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Lose your holiday flab. Quickly.

We've had a string of long weekends and holidays. Have you been overindulging in just about everything? Here’s now to make sure that festive gut doesn’t hang around.

Cardio

Cardio exercises involve some serious fat burning. Which would be great, if we weren’t all back at our desks now, slouched in front of our computers like sloths with opposable thumbs.

So don’t waste your precious exercise time with yoga and Pilates – toning and core strength training can wait until you are back in shape. To lose inches fast, you want to be on the bike, in the pool, or simply pounding the pavement.

Go green

Studies have shown that green tea may not only flush out the toxins left over from your mini-holiday indulgences, but can also speed up your metabolism. So why not make up a few litres in the morning and knock it back throughout the day? It’s perfectly acceptable hot or cold and an easy way to cut the calorie content of that beer tankard that inexplicably welded itself to your hand during the holidays.

Eat for fuel, not for excess

You know what to eat! Just make sure it’s on hand so you don’t constantly find yourself reaching for the take-out menu. Stock up on berries, low fat muesli for breakfast and get into high protein, low fat salads at lunchtime.

But don’t make the all-too-common mistake of trying to cut out fats altogether. Good fats can actually help you lose weight, so bust your cravings with rapeseed oil, walnuts, eggs and skinned chicken thighs.

Don’t starve yourself

It may seem counter-intuitive, but not eating doesn’t make you thin, eating properly does. Skipping breakfast just lowers your metabolism for the day, while upping your hungry- cranky factor. Try consciously eating six small portions a day and see for yourself.

Try and include all four of these simple practices into your daily routine, and your abs will be popping in no time.

(Andrew Luyt, Health24, updated May 2014)



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