The holiday season brings what seems like endless opportunities to overindulge. Obviously, exercising restraint is your best option. But if things get out of hand for a week or so, you can always nullify some of the downsides to taking in extra calories with intense training. That’s what a study published in The Journal of Physiology suggests.

Researchers had 26 active men in their mid-20 consume 50% more calories than usual for 7 days. Some reduced their level of exercise to walking 4,000 steps a day while others increased physical effort by taking on 45 minutes of treadmill running at 70% of exercise capacity. Relatively inactive subjects saw a doubling of the insulin response to glucose along with changes in the expression of 17 fatty tissue genes. Those who exercised intensely each day didn’t experience either of these effects, even with the calorie surplus.

True Strength Moment: Intense exercise can keep you ahead of the calorie curve for a while, but don’t count on cardio being a long-term solution for overeating. Six pack abs are built in the kitchen. Just don’t take it to the extreme. Today’s Performance Blog shows what can happen when athletes lose too much weight too quickly.