Monday
Dec012008
Losing fat over the holidays: quick, easy advice from the experts
Monday, December 1, 2008 at 2:35PM
Question: I want to lose fat over the holidays, but my time is limited. How can I squeeze in a workout?
Answer: Great question. The answer is...don't!
Individuals who are stuck on the idea that exercise must be packaged into a structured time slot called a "workout" will be destined to fitness and fat-loss failure during the busy holiday season. Traditional family obligations, parties, social events, shopping, and limited daylight hours will all work together to sabotage your exercise goals!
So for your strategy this year, consider an interesting fact: research has shown that individuals who engage in brief, intermittent periods of exercise throughout the day are actually more successful in gaining fitness, losing weight and boosting the metabolism when compared to those who complete one longer exercise session. In other words, if you can hop on the treadmill for 10 minutes, three times per day, you'll be more successful than if you had simply performed one long 30 minute session.
To take this concept one step further, I recommend the following highly effective strategy. On the morning of a busy holiday, put on a digital watch that has a chronograph or stopwatch feature. Perform jumping jacks for 2 minutes, then stop the watch. Congratulations, you're off to a good start!
Throughout the rest of the day, start the watch whenever you complete small bursts of physical activity, such as briskly walking or jogging from your car to the grocery store, performing 20 body weight squats when you use the restroom, or running down the driveway to get the newspaper. Make it your goal by the end of the day to complete at least 30 minutes of physical activity.
You'll be surprised by how easy, and how effective, this busy holiday fitness strategy is!
Many qualified experts on training and nutrition use TrainingPeaks to help manage their business. Now, a select few are offering professional training and nutrition advice on our blog. Read on to learn more about the expert, and submit a question of your own below!
About the expert:
Ben Greenfield is recognized as one of the top fitness, triathlon, nutrition and metabolism experts in the nation. In 2008, he was voted as the Personal Trainer of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, an internationally recognized and respected certifying agency. Ben is Director of Sports Performance and oversees the physiology and biomechanics laboratory at Champions Sports Medicine in Spokane, WA, which offers metabolic-based weight loss, bicycle fitting, running gait analysis, swim stroke analysis, VO2 max testing, blood lactate testing, resting metabolic rate analysis, and other cutting-edge procedures for weight loss and performance.
Ben hosts the highly popular fitness, nutrition and wellness website at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com, which features blogs, podcasts, and product reviews from Ben. In addition to coaching and training for weight loss and sports performance at http://www.pacificfit.net, Ben serves as a business and marketing consultant to fitness professionals, and is the host of a weekly syndicated fitness business blog and podcast at http://www.trainfortopdollar.com. E-mail: ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com
Ask a question of your own! If you have a question for the experts, submit it here either by emailing asktheexperts@peaksware.com or by posting it on our message boards. Your question could be featured in our next blog!
Answer: Great question. The answer is...don't!
Individuals who are stuck on the idea that exercise must be packaged into a structured time slot called a "workout" will be destined to fitness and fat-loss failure during the busy holiday season. Traditional family obligations, parties, social events, shopping, and limited daylight hours will all work together to sabotage your exercise goals!
So for your strategy this year, consider an interesting fact: research has shown that individuals who engage in brief, intermittent periods of exercise throughout the day are actually more successful in gaining fitness, losing weight and boosting the metabolism when compared to those who complete one longer exercise session. In other words, if you can hop on the treadmill for 10 minutes, three times per day, you'll be more successful than if you had simply performed one long 30 minute session.
To take this concept one step further, I recommend the following highly effective strategy. On the morning of a busy holiday, put on a digital watch that has a chronograph or stopwatch feature. Perform jumping jacks for 2 minutes, then stop the watch. Congratulations, you're off to a good start!
Throughout the rest of the day, start the watch whenever you complete small bursts of physical activity, such as briskly walking or jogging from your car to the grocery store, performing 20 body weight squats when you use the restroom, or running down the driveway to get the newspaper. Make it your goal by the end of the day to complete at least 30 minutes of physical activity.
You'll be surprised by how easy, and how effective, this busy holiday fitness strategy is!
Many qualified experts on training and nutrition use TrainingPeaks to help manage their business. Now, a select few are offering professional training and nutrition advice on our blog. Read on to learn more about the expert, and submit a question of your own below!
About the expert:Ben Greenfield is recognized as one of the top fitness, triathlon, nutrition and metabolism experts in the nation. In 2008, he was voted as the Personal Trainer of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, an internationally recognized and respected certifying agency. Ben is Director of Sports Performance and oversees the physiology and biomechanics laboratory at Champions Sports Medicine in Spokane, WA, which offers metabolic-based weight loss, bicycle fitting, running gait analysis, swim stroke analysis, VO2 max testing, blood lactate testing, resting metabolic rate analysis, and other cutting-edge procedures for weight loss and performance.
Ben hosts the highly popular fitness, nutrition and wellness website at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com, which features blogs, podcasts, and product reviews from Ben. In addition to coaching and training for weight loss and sports performance at http://www.pacificfit.net, Ben serves as a business and marketing consultant to fitness professionals, and is the host of a weekly syndicated fitness business blog and podcast at http://www.trainfortopdollar.com. E-mail: ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com
Ask a question of your own! If you have a question for the experts, submit it here either by emailing asktheexperts@peaksware.com or by posting it on our message boards. Your question could be featured in our next blog!
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