If all those extra holiday carbs got the best of you, you may be carrying a few extra pounds into the New Year.

As a personal trainer, I’ve found that Dr. Sears’ PACE program is an easy way to get into an exercise routine that quickly cranks up your metabolism.

How does PACE do that for you? One of the keys is to concentrate on exercising your largest muscle groups first.

Most people I work with can’t guess their biggest muscles when I ask them. But it’s simple…

Your three biggest muscles are at the front of your thighs, the back of your thighs, and your butt. That’s your hamstrings, quads, and glutes.

So, here’s what you can do to get started…

Jump rope. It may sound old-fashioned, but jumping rope is one of the best ways to burn the most calories in the least amount of time. Plus, jumping rope works to build and tone the muscle in your hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves to help you burn fat faster.

When you apply PACE, here’s what your jump-rope exercise routine will look like:

Squats also focus on your larger muscle groups. I call this the “king” of exercises! To do them, spread your feet until they are shoulder-width apart, push your hips back, bend at your knees, bring your arms forward, parallel to the floor, then squat as far as possible. Try to have your knees almost directly above your ankles, and don’t allow for your feet to go over your toes. Return to standing position.

Try out this PACE workout, and you’ll see results in no time at all:

Each of these exercises takes only minutes a day, and will quickly and effectively melt off those extra holiday pounds.

Learn more about Dr. Sears’ PACE program here…

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year,

[Ed. Note: Yarixa Ferrao, A.K.A, Coach Yari is a Certified Personal Trainer (NASM) and an expert in functional training, fat loss, sports performance, and cellulite. Coach Yari is the founder of Get Fit in 6, a 6-week life transformation program for both men and women in Delray Beach, Florida. You can visit her at: www.getfitin6.com.]