How to Burn Off Halloween Candy
by Tim Kauppinen
Halloween means candy. And, if you're like me, you found it hard to resist all that sweet goodness on October 31st.
Whether you dipped into the stash while you handed it out at the door, or sneaked some from your own kids trick or treat bags (or just cut to the chase and bought a bag or two for yourself), you overdid it just a bit. Maybe it's the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that you just can't resist. Or the mini Twix, or Hershey's or Mr. Goodbars. You've created a monster.
Doesn't really matter what it was, if you stepped on the scale and saw a surprise or found your belt a little tight around the middle - you packed on some extra poundage on or around October 31st.
So, what's the easiest way to get rid of that pound or two of candy that's found it's way to your belly, butt or thighs?
A few more hours of mind-numbing cardio? Couple thousand situps or crunches? Maybe starving yourself for a few days is the answer. Truth is, none of these are the best way to drop fat fast.
The real way to beat this post-Halloween curse is to add some interval-type workouts to your routine.
Interval workouts are one of the best ways to burn calories both while you're exercising and long afterward. They can also raise your metabolism and raise the levels of natural fat busting substances in your body. Not only that, the intensity of interval training can actually burn more fat in a shorter period of time than traditional long, slow cardio workouts.
So, how does one go about getting started?
Simply put, interval workouts alternate short bursts of high intensity exercise with longer, slower periods of low intensity or recovery. For example: pedaling as fast as you can on a bicycle for a few seconds, then slowing for a minute or so, then ramping back up to an intense few seconds, bringing it back down, and so on...
And one of the best ways to interval train doesn't take any special kind of equipment - no chrome machines, no heart rate monitors, no fancy digital readouts. All it takes is your own body... and a hill.
Hill training beats other training due to a number of factors. When you do your intervals up hill, you are improving both your strength and speed. You must "lift" or "push" your body up the hill against resistance - just like lifting weights at the health club. The steeper or longer the hill, the more resistance and the more intensity. The higher the intensity, the better your results.
In addition to that, the incline of the hill actually makes it safer for you to train than on flat ground. One way it does this is by protecting your hamstrings. Because your stride is slightly shortened when running up hill, your hamstrings usually do not become over extended - a common cause of pulls. Hill sprints also reduce the impact of running on your lower legs, knees and back. Even a slight grade can decrease the distance your body needs to "fall" with each stride. Less distance means less shock that your body needs to absorb.
And these are just a few of the many advantages of hill sprints.
So, if you hit the candy dish a bit hard over the holiday, give hill training a shot. It's one of the quickest and easiest ways to drop a few of those unwanted pounds - not to mention those few extra inches on certain parts of your bod. Don't let a little slip on Halloween turn into a year-round nightmare.
Besides all that, this training only takes a few minutes to complete. Short workouts, great results. Just the thing to get you into the best shape of your life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment