Holiday Workouts

The first of the many upcoming food-filled holidays is this week, and we’ll be honest, we’re a bit worried.

We know how it goes.

You wake up Thursday morning. You think about coming to Shared Personal Training, but for that you would have to go outside and it's chilly, and you have to make your famous sweet potatoes, and the parade is on TV, and what if you run out of time and can’t shower before dinner? You can’t see your cousins if you’re sweaty! You say you’ll go on Friday.

But on Friday, you remember your absolute favorite shoes are on sale, and listen those Athleta leggings are amazing but SO expensive so you have to take advantage of the Black Friday sale prices… You could go to one of our Shared Personal Training classes or even do our virtual workout  - but you decide you’ll workout on Saturday instead.

Saturday morning you wake up motivated! But you were out all day yesterday shopping, and wouldn’t it be nice to just spend the day at home for a change? Luis will miss you in SPT, but there’s always Sunday!

You see where we are going with this?

If we really can’t convince you to come to the Studio, we have put together a tough at-home workout with movement that includes cardio and some strength training using your bodyweight. You don’t have to leave your house to do it! No excuses - you can do it every day of the holiday break.

The workout consists of 6 exercises - squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, burpees, lunges, and mountain climbers. You do each exercise for 30 seconds in order, one right after the other. Then, you rest for 1 minute. That counts as 1 round. Try to do at least three rounds. You can do as many as five if you need an extra challenge. 

10 squats
20 jumping jacks
10 push-ups
10 burpees
10 lunges
20 mountain climbers

Tips for the cardio exercises are below. 

Jumping jacks: The classic school gym exercise, the jumping jack has stood the test of time for a reason. It does a great job of working the body in the often neglected frontal plane of movement and since it uses large muscles, it gets your blood pumping faster to give you that desired cardio effect. To do it, stand tall with feet together and hands by your sides. Then, hop your feet apart as you raise your hands over your head. Quickly return to the starting position and repeat. Remember to stay light on your feet. Do them as quickly as you can, but don’t get lazy and shorten the movement. Make sure your hands go all the way above your head and your feet go outside shoulder-width.

Burpees: This exercise is a staple of training that has been used to build endurance, coordination, and mobility. It’s effective because it’s a big movement that utilizes your legs, core, arms, and shoulders. Additionally, doing the exercise correctly requires coordination and challenges your mobility. Here’s how you do it: from a standing position, fold at the waist as you bend your knees and reach your hands for the floor. Make sure to stick your butt back and keep your knees over your toes. Your heels may come up if you lack flexibility in your hamstrings. This is OK, but try to challenge yourself to keep your heels down to improve your mobility. Once your hands are on the floor, hop both your feet back into a strong push-up position. Pause for a split second to tighten your abs, then hop your feet back up next to your hands and stand up. Rinse and repeat to get your heart racing. Make sure to perform the movement with complete control and try to move through the positions smoothly.

Mountain climbers: Another Studio favorite, mountain climbers build endurance in your arms and abs while keeping your heart rate up. They are a great whole body exercise that requires you to stabilize your upper body while you move your legs. To get the most out of it, make sure you follow these points. First, get into a strong push-up position: hands underneath shoulders, body straight, and abs engaged. Then, bend a knee up as high as you can while keeping your upper body strong and steady. Quickly straighten the same leg as you bend the other knee up, alternating which foot touches the ground. The goal is to do the exercise at a tempo where only one foot touches the ground. Remember to keep your abs tight and shoulders over your hands. Lifting the hips up to make it easier is cheating. Do it if you have to when starting out, but build up to staying in a strong push-up position the entire time.

Want more? Check out our Holiday Health Hacks. With tips for fitness, nutrition, and mindset, it has everything you need to stay fit and feel healthy during the holiday season.