With the holidays coming up I want to give you all some guidance in order to avoid losing all of the progress you have gained from your hard work.  Since many people travel during the holidays or are unable to visit our studio or a gym, I want to make sure you know of some simple things you can do to stay healthy and remain unscathed by the craziness of the holidays.  Here is a quick 20 minute workout, including the warm-up and finisher.  Additionally, here are a few simple tips to make the temptations of the holidays a little easier to deal with!

The Workout

Warm-up

Body Weight Squats – 10 Reps

Perform squats with perfect form, keeping the weight on your heels and reaching back with your hips.

Spiderman Lunge + Rotation – 5 Reps each side

In a push-up position step one foot up by your same sided hand and take the arm from that same side and rotate up to the sky, replace the hand to the ground and repeat on the other side.

Plank Walk Out – 10 Reps

Beginning from a pushup position, walk your hands out in front of you while still keeping your core tight and back flat; then walk back and repeat.

Jumping Jacks – 20 Reps

Exercises – 30sec/30sec x 4 rounds

Plank Jacks

In a push-up position focus on keeping your back flat and your core (abs) tight while hopping in and out with your feet, like the leg motion from a jumping jack. For lower intensity step out and in with one foot at a time.

Squat Jumps

Like in the warm-up, do a squat with perfect form and use as much force as possible on the way up in order to jump.  Try to land softly by first landing on your toes with your knees slightly bent.  As you land move right into the next squat for the next repetition.  For a Lower intensity simply do the body weight squats from the warm-up quickly.

 

 

Row to Press

For this exercise you will need a small suitcase, bag, or other item that has some weight to it (a small child is acceptable for some additional family bonding during the holidays).  Start this exercise by holding your item with a slight knee bend and reaching back with your hips so that your chest is facing the ground (keep your shoulders back so that you do not hunch over).  Once in this position pull the item up to your chest keeping your elbows tight to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.  At this point stand up by squeezing your glutes and press the suitcase to the sky.  From here lower the weight and return to the starting position by again reaching back with your hips and repeat.

Finisher– 3 sets of 5 reps

Squat-Walkout-Push-Up- Rotation (L&R)-Walk back

This exercise may sound complicated, but I assure you it is not.  Begin with your normal body weight squat.  When you reach the bottom position of the squat, place your hands on the ground and walk out into a push-up position and perform one push-up.  Once you have completed the push-up rotate to one side by raising that hand up in the air keeping your core tight, try to rotate your hips and shoulders evenly.  To help with this movement allow your feet to rotate on the ground. Repeat this rotation on the other side and then simply walk back with your hands while trying to keep your legs straight as long as you can and stand up.  Once you are standing, perform your next repetition.

Tips to Resist Temptations

1. Don’t Go Hungry– Try to eat something healthy and high in protein before going to a get together.  By going to a party hungry you are asking for trouble when it comes to sweets and unhealthy food choices.
2. Keep Temptation Out of the House– The easiest way to avoid unhealthy things is to simply not have them around to tempt you.
3. Stay Hydrated-Try to keep a glass or bottle of water with you so that you don’t fall into drinking the wrong things that add useless calories to your diet.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Say No– At a party or get together people often consume extra food simply because someone else offered it.  Little by little it all adds up.  No one will be upset if you turn down some of your Great Aunt Ruthie’s famous pie.
5. Have a Plan-Try to plan out what you will eat and when you will be eating it.  And don’t be afraid to have one of your guilty holiday pleasures included in that.  Stay strong and reward yourself with something small for doing so, but just don’t let it get out of control.
6. Brush Your Teeth After Each Time you Eat-This sounds weird but it will help to avoid overeating or eating when you aren’t hungry.   Seriously, who wants to eat something with a clean and minty fresh mouth?

I hope this workout and these tips make staying healthy during the holidays a little bit easier.  If you have any questions about the workout or are looking for any additional holiday tips please request a Free Consultation.  We sit down and discuss your personal health and wellness goals, and together we decide if our program is a good fit for you!  The average person gains between 5-10 pounds over the holidays!  We can help you prevent this unwanted gain!

Take care and Happy Holidays!