The holiday season always calls for a celebration, and there’s nothing like spending it with the food you love. From mouthwatering dishes to delightful desserts, this festive time draws out the binge-eater in you unlike no other. Before you know it, all the calories will turn into stubborn weight even before you pack up the holiday decorations.
Now if you are having trouble fitting in your clothes with the waistline mass you have put on, worry not! All you need to do is shed off the holiday fat with the best exercises to burn calories. And these can simply be done at the comfort of your own home!
Burpees
Nothing burns calories at home while giving you a full-body workout better than burpees. This high-intensity, calisthenics exercise is basically a combination of a regular push-up and a jump squat. It works as a great addition to your fitness regimen since it trims excess weight, toning and strengthening the abs, arms, back, chest, glutes, and legs.
For starters, here is how you perform a basic burpee. First, perform a squat before placing your hands on the floor in front of you. Then hop your feet back to a pushup position and immediately revert to the squat position. From there, put your hands over your head and jump as if reaching something from above. Do as many as you can in a minute-long set before taking a 30- to 60-second rest. Repeat until failure.
Fair warning: Doing a few will already leave you gasping for air. Still, push through. As high as the intensity goes, the more calories you will end up burning.
Mountain climbers
As effective as burpees, Mountain climbers can lead to fat loss while targeting multiple muscle groups throughout your frame. It is a total body workout that will push your abs, arms, shoulders, chest, and legs to the limit. This exercise is performed in a top press-up stance, where your hands and arms serve as your support, as you constantly bring a knee to your chest in an alternating manner.
The repetition is important to achieve desirable results when performing this exercise. Aside from that, though, the pace of the execution helps turn up the intensity as well. Pull off as many reps as you can in a minute-long set before taking a 30- to 60-second breather. Repeat until failure.
It may seem simple at first, but this workout is definitely a tough mountain to climb.
Jumping jacks
Intensity-wise, Jumping jacks may seem basic and pale in comparison with other exercises in this list. But, never underestimate this workout. This old-school, warm-up routine can work wonders on your body, making it a great inclusion to your fat-burning regimen.
In case you have no idea what in the world a jumping jack is, the instructions on this one is simple. First, stand upright with your legs together and arms resting at the side. Then jump and widen your stance with feet shoulder-width apart while raising both hands overhead. From there, return to your starting position. Do it repeatedly until failure.
Run in place
Jogging is a common go-to exercise for countless people. But with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, it is easy to understand why many refuse to take their sweat sessions outside. Still, if you really want to cut down weight in such a manner, a stationary run will do the trick.
It is as simple as it sounds. All you need is a comfortable space to operate and start running in place. Make no mistake, though, this exercise does not cover the same benefits of doing it outdoors. Nonetheless, it can help you trim down a few pounds in the comforts of your home.
Just remember that you must observe and maintain proper form throughout your session in order to maximize its benefits. Also, make sure to limit yourself from doing it on hours end. The reason being, the pressure it causes on your feet could become a problem if done for more than an hour. So, it is advisable to run in place for at least 10 to 20 minutes.
Ironic as it may sound, running in place can surely leave your out-of-shape self in the dust.
Jump rope
If ever you would get a chance to rip pages out of several athletes’ regimens, you’d always see this workout. Skipping rope is that effective of a calorie-burner. Needless to say, it is a no-brainer of an exercise in your weight-loss bid.
As stated in a Healthline article, this high-intensity exercise “burns calories in a short time.” The study also mentioned that it might only take a minute of jumping rope to burn 10 calories. Now imagine how much weight you will be able to trim down by doing it for several minutes per day.
In case you have yet to use a jump rope, do expect a challenge coming your way. So since it is quite difficult to pick up, here is a progression to ease you into this high-pace exercise.
Start by developing a feel for the rhythm of the rope’s swing as well as the timing of your jump. Right after that, practice jumping without a rope, but do it as if you have the equipment on hand. Once you have the timing down and feel confident, try it out. Mistakes are inevitable at the onset, but keep practicing to achieve consistency and better results.
Taking the first step back into a fit and healthy lifestyle after the holidays is undeniably hard. But, it is without a doubt the right way to go. So, give these workouts that burn the most calories a shot once the feasts and parties are over and done with. And finally, bid your out-of-shape self farewell!