Weight Loss without Worry

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The holidays are hectic and time is a valuable commodity. Here is the exercise routine that I have been following since Thanksgiving and will continue to follow until after the New Year. I usually change my routine every 6 to 8 weeks because 1) my body adapts to a routine and the results become less effective, 2) I get bored easily.

I exercise using Metabolic Resistance Exercises 3 days a week, then on alternate days I do Interval Training. I take one day off during the week and I am not exercising more than 20 – 25 minutes.

Metabolic Resistance Exercise: 3 days / week

Here is my Metabolic Resistance Exercise Routine. This type of exercise is simply a mix of cardio and weight lifting. A recent study showed that by combining these two forms of exercise with a proper diet participants in the study were able to burn 44% more fat than just dieters alone.

It is best to start with a 5 minute warm-up on the treadmill, followed by some light stretching and then get right into the circuit training below:

1. Toe touches (opposite hand to opposite toe) – 1 minute

2. Jump rope (no rope needed) – 1 minute

3. Dumbbell squats x 10

4. Dumbbell deadlifts x 10

5. Tricep dips x 10

6. Push-ups x 10

7. Dumbbell bent-over rows x 10

8. Dumbbell overhead press x 10

9. High-knee jogging – 1 minute

10. Plank – 1 minute

11. Dumbbell bicep curls x 10

12. dumbbell tricep extension x 10

13. Jump rope – 1 minute

14. Mountain Climbers – 1 minute

15. Walking lunges x 10 per leg

I realize there may be some exercises above that you are not familiar with, feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below or type the exercise name into your web browser and you will find a description online.

I do not take any rest time in between exercises because I want to keep my heart rate elevated. If I am feeling really energetic I will go through the exercises two times…and then lay on the floor in exhaustion :-).

I use heavy weights so I can tax my muscles to encourage growth. Every pound of muscle burns about 50 calories a day just to maintain so the more I have the more I can effortlessly control my weight.

Interval Training: 3 days/week

This exercise is performed by alternating between periods of high effort/intensity and periods of low effort/intensity. This has huge fat loss advantages over steady pace exercises – as much as 9 times more fat loss – and the session can be completed in 20 minutes. More fat burning in half the time…I’m in!

I will describe this on a treadmill but you could use any cardio exercise equipment.

Minute 1 – Warm-up at comfortable pace

Minutes 2 & 3 – Warm-up at an exertion level of 5 (this is a perceived effort level – I feel that on a scale of 1 to 10 that I am putting forth an effort level of 5)

Minute 4 – Exertion level of 6 (at this point I am jogging slowly)

Minute 5 – Exertion level of 7

Minute 6 – Exertion level of 8 (I am running hard)

Minute 7 – Exertion level of 5 (I am back down to my warm-up level to catch my breath)

Repeat for 3 more peaks going up in exertion for 3 one-minute intervals and then taking one minute to actively recover.

Then I am done. It takes me 20 minutes (add 1 extra minute of cool down at the end) and I know that I have worked out (Whew!). This 20 minutes of exercise stimulates my metabolism and keeps me burning fat faster for the entire day.

So there you have it, my personal holiday exercise routine. What do you think? Post your comments below and let me know if you are willing to give this a try.

And if you really want to lose weight before Christmas why not couple this with The 10 Day Diet.