Stay Active throughout the Holidays (+ A Festive Workout!)
Updated: Apr 13, 2022
With the hustle and bustle of the season, goodies galore, and holiday gatherings and events filling our schedules; it’s challenging to make time for exercise. Here are a few tips to help you (and your kin) stay active and enjoy moving your body during the holiday season.
1) Exercise Early. Try to move your body right away in the morning! Take 15-30 minutes for yourself before others awaken. Enjoy yoga, resistance training, or aerobic exercise to start your day off with movement that makes you feel good! You’ll feel energized for the day ahead and will thank yourself for the “me-time”.
2) Share the joy of movement! Get the family involved! Maybe you have family members who have never been to a yoga or pilates class and would feel more confident going with you. Or bundle up for a family walk and enjoy the fresh air together.
3) Get creative indoors! Can you add a little activity to the holiday games? Pull out the old Twister mat. Set up a match of ping pong. How about a “Dance-Off” or game of Charades? Maybe the loser
of cards has to do 5 push-ups or squats?! Have fun finding ways to get creative and move during
the day!
Festive Workout... The 12 Exercises of Christmas!
**This is completed just like the song! Start with 1 repetition for the first exercise; then 2 repetitions of the second exercise and 1 repetition of the first exercise. Then 3 repetitions of the third exercise,
2 reps of the second exercise, 1 rep of the first exercise... etc. Feel free to substitute more
(add weights or resistance bands) or less challenging exercises as appropriate for those doing the workout. This is a challenging workout in itself! The repetitions really add up! As always, please consult your healthcare provider before exercising and make sure you are feeling well and perform each exercise safely- modify as appropriate!** 1. One Push-up 2. Two Dead Bugs 3. Three Cherry Pickers
4. Four Leg Lifts 5. Five Squats! 6. Six Bird Dogs (3 each side)
7. Seven Clams 8. Eight Lateral Lunges (4 each side)
9. Nine Hip Bridges 10. Ten-second Prone Plank 11. Eleven Jumping Jacks 12. Twelve Forward Lunges (6 each side)
~Tricia Serres, DPT