There are two interval-based workouts I will provide in an upcoming post but know that you only need to perform one. Option 1 is for those who do not enjoy your standard cardio (jogging, running, elliptical, spinning, etc) and would much rather hit the weights while Option 2 is for those of you who do enjoy traditional cardio. The idea behind these two workouts is to take advantage of what exercise physiologists call EPOC which stands for excess post oxygen consumption. I know I know… What in the world is that?

EPOC, in layman’s term, basically has to do with the amount of extra oxygen you are taking in after your workout above what you normally would take in if you were to not work out at all. The reason for this EPOC, simply put, has to do with recovery. This extra oxygen is used in processes such as replenishment of fuel stores, hormone balancing, cellular repair, innervation, and anabolism (build-up). All of these processes have one thing in common… They require energy.

When we are no longer working out or are resting, the predominant fuel source to provide this energy is… You got it, fat. A second fuel source will be carbohydrates. The reason carbohydrates is not the predominant fuel source at rest is because your body would much rather use that when it needs energy to perform moderate to strenuous work such as exercise. So the harder you exercise, the more your body needs to recover. The more your body needs to repair and recover, the more fat is needed to fuel these processes. The more fat needed also means the more fat burned!

So, on Thanksgiving Day, if you decide to indulge, your best bet is to probably get in one of these workouts so that all that food you eat will be put to good use instead of it sitting around in your belly waiting to be converted to fat. If you decide not to indulge, then guess what? That’s right, you will be burning more fat on top of what you decide to eat.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post when I will provide you with the actual workouts.