A 5-Minute Fat-Burning Workout (Video)

Do you feel like you're carrying around just a few pounds of extra, unwanted weight in the wake of the holiday season? Every year, it's a challenge to get back into your best shape right after a month of indulgences. Fortunately, you can bounce back in no time with a few simple strategies.

1. Cut out all carbohydrates and packed foods.

Bread, cookies, pasta, etc., spike blood sugar, boost cravings and deplete energy. If you want to see noticeable changes quickly, cutting out carbohydrates, packaged food and processed sugar is the first step.

2. Get enough sleep.

When your body gets fewer than seven hours of sleep, the ghrelin (aka the "hunger hormone") kicks into high gear and causes you to eat more and crave unhealthy foods.

3. Ignite your fat burning power.

Three times a week, perform this fat-burning running interval workout on a treadmill or outside. Start with a five minute warmup. Then run as fast as possible for 30 seconds, followed by a one minute at a moderate pace. Repeat this interval for 25 minutes.

On days when you're not performing the interval run, alternate between strength workouts that focus on the lower body one day, and the upper body the next. The video below is a quick lower body workout you can do anywhere.

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