The holiday season can be quite the whirlwind, right? It is a busy time of year, made even busier with parties, get-togethers, and various goings-on that always include tons of rich food, and plenty of flowing drink. And then there are all the big holiday meals, with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and desserts galore. Did any of you happen to check out some of the amazing recipes we shared over the holidays on the Plug-In Blog? Shelly Wutke had some really great cookie recipes you should try out, and Christine Persaud shared her time-worn Christmas baking tips for easily making tons of sweet treats.
Of course, the only problem with overindulging over the holidays is that it doesn’t do your waistline any favours, and isn’t exactly great for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, is it? So, in the spirit of helping you keep your healthy New Year’s Resolutions, I’m going to show you how much exercise it takes to actually burn off those extra holiday calories, and how to get started.
Exercise Options and the Calories They Burn
I’m pretty particular about what kids of exercise I do. I was in the military when I was younger, so I really have a dislike for running, mainly because it brings back bad memories of angry men in green yelling at me to run faster while calling me “maggot.” However, if you enjoy running or jogging, it is a pretty efficient way to melt off the pounds. For a guy like me, about 150 pounds at 5’ 9”, an hour of jogging or running can burn off about 590 calories. Compare that to the paltry 370 calories you would burn spending the same hour on a leisurely and moderate hike outside in the forest, which would be my personal preference for exercise. Other moderate exercises you could try include dancing (330 calories in an hour), weight training (220 calories in an hour) or simple stretching (180 calories in an hour).
Riding a bike at a speed of at least 10mph for an hour can give you the same result as running or jogging (590 calories an hour), and freestyle swimming is almost as good at 510 calories burned in an hour of vigorous exercise. Practising Yoga or aerobics is also a sure-fire way to fight holiday overindulgences, letting you burn away 480 calories in an hour.
Track Your Calories and Fitness
Although you can find plenty of web sites that can help you figure out which exercises and physical activities burn what amount of calories, you can also accomplish the same thing with a good fitness tracker. Products such as the Fitbit watches are designed to help you keep track of your fitness goals, and show you the data and numbers on where you are on that healthy lifestyle path. My wife and daughter both use a Fitbit, and are constantly telling me how many steps they’ve taken today, and how much more exercise they need to do to burn off the cake and hot chocolate they just had. These types of fitness trackers actually go a long way toward turning your plain old everyday activities into a fun workout. Most of these tracker products also work with a variety of apps on your smart phone or tablet, so you always have access to the data you need to help in maintaining a healthier lifestyle and activity level.
The Right Equipment to Stay Fit
Considering this has been a pretty cold winter, getting outside to burn off those extra holiday calories can be a little daunting. Heck, let’s be honest. Nobody wants to go outside right now and freeze their butts off to jog around an icy track or navigate slushy streets. Luckily, there is lots of fitness equipment you can have right in the warm and cozy comfort of your home to aid in melting away those calories. You could opt for something simple like the Soozier Adjustable Sit Up Weight Bench Home Gym, a dumbbell and weight bench that can help you build muscle and improve your stamina.
Soozier also offers a Folding Exercise Rowing Machine that’s ideal for cardiovascular fitness and a total body workout including the back, legs, arms, abdominals and buttocks. Rowing is also one of the best exercises for building a strong back, as well as one of the most effective low-impact aerobic exercises for increasing your metabolism for more efficient calorie and fat burning without the impact on your joints. Lots of people also enjoy using exercise bikes, like the Soozier Upright Exercise Bike Cycling Trainer Fitness Adjustable Home Gym. It is a quiet and sturdy bike that allows you to maintain a regular workout routine right in any room in your house, while burning fat, increasing leg strength and improving your overall cardiovascular health.
But no matter how you burn those extra holiday calories, whether it is indoor or outside, the main thing you need is to commit to this new fitness regimen for 2017, and remain consistent. The more you turn exercising and counting your calories into a habit, the healthier you are going to be in the long run and for the New Year ahead. So, have you made any fitness goals to help you take care of those unwanted holiday calories from overindulging? Tell me in the comment section below how you gorged yourself over Christmas, and what you plan to do to get back into healthy shape. I’m really interested to hear how you are going to start 2017 on the right healthy and fitness path.
