuit Training

"I just know that, as soon as I even see my mother's homemade apple pie, I will immediately gain 10 pounds." That's just one of the many comments I hear from clients over the holiday season, and it's no wonder. With all of the holiday parties, excessive eating and lack of exercise, it's easy to gain weight. It's also easy, though, to keep the pounds off if you're creative with whatever workout time you can scrounge up, and circuit training is a great place to start.

What Is Circuit Training?

Circuit training is great for busy exercisers, because the workout moves quickly with no rest periods to slow you down. You can combine strength and cardio together or keep them separate, depending on what is your focus. The idea is to do each exercise one after the other for a certain period of time or number of reps. It makes for a fast workout that targets all of your muscle groups and helps you stay fit no matter how busy you are. To create your own workout, here are some guidelines:

1. Choose 6 to 10 different exercises. You have several options, including: a) alternating between strength training and cardio, b) sticking with just strength-training exercises, c) doing just cardio exercises, or d) doing some combination of all of the above. If you don't have time for separate cardio and strength workouts, combine both into the same workout to save the most time.
2. Don't rest between exercises. The point is to keep your heart pumping and your muscles warm, so move quickly from one exercise to another.
3. Write your exercises down. Plan your workout beforehand, so there are no pauses between moves.
4. Determine how long you want to do each exercise. Use either a time limit (i.e., 30 to 60 seconds) or a specified number of reps (i.e., 25 repetitions). You may need to practice your workout a few times before you get a sense of how much weight you need and how many reps to do. You'll want to get to the end of each set or exercise and feel as if you can't go for one more second.
5. Decide how many circuits you'll do. Beginners do one circuit and intermediate/advanced exercisers can do 2 to 3 more circuits.
6. Always warm up, cool down and stretch after your workout.

If you need some ideas, the workouts below will give you a place to start:

• "Quick Circuit Workout" is a 34-minute strength workout involving compound exercises.
• "Strength and Power Circuit" is a 10-minute routine alternating a strength move with a high impact cardio exercise. You can repeat the circuit for a longer workout.
• "Beginner Circuit Workout" alternates strength and cardio exercises and includes two different circuits for you to choose from.
• "Fat-Burning Circuit" includes challenging strength moves along with high-intensity cardio of your choice for an all-around workout.
• More Workouts

Making the most of your exercise time, even if it's only a few minutes, is just one way to manage your weight this holiday season and still have some fun. Even if you don't have a large chunk of time to devote to exercise, you can still maintain your endurance and muscle mass with shorter workouts. It's easy to let your routine slide over the holidays, but a little preparation and some creative ways to work out will keep you on track and help you avoid holiday weight gain.