Do not over-consume alcohol and junk foods on holidays. Do not misuse your cheat days or reward yourself. Count calories, don't binge and sleep well. Shun overindulgent late-night and stress-induced eating. Don’t starve yourself or keep switching diets. Avoid vegetable oil, sugar, and sugary drinks. Focus on your food while eating. Emphasize on strength building, not weight loss.
Use a pull-up bar for a complete upper body workout. First, acquire a good grip strength. Go easy on your spine and strengthen your lower abs with hanging knee raises and leg raises. To build greater core control, perform hanging windshield wipers and hanging L-sits. Build your pulling strength by doing chin ups, pull ups, and jumping pull ups. Go find a bar to hang on!
Sprint uphill on the balls of your feet, upper body leaning forward, high knees, arms bent. Ensure you're fit enough to do hill sprints. Get fit first if you're not. Warm up before sprints, rest enough between sprints, spread workouts over the week. Start with 10-15 min workouts with 70% intensity; gradually increase duration. Sprint downhill only if you're in good shape.
You may have difficulty doing pull ups if you are too heavy, have weak arm or back muscles, or if you're using the wrong bar. Building up each muscle individually before attempting a pull up may take a long time and may not even help. Instead, master pulling variations to work on all your muscles at once! Try door knob towel pull ins, horizontal pull ups, and grip exercises.
Hill sprints force the body into fat-burning turbo mode by using immense energy. It engages your muscles, building resistance and strength. It revs up endurance and stamina, pushing your heart and lungs into overdrive. It increases testosterone and boosts sex drive. Sprinting on a slope is safer than on flat ground as shorter strides are gentler on the knees and joints.
To achieve an all round strong core (and for better looking abs) you need to strengthen your oblique muscles (side abs) too. Side planks, spiderman pushups, oblique crunches, twisted knee tucks, bicycles, windshield wipers, hanging V-ups and hanging oblique knee raises will help you shape your side abs. Include one or two oblique exercises at the end of your daily workout.
Lunges activate the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, calves, lower back and abdominal muscles, and improve balance and coordination. Stand with feet a few inches apart. Step forward with one foot, then bend the front knee until it’s at a 90 degree angle. Pull the front foot back to complete one rep. Advanced variations include walking, reverse, step-up, slider, and backpack lunges.
It's time you stop bingeing! Sit upright at the dining table, serve yourself in a bowl, and chew properly. Avoid keeping aside cheat days. Eat healthy, low-calorie, filling foods. Don’t store ‘binge foods’ at home. Deal with stress by talking to others or practising yoga. Maintain a journal to identify and avoid binge triggers. Believe in yourself. Seek professional help if all fails.
