Avoid Holiday Weight Gain: How to Burn the Most Calories in the Least Amount of Time

Tis' the season of indulgence!  I don't know about you, but I'm approaching the holidays with caution.  Nearly 2/3rds of Americans consider eating holiday foods the highlight of the season.  If you're anything like me, you're with them.  Never mind spiced apple cider, cranberry bellinis, eggnog and muddled wine!  I chatted with my go-to, Will Torres, the Founder of willspace in NYC to find out how we can burn the most calories in the least amount of time so we can enjoy the holidays while quickly kicking eggnog's  butt in the gym. "The most effective way to ignite your calorie burn is with fast-paced strength training with short rest periods," Torres explains. " The goal is to do as much work as possible in a short period of time."

Most people gravitate towards cardio for the calorie burn, however, excessive cardio will actually slow-down your metabolism. Fast-paced strength training will not only boost your metabolism, but also develop tone throughout the body.

Focus on full-body movements like squats, push-ups and lunges instead of isolation exercises like curls and leg lifts.  This type of training will not only get you to burn a ton while you’re working out, but will also boost your metabolism for up to 16 hours after.

Here are Torres' top tips to know if you're getting the most out of your workout:

1.       Your muscles should have a burning feeling.

2.       It’s important that you push past what you are accustomed to doing.

3.       Your breathing should be heavy as if you were sprinting.

4.       You should be sweating.

Fitness Tips That'll Whip You into Shape for the Holidays & Keep You There

Intrigued by fitness, I'm always looking to learn new ways to keep my body in shape so I sought out Will Torres, the Founder of willspace, a personal training studio in NYC.  He has a new, intense class starting in January that I'm determined to conquer (hear more about it after the jump), and gave me some great tips on the most important exercises for women and how to stay fit during the holidays.  Check them out. willspace is known for exercises that utilize one’s own body weight as opposed to lifting weights.  What kind of results can one expect from that and why is it best?

willspace is known for using hybrid exercises that challenge multiple parts of the body at one time.  The more muscles you can get going in one movement the more it will boost your metabolism and the faster you will get results. Body weight exercises like calisthenics, plyometrics, push ups, sit-ups and pullups are vital to an exercise program.  It’s important to be able to lift and move your own body weight around.  However, not all exercises are conducive to using only body weight.  For example, the lower body muscles are very strong so when training the legs you must use resistance so that the muscles are adequately challenged.

What are the three most important exercises that you teach women?

1. Squat Thrusters: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding dumbbells in front of the shoulder. Squat so your butt is below knee level. Quickly drive through the heels, straighten legs and extend arms overhead. 10 reps.
2. Plank Rows: Start in a high plank position with 7lb or 10lb dumbbells in each hand. Have your hands closer than shoulder width apart and your feet wider than hip width. Push down through the left arm as you pull the right dumbbell from the ground and lift the elbow towards the ceiling. Repeat on the other side. 10 reps.
3. Butterfly Sit-ups: Lie on your back with souls of the feet touching and let your knees fall to the side. Sit up reaching with your hands past your toes and roll back down. 20 reps.

Any tips on how to stay fit while traveling during the holidays?

You can begin to lose the results from all your hard training after about 3 days of non-activity.  It’s important to keep your training going while you’re away for the holidays. When you’re on the road the workouts don’t have to be as long, but staying active is crucial.

How do you recommend being active on the road?

1. Short 15-20 minutes bouts of all out exercises will help combat all of the extra meals, drinks and treats.
2. Practice “Push-aways”.  After you’ve eaten an appropriate amount of food and before you go up for seconds push yourself away from the table and put your plate in the kitchen.
3. Instead of picking up more dessert make a big salad with greens and veggies.  This way you can have something to share and you will be able to control a little better what you’re eating.  Just add protein and a small amount of carbs and you are set.

What's your overall fitness philosophy?

Most people gravitate to one form of training.  Some focus more on cardio or endurance while other focus mainly on lifting.  In my opinion someone that is fit can perform at a high level within both of those parameters.  I think of fitness as the ability to have strength, stamina, agility and power all in one.  To do this you must train hard and always vary the training to consistently keep your body pushing to the next level. Get plenty of rest and develop a conscience awareness of what you are eating and putting into your body.

Want to amp up your fitness routine with Torres?  In January, he's offering 90 minute 'Raise the Bar' classes that include 45 minutes of strength training followed by 45 minutes of cardio.  Something I'm super eager to try as I don't think I have enough stamina to complete, but am determined!