It’s so easy to get caught up in the annual indulgence and feel a little worse for wear now January is upon us. Founder of Target Fitness Retreats, James Golden, tells us what it takes to burn off our festive excesses.
Food and Drink on Female First
What it takes to burn 200 calories…
You may still have a few bottles of mulled wine left over and one large glass can contain up to 200 calories. To ensure every last drop is burnt off, you need to go on a light jog for 15 minutes. Alternatively, find yourself a park bench to carry out an 8 minute blast of box jumps (10 reps with a 20 second rest) or conduct a series of walking lunges around your garden (20 reps with a 30 second break). Both will tone your lower body as well as burning off those calories.
What it takes to burn 400 calories…
Whether you enjoy a couple of residual mince pies or the last portion of Christmas pudding topped with a helping of double cream after your Christmas dinner remains, you will be taking in another 400 calories. Golden suggests that a 5 mile walk, in one hour, will help burn off that treat.
What it takes to burn 600 calories…
At the beginning of January, there is bound to be a tin of chocolates still lying around. Eating approximately 15 is equivalent to 600 calories. This will take playing a highly active sport such as football or netball for one hour to burn these off or a moderately intense workout at the gym will burn around 600 calories. Using bodyweight in the form of an interval session can be very effective. 30-second shadow boxing (30-second break) followed by a set of jump squats for 30 seconds (30-second break). Aim to do this sequence for 45 minutes at a high intensity to get those calories to melt away.
What it takes to burn 800 calories…
You are now only be able to enjoy a drink at weekends but it can still mount up. Four pints of lager or six glasses of wine can equal 800 calories. A 45min HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout will fix this. Outdoor hill running is a great way to interval train. James recommends finding a steep hill which provides 100 feet of uphill running. When at the top perform 10 reps of either press ups, squats or burpees before jogging back down. Rest at the bottom for 30 seconds before taking it on again. Repeat this for 45 minutes to burn off 800 calories.
What it takes to burn 1000 calories…
And, of course, the Christmas dinner leftovers that might find their way back out of the freezer. Depending on what you choose to eat of the food you have left, the typical meal can have at least 1000 calories, and this doesn’t include the extras on top. To burn this off, Golden suggests hitting the gym for one hour of interval running reaching up to 80% effort and back down to 50% effort. To get that 1000-calorie burn, go for a two-minute run at 80% effort followed by a one-minute rest. Then a two-minute round of hard shadow boxing or even better a blast on the boxing bag. The combination is sure to maximise heart rate and ramp up the calorie expenditure. To get 1000 calorie in an hour will require this to be high intensity. Don’t hold back!
Now it's the New Year you may wish to increase your daily activity. TARGET FITNESS RETREATS launches its 2017 fitness retreat programmes at two new luxurious and beautiful destinations, The Colloquy, Herefordshire in the UK and Almond House in Spain.
The retreats are a great way to enjoy a unique experience that supports your health and fitness goals in the surroundings of a relaxing holiday setting. If you want to escape your busy lifestyle,burn off and Christmas weight, focus on your well-being, while enjoying a little pampering along with mouth-watering, nutritious meals, TARGET FITNESS RETREATS has a variety of options suitable for all fitness levels.
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