5 Easy Post-Thanksgiving Exercises to Help Burn the Pounds

For many, Thanksgiving isn’t just about giving thanks. Rather, it’s a time to indulge in various treats and foods. However, after Thanksgiving dinner, you might feel less than good about it. Maybe things aren’t sitting well, or you know you overdid it.

While you should by no means dive headfirst into excessive exercise or dietary restrictions, hopping back into your regular fitness routine is a great way to burn off those excess calories. And if you aren’t sure what you should be doing, keep reading! Below, your local Tampa back pain physician offers up five exercises to shed those pounds.

1. Tabata Workouts

Tight on time? Well, a habit is best built when it’s performed at the same time each day. This means that even if you only have five to ten minutes, this is all the time you really need. Each day at the same time, you can perform Tabata workouts!

A Tabata workout involves doing the same exercise for 20 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds, and doing eight rounds. Each exercise lasts four minutes, so you could easily squeeze in an exercise or two per day. For example, you could do squats and push-ups one day, then lunges and planks the next.

2. Walking

Walking is a very underestimated exercise. Even just 30 minutes of walking can burn up to 150 calories. Plus, it’s super easy to fit in! A few ways to get more steps in each day include:

• Using the stairs

• Parking farther away from the door

• Walking as your way of transportation

• Walking for 5 minutes after eating (This is great for blood sugar control as well!)

• Game-ify it using an app (like Zombies, Run!)

• Walk and take your next conference call

• Walk to catch up with a friend

3. Strength Training

Strength training, itself, doesn’t burn major calories. But the after-effects do! For example, if you’re continually and progressively building muscle by performing squats, deadlifts, the bench press, and more three or more times a week, you’ll inevitably put on more muscle mass. This means you burn more calories at rest, which makes weight loss and maintenance easier. This way, you’ll thwart the dreaded yo-yo dieting effects where you lose weight and gain it all back again.

4. HIIT/Sprints

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) and sprints burn major calories during and immediately after. They give your metabolism a little boost by getting your heart rate up and forcing your muscles to work. Usually, this type of exercise involves going all out for 20-30 seconds, then taking a 20-30 second break before doing it all again.

And the good news here is that you also don’t need tons of time to get this workout in! All you need is 15-20 minutes, a couple of times a week.

5. Kettlebell Swings

You can burn more than 100 calories per 100 kettlebell swings. This exercise gets your heart rate up and will definitely make you sweat. You can also use it as a “HIIT” styled workout, doing 20-30 seconds on and 20-30 seconds off.

How do you do a kettlebell swing? Follow these steps:

• Stand tall, holding the kettlebell with both hands, and your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.

• Keep your arms long.

• Bend at the hips (keeping your core engaged and back neutral), and swing the kettlebell between your legs.

• This should help with momentum as you drive the kettlebell up to shoulder height (keeping your arms long still and engaging your glutes).

• As the kettlebell drops, bend at the hips again and bring the kettlebell between your legs and repeat the movement.

Get Moving!

Movement is essential for optimal health and wellness. But did you know that chiropractic care in Tampa can also play a major role in your health and wellness routine? Contact the Tampa Spine and Wellness team today to find out how chiropractic care can benefit your life.