How to Lose the Holiday Gut

If your New Year's resolution was to get into better shape, chances are the holiday season didn't help matters at all. But it's not time to feel bad about a little indulging in the holiday spirit and gaining a few pounds. You also don't have to burn out that gym membership gift card someone got you for Christmas or spend your life on that newfangled abdominal crunch machine to get rid of that holiday gut. Understanding your metabolism, a few tweaks to the diet and simple exercise routines will get you started on losing that holiday gut.

Metabolism and your holiday gut. A good metabolism will burn fat if you are taking in fewer calories than you burn on a regular basis while eating regularly. Medical experts at WebMD report that your metabolism naturally slows down 5 to 10 percent every decade after age 25. That's why grandma's egg nog didn't disappear from your body as quickly as it used to, which can surprise people who generally stay in shape and eat right all year long except during the holidays. Sleep is important for preserving a good metabolic rate because that's when your body goes into repair mode and burns calories. If you were sleeping less over the holidays, ensure you get back on track now that the in-laws are gone.

Tweaking the diet for your Holiday gut. Even moderate holiday eaters that practice good portion control can still see some weight gain around the gut because of fat and sugar content. If you spent more time cooking for the masses or bought pre-packaged dinners instead of your own personal diet, this can contribute to that extra belt notch. You don't want to go on a crash diet or skip meals because eventually your metabolism will slow back down and cause you to gain even more weight. Get back on track by increasing fiber in your diet by adding fresh fruits and vegetables to your holiday leftovers or use them as snacks in between meals.

Adjusting your workout for holiday gut burn. You can't burn away the holiday gut by ab exercises alone. You'll just end up with stronger muscles underneath your fat. Lean muscle is the biggest calorie consumer in your body. About 30 minutes a day, three times a week of combined cardio and resistance training will do the job. A perfect example of this is squatting while pressing dumbbells over head as you return to the standing position. You'll work your arms by pushing the weights up. Your glutes, quads and calves feel the burn as you go down and up within a second. Your core muscles will engage as you try to keep your balance. If it's still cold outside, your body will burn calories trying to stay warm. Here's a list of more holiday themed workouts using dumbbells. The general idea is to work as many muscle groups as possible in short bursts.