Have you been skipping the gym lately? No judgment: So you overdid it on gingerbread lattes at Starbucks or grabbed too many fast-food meals after marathon shopping trips? No biggie—as long as you stay active in other ways. "A lot of people skip workouts completely when the holidays get busy and promise they’ll exercise in January,” says Mike Donavanik, a personal trainer in Los Angeles. “But it’s that much harder to motivate when you’ve skipped the gym for two-plus weeks.” While you don’t have to maintain your exact same exercise routine, keeping your body in motion will help you balance out the indulgences and start the year strong. To help you do that on the quick, we’ve rounded research-backed ways to get more out of your workouts and improve your metabolism to boot.
1. Do exercises in the water.
Water workouts are very effective and are good for any pool or sea. Do this set of exercises every time you enter the water:
- Stand up straight, the water should be at the level of your neck. Put your hands straight and do leg swings trying to touch your palms with your toes. Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps on each leg.
- Run in place. Try to touch your buttocks with your heels and move your arms as if you are running on the ground. Try running for 10 minutes.
- Float on your back, put your hands palm down, and pull your knees to your chest. This exercise is for your abs. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps. If it’s too hard, do the exercises separately on each leg.
- Move your arms along your body quickly, creating a wave. Do this for 5-10 minutes.
- Finish your workout with jumps in the water. When jumping, put your hands up. 3 sets of 15-20 reps should do the trick.
We hope that these recommendations will help you lose extra weight during your vacation. But maybe you have your own ways of losing weight? Tell us about them in the comment section below!
2. Swim for more than 20 minutes.
You will start burning extra calories after only 20 minutes of swimming. Here are a few tips to make swimming as efficient as possible:
- Swim for at least 30 minutes. The distance should be from 2000 ft to 2500 ft. If you are a beginner, you can start with 300 ft. But don’t take any breaks.
- The ideal water temperature is from 75°F to 82°F. And seawater is the best choice.
- Change the style (butterfly, freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke) and the intensity.
3. Use the sand.
A great way to lose extra pounds is to play on the sand. You can play beach volleyball and frisbee. It’s fun to play beach volleyball even if there are just 2 people. All you need is a ball. And the sand makes it harder but you will have so much fun that you won’t even notice it. The same works for running and other exercises on the beach.
4. Replace drinks with fresh juices and coconut milk.
This is one of the tastiest ways to lose weight while you’re on vacation. Replace the soft drinks or alcohol with fresh juice and you will notice a difference right away. If you want this method to be as effective as possible, you should follow our tips:
- Drink fresh juice with pulp.
- Drink a glass of juice 20 minutes before your meal. This way, you can reduce your hunger and your body will still get the necessary vitamins.
- Try unusual juices made with parsley, cucumbers, and vegetables (just stay away from cilantro and basil — they only make your hunger worse). But don’t overdo it (your digestive system needs time to get used to these products).
- Experiment with spices! Yes, if you add some cinnamon or pepper, it will not only help boost your metabolism, but also make your “juice menu” more diverse.
- Don’t drink juices in packs, replace them with the local alternatives like coconut milk and so on.
5. Walk properly.
Walking is great for health, but you already know that. In order to make walking even more efficient, follow our recommendations:
- Lift your head, walk straight, and put your shoulders down.
- Step on your foot starting from your heel, and kick off the ground only with your toes.
- Use your arms, swing them in the direction opposite of your leg movement.
- Walk at least 30 minutes a day (if you can walk for 45 minutes, even better). It’s really easy to do while you’re hiking or on a walking tour. You can enjoy the nature and improve your health at the same time.
6. Eat seafood instead of meat.
There is even an entire movement — pescatarianism where people replace meat with seafood. But we are not saying that you should stop eating meat completely.
Just replace chicken, beef, and pork with seafood while you’re on vacation. And it’s easy to do if you vacation is near the water. Some girls have managed to lose a lot of weight thanks to this diet.
7. Start the day with exercise.
Before you scarf down meal number one, get moving: Working out first thing in the morning can help you lose 20 percent more fat than exercising after breakfast, according to a 2013 study in the British Journal of Nutrition. For a quick sweat session, try this fat-burning HIIT workout that includes challenging moves like squat jumps and lunges, but can still be done in the comfort of your living room. The best part? It takes just 10 minutes to complete.