Santa’s Belly and Aunt Bethany’s Jello Will Be The Only Things Jiggling This Christmas!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Except for when it comes to your stress levels, bank account, blood sugar profiles, and how tight your pants are! Traveling for the holidays can be hectic, and squeezing in workouts while trying to ice Grandma’s famous sugar cookies or buy those last minute stocking stuffers can be tough. I get it, friend… showing people how much you love them and making this time of year magical can make you crazy! :) Resist eating your feelings- this workout can help you fight stress and help your pants fit better!
My job is to make life a little easier for you and looking and feeling good more attainable- no matter how many cookie exchanges you have this time of year!
My gift to you this year is this NO EXCUSES at-home bodyweight workout that you can do anywhere- and in any schedule. It can be done at home, in a cramped guest-room, with all the kids to wear them out, etc. You just need yourself, a few feet of room, and some determination to get it done- no matter what! (Sports bras and sneakers are nice, too…)
The Benefits of Bodyweight Workouts
This Holiday workout will build strength by using your own bodyweight, which will increase your metabolism, help you handle all of the sugar and carbs you’re delightfully consuming in the name of Christmas, and help you slim down and tone up! It will also help boost your heart rate which is good for your heart and your lungs- and for burning more calories!
Don’t say “screw it” when it comes to your health and waistline until January rolls around. Just one exercise session can improve your health and your body. Exercising this time of year, even if you’re drinking egg nog like it’s water, can still help you have more energy, boost your immune system, and help you feel more in control and more confident. If you have anyone you love and care about this Christmas season, taking care of YOU is one of the best gifts you can give.
Feel free to bring family and friends along for the journey. Get them involved, get moving, and burn off those gingerbread cookies!
The Workout
This no equipment Countdown Workout will help you look and feel your best with minimal commitment this Christmas. It’s perfect for traveling! Here’s how to get it done:
For a Countdown Workout, you go through the exercises in order, starting with 10 reps. Next round you’ll do 9 reps each, then 8 reps, 7 reps the next round, and keep counting down until you’re doing only 1 rep of each exercise the last round! There are 10 exercises total.
If you don’t have time to do that, or if that seems intimidating, then you can do rounds 10-5, do only the even rounds, or just do it as a circuit once or twice through. In the video, I perform the reps on both sides of the body for some exercises- feel free to split the reps between the right and left sides if you are short on time or energy!
Here’s the video, and you can follow along with me for your first few rounds– I perform 10 reps of each exercise. Watch my form and tempo, and try to do what I’m doing! Scroll down for a breakdown of each exercise!
Music by Uncle Dave’s Christmas Tunes: Check it out! Super awesome music: http://www.mp3forkidz.com/xmas/ (Jingle Bells, Good King Wencelas, and O Little Town of Bethlehem)
**Of course, check with your doctor before starting any exercise program! This Holiday Workout is a free gift from thefittutor.com, however perform at your own risk. Be safe, lose weight, and have fun!
What’s not included: a warm up or cool down. Get your body warmed up and blood pumping with 3-5 minutes of light activity beforehand, and since this is a full body workout, stretch from head to toe after!
Countdown: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps
- Prisoner Squats
- Front Kicks
- Rotating Deadlifts
- Lunge Jacks
- Plank with Knee Twists
- Reverse Snow Angels
- Plank with Shoulder Taps
- Fire Hydrants
- Dead Bugs
- Glute Bridge Walkouts
The Exercise Breakdown
Check out this section if you’re not sure how to do an exercise, you want to check your form, or if you want ideas on how to make each easier!
Prisoner Squats
Stand in a shoulder-width stance with toes pointed slightly outward. Keep your back tall and place your hands behind your head while pulling your shoulders and elbows back.
Lower into a squat position by pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Go down as far as you feel comfortable/safe with. Pause, and then push your feet into the floor to stand up. Your heels shouldn’t leave the ground and your back shouldn’t round. Adjust how far you go down by monitoring those two things.
Make it easier: Start from a seated position or only squat down halfway.
Front Kicks
Stand with your feet about hip width apart. Shift your weight over to one leg. Extend your opposite leg in a quick kicking motion and return to starting position. Shift weight to your other leg and repeat the motion on the opposite side. Keep your hips stable. Have your arms bent in front of you or slightly out to side to help with balance. Do reps on both sides if you can!
Make it easier: Do one leg at a time and stand next to a wall for balance.
Rotating Deadlifts
Stand on your left leg with your right leg behind you. Place some of your weight on your toes for balance. Keep knees slightly bent. Place your hands behind your head, and throw your elbows back by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Keep your back straight and abs engaged as you hinge forward at your hips. Go until your torso is almost parallel to floor, but make sure to keep it straight. If you start to hunch then don’t go down so far.
Press your front foot into the ground and squeeze your butt to return to standing. Then twist your torso over your front leg. That’s one rep. Do all reps on both legs if possible.
Make it easier: Stand next to a wall if you need help with balance. Go down only halfway.
Lunge Jacks
Stand with your feet hip width apart, elbows bent, arms out in front of you. Jump into a lunge position, keeping knees bent 90 degrees, and not allowing your knee to go over your toes.
Jump back to the starting position by pressing your front foot into the ground and squeezing your legs; perform a jumping jack, and then jump into a lunge with the opposite leg. That’s one rep.
Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed and chin up. Always engage your core.
Make it easier: Do forward lunges quickly instead of jumping. Go down only part way; press your front foot into the ground to come back up. Alternate legs or do one leg at time.
Planks with Knee Twists
Get into plank position with your hands directly under shoulders, core tight, body in a straight line, and toes curled under. Twist your core and bring one knee up and over to the opposite elbow. Return your leg to the starting position, and think about involving your abs and keeping your butt down. Repeat with opposite leg.
Make it easier: The more upright your body, the easier it is. So try these on your knees, a couch, table, or wall.
Reverse Snow Angels
Position yourself face down on the ground with arms at your sides and palms facing down. Lift your shoulders and hands a few inches off the ground by pinching your shoulder blades together.
Lifting your head (but looking down), bring your arms up past your shoulders and up to your ears. Keep your arms straight, and try to touch your thumbs together in front of your head. Bring your arms back to the starting position and don’t allow them to touch the ground before your next rep.
Make it easier: Rest between reps. Prop a pillow under your chest.
Plank with Shoulder Taps
Get into plank position with your hands directly under shoulders, core tight, body in a straight line, and toes curled under. Shift your weight to one hand while bringing the opposite hand up to the opposite shoulder. Return to the starting position and repeat with other hand. Try to minimize rocking and twisting in your core to really engage your abs! (I’m rocking too much… darn sprained wrist!)
Make it easier: The more upright your body, the easier it is. So try these on your knees, a couch, table, or wall.
Fire Hydrants
Get on your hands (placing them directly under shoulders) and knees (under your hips). Bring one knee as close as you can to your chest. From that position, raise your thigh out to the side without moving your hips. Pause and extend your leg, then bring it back, and bring your knee back to the ground in the same pattern as you raised it. Try to minimize any rocking or twisting in your core.
Make it easier: Don’t add the kick. Put a pillow under your knee.
Dead Bugs
Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Bring your legs up so your hips and knees are bent 90 degrees. Extend your right leg and your left arm, while keeping the others up in the starting position. Pause, return to the starting position, and repeat on the other side.
Think about contracting your lower abs into the floor. Don’t let your leg touch the ground; just let it hover a few inches over, and then bring it back to the starting position.
Make it easier: Don’t extend arms, keep them on the floor next to you. Touch heels to the ground on each rep if needed.
Glute Bridge Walkouts
Lie on your back with knees bent, heels as close to your butt as possible. Press your heels into the ground while squeezing your butt and your abs to come up into a bridge position. From here, take two small steps, one at a time with each leg, to walkout into an extended glute bridge. Pause, squeeze your glutes again to ensure your hips are high, and then walk legs back to the starting position. Drop your butt down to the starting position and then repeat. One rep is walking legs out and back in.
Make it easier: As you walk your legs out, drop down to the ground. Squeeze to come back up, and then walk your legs back. You can count each time your butt touches the ground as one rep.
Burn Off Those Christmas Cookies
Make this workout happen this week or next. One round is only about 6 minutes.
Go for it.
You can do it!
It will be worth it.
This can be guaranteed alone time- or great bonding time with family.
It can be the stress reliever you need to ensure you’re nice to everyone.
This workout can be the boost you need to keep your body healthy, or to help you feel confident and proud!
I guarantee you (and your health) are worth the time that this takes!
Do it, and tag your friend in a challenge to make sure you’re not suffering achieving alone!
Fitness For All- in 2017!
If you’re thinking of getting healthy in the new year, I encourage you to check out what The Fit Tutor has to offer! I’m a nationally certified trainer and nutrition coach, and I’ve put this site together for an affordable-but-super-effective alternative to the gym! With a membership, you’ll get
- Online workout programs
- Videos with exercise instructions, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced modifications
- Nutrition Course to help you develop and stick with healthy habits to help you end dieting forever
- Workout and nutrition accountability– with me- or an awesome group of ladies for group check-ins and encouragement
- Access to your trainer to ask questions and get workouts personalized
- A cheering section. Who doesn’t need that?!
- You’ll also be supporting small business and a portion of your membership goes to feed hungry children!
You get two weeks free to try it out, or ask me and I can help you sign up immediately! I’m so proud of you for considering this workout. Do it, and let me know how it goes!
You can alternate this workout with the Home for the Holidays workout from 2015!
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