Ledger

Glazed ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, butter top rolls, Christmas cookies… the list goes on and on. All the calories you’ve been inundated with over the holidays are slowly migrating to your waist. However, with the New Year comes new opportunities to make resolutions about your health and wellness – resolutions to lose the pounds you’ve packed on… resolutions to work out at the gym… resolutions to not be the morbidly obese fiend that you’ve become since the holidays. Whichever reason you choose, the only effective way to shed excess pounds is to monitor your caloric intake and increase your activity level. Since I can’t be there to hold your hand while you eat, and you probably wouldn’t want my advice on food as I haven’t figured that one out yet myself, I’ll at least get you started on my workout routine.

If you’ve read any of my previous articles about marathon training, then you know I’m not one to push you toward working too hard *wink wink, nudge nudge*… but this time I think we should go the distance. As always, consult with a physician or personal trainer before embarking on any exercise regimen. First, we’ll dedicate at most an hour five days a week. Here’s a basic framework of how you can set this up. Note for you party animals if you place my schedule right over a Monday through Sunday week, Friday falls on a day off so you won’t be worn out for evening carousing. Sadly, if you do too much on Friday night Saturday’s workout won’t be fun.

 

Five days a week.

Day 1 – Shoulders & Biceps (30 minutes), Cardiovascular (30 minutes)

Day 2 – Cardiovascular (30 minutes), Abdominal (15 minutes)

Day 3 – Legs; quadriceps, hamstrings and calves (30 minutes)

Day 4 – Back & Triceps (30 minutes), Abdominal (15 minutes)

Day 5 – Rest

Day 6 – Chest & Bicep (30 minutes), Cardiovascular (30 minutes)

Day 7 – Rest

 

Shoulders & Biceps: If you don’t have weights available, which most of us do at the Fitness Center, all you need for a good shoulder workout is something with substantial weight to lift. Milk jugs filled with water or even a backpack filled with books can be used. Use whatever weights you have to do front and side deltoid raises and curls.

Cardiovascular: For my cardio workout, I prefer running. I know that doesn’t work for everyone, so just find something that will raise your heart rate to meet your target heart rate for the full time period. Your physician or a trainer can determine what your maximum and target heart rate should be. You can also figure it out for yourself by searching on the internet.

Chest: One of the most effective ways to workout your chest is the lost art of pushups. There’s no need to get on a weight bench and grunt out chest presses, besides the obvious need of equipment, you’ll end up needing a spotter and some of us just prefer to work out alone.

Legs: The easiest way to work on all the muscles in your legs is through lunges. If you’re not familiar with this exercise I urge you to find guidance before doing it. While it’s a great workout, it’s also the easiest way to injury.

Back & Triceps: Pull-ups are by far the best way to work on your back, and they require very little equipment. For your triceps beyond doing reverse curls with weights, you can also do bench dips.

Abdominal: Stick to the easy things, crunches and sit-ups are your flabby belly’s best friends.

 

So there you have it a simple framework to get you started with minimal time commitment. Feel free to adjust the workout to fit your schedule and needs. Most importantly have fun and stick to it, there’s only ten months till we run into the holiday food deluge again.