08 Feb 5 tips to bounce back after “Super” indulging

Did you over indulge a little bit at your Super bowl party? Or, maybe you even “Super” indulged, easily taking in more calories than there were total yards in the New Orleans Saints’ 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night.
It’s not hard to lose track of the calories in a hurry with delicious food items all around you, cold adult beverages and the excitement of a great game.
Well, get back into your own fitness game as quickly as possible.
Here are five simple tips to help combat your Super Bowl belly in the days after. Do any or all of them in addition to your normal workout, or for sure if you don’t exercise very frequently:

1. Take a 15-minute walk – Squeeze in a walk to help burn those extras calories. Maybe you could walk before work, at lunch time or in the evening when you get home from work.
2. Do alternating sit-ups and push-ups – Alternate between doing three sets of sit-ups and push-ups, doing close to your max for each. An example might be 30 push-ups/50 sit-ups, then 25 sit-ups/50 sit-ups and finally 25 more push-ups/40 sit-ups. Squeeze out those last reps in the final set – that’s where you really make gains.
3. Go for a short bike ride – Hop on the exercise bike, or if there’s good weather where you live ride outside. Even if you can get a short ride in it will help burn off some of those lurking calories.
4. Eat healthy again in the days after – Try to eat small, light meals the day after your Super Bowl belly-buster night. Snack on fruits and vegetables and whole foods – avoid processed foods. That’s really the way you should be eating anyway.
5. Drink lots of water – Flush your system clean by making sure to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water during the day.

Note: These tips can also be helpful for fitness recoveries from other big-night antics, such as your best friend’s wedding or guy’s/girl’s night out with friends.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com