I was talking with a client the other day about what to do after a day of not-so-great eating. She was mentioning how the day before, on her birthday, she had a piece of pizza and some cake plus a few drinks.
No big deal, I said.
I don’t want to send anyone (or myself) back into the extremes of eating “forbidden” food and then restricting the next day. The rule of thumb that I follow is that first and foremost I’m going to enjoy the treat. Second, I’m going to remind myself that I made the choice to eat it, so there is not guilt associated. The last piece of the puzzle is that I want to make sure the next day I’m pretty much back to normal, because that lingering thought of “I should eat less” still falls into the guilt category.
With that said, I like to make sure I’m getting a training session in the day of and the day after an event where I might eat more than normal. It just puts me in a good frame of mind, and I feel realigned with my goals.
That being said, I am sure you often feel too busy to squeeze in a workout. No matter how busy you are, you can train hard and get some great results. Here’s a 10-minute quick fix workout for you to get yourself feeling reconnected with your fitness after a day of indulgence.
10-Minute Quick Fix Workout
Set a timer for 10 minutes (if you’re feeling extra energetic and have some extra time, make it 15 minutes) and repeat the circuit below as many times as possible in the time allotted.
Here are the rules:
– Take 2 seconds to lower the weight/your body and lift in 1 second.
– Do NOT rest between exercises.
– Select a weight that you can complete the repetitions without losing speed, but not too light. I usually use 5-10 pounds lighter than my typical weight. You also want to make sure you select a weight that you can complete all the reps on the toughest exercise, since you won’t be switching weights.
1) DB Reverse Lunge – 10 reps per side
2) DB 1-Arm Standing Shoulder Press – 10 reps per side
3) DB 1-Arm Row – 10 reps per side
4) DB Chest Press – 10 reps
5) KB Swing (or a DB Swing, if you don’t have a KB) – 20 reps (make sure to complete it in less than 30 seconds, it forces you to work faster and harder)
Give this one a try the next time you’re crunched for time before a special event or as a home workout to burn some serious calories.
