Keep the Weight Off During Your Time Off
Posted on Jul 16th 2009 3:00PM by Holly St. Lifer
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| Photo: highlimitzz, Flickr |
Now that summer is in full swing, most of us are looking to work less and play more. The only pitfall is that half days and long weekends can throw off our diet and fitness routines. The result: Our best stay-healthy efforts Monday through Friday get undone. In fact, a study involving 50 to 60-year-olds conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., found that their lifestyle changes on the weekends didn't just stall weight loss, in some cases, participants actually packed on more pounds. What a waste! "It's particularly important for people to find ways to keep up their exercise routines on the weekends and other down times - and even increase them if possible - to help counteract the inevitability of eating more," says study author Susan Rachette.
Scheduling day-off activities ahead of time, like a tennis game or group hike, will make it easier for you to peel yourself off the chaise and get going. Plus, you've gotten your friends or family involved, further reducing your potential to skip it.
How else to strike a balance between relaxation and activity? I asked Lindsey Coen-Fernandez, owner of RoughFit, an outdoor training company, for more stay-on-track strategies:
- Be a kid again. Who says all your workouts have to be purposeful? Let loose and relive your summer camp days; go kayaking, body surfing or rock climbing. Or consider joining a local sports team -- try softball, soccer or volleyball.
- Do this 20-minute circuit. Not only does this quickie burn mega calories, it's an anti-aging routine because each move pushes you against gravity. Do eight reps of the push-up, single-leg squat, lunge and squat jump. Perform each sag-stopping move to a slow six-count as you lower. Power up, maintaining an engaged core throughout. Do 90 seconds of either jumping jacks or jump rope in between each move. Repeat. (Don't forget your warm up and cool down.)
Do you get plenty of exercise when you're off duty? Let us know how you do it.
Best Summer Workouts
By Liz Neporent
The Cookout Workout
Summer is the time for picnics, barbecues and trips to the ice cream shack. It's also a great time of year to get out and get active. Strike the best balance between calories in and calories out with these tips on the perfect food and fitness pairings from the personal trainers at the New York Health and Racquet Club.
Walk Off the Stalk
Whether you eat your corn by spinning it in a circle or by munching across in rows, it'll take you 15 minutes to walk off the 60 calories in one cob. If you smear it with butter, add another 25 minutes of brisk walking to burn off the 100 extra calories.
Roll Reversal
For those times you can't seem to lay off the bread, quit your loafing and get on your bike. You'll off set an 80 calorie hot dog roll with about 20 minutes of moderately intense cycling. Cycle another 30 to burn off the frank and toppings.
Brownies Rock
Scaling new heights is a great way to keep the numbers on the scale from going up. Rock climbing incinerates 250 calories in just 20 minutes, enough to burn off a good sized brownie.
Shake a Leg
Plan on 35 minutes of moderately paced running roadwork to burn off one piece of extra crispy, white meat fried chicken (270 calories). Throw in some sprint intervals or run over a hilly course and it'll only take you 25 minutes.
Paddle Away Pounds
Propelling yourself across the water in a kayak is one of the most effective ways to strengthen and tone your upper body and flatten your abs. Twenty minutes of sea or river kayaking uses up about 100 calories, enough to cancel out a large slice of juicy watermelon.
Mind Your Tennis Quarts
Be careful how much lemonade you guzzle during a tennis match. Each 8 ounce serving nets 110 calories - - about 12 minutes worth of hard play. Switching to a low or no sugar version will save you more than 100 calories per glass.
Sand Blast Calories
Dig, scoop, lip -- are we talking ice cream or beach volleyball? Actually both. It takes 45 minutes of digging, scooping and lipping (all terms used for hitting the volleyball over the net) to burn off just one 300-calorie cone of rocky road or cookies n' cream.
Skate Yourself Slim
Burn off the 280 calories found in a typical burger-and-the-works by rollerblading or inline skating for 25 minutes. Keep your waistline in line by upping your skate time by 10 minutes per slice of cheese.
