The holidays are here and for most of us that means routine goes out the door…
It means shopping and parties, lots of parties — school parties, work parties, parties with friends, with the in-laws… and yes, that tends to mean eating lots of fabulous food, drinking eggnog with Bourbon, dancing the night away and getting little to no sleep!
But it doesn’t mean you throw all your good work and accept that you’ll just wear loose clothing for now and hit the ground running with a hard core fitness routine come the new year.
Today’s workout will keep your on track with your fitness goals in just 10 minutes a day. Or double it up for a 20 minute routine that will get your heart pumping and your spirits soaring!
Enjoy!
Focus on proper execution of each move and on your energy. You want to power through or burst through these moves as much as possible.
Burpees
Stand with feet shoulders width apart.
Reach hands to the ground and shoot feet back, landing in a plank position.
Push down and push floor away bursting back to standing position.
Reverse Lunge – Kick
Stand with feet shoulders width apart.
Take your right leg and step backwards into a lunge, keeping front knee aligned with ankle.
Kick foot forward.
Return to starting position.
Repeat the number of times listed then switch to other side.
Plank with Knee Twist
Start in plank position arms straight
Engage core muscles and draw right knee to chest then twist reaching knee towards the left. Make sure to keep knee up and not dragging on the floor.
Return to starting position.
Repeat with left knee
Curtsy – Side Kick
Stand with feet shoulders width apart.
Take right foot and cross behind left as in a curtsy
Raise leg to the right in a kick.
Return to starting position.
Repeat the number of times listed then switch to other side.
Ski jumps / Side to Side Jumps
These are a fabulous way to get ready for tearing up the slopes this winter. Keep your knees and ankle loose so as not to injure yourself. Stand tall and arms bent as though you were holding ski poles, jump from side to side keeping knees and feet together. You can make this move more challenging in one of two ways: deepen your jump, going a little further out each time or jump higher. Walk in place during your rest phase.
Side Plank Dips
Start in side plank
Lower hips towards the ground without touching the floor
Return to starting position.
Repeat
The Prisoner Squat
Stand with feet shoulder width apart, core engaged. Gently place hands behind your head, elbows out (you don’t want to be tugging in any way). Keeping your chest up and back straight, sit back as though you were sitting in a chair, aiming your butt behind you. Keep your weight on your heels and sit back as low as you can without compromising form. Push through heels to return to standing.
Properly executed, this exercise should not put any strain on your knees. The key is to keep your weight shooting straight down through your heels. You should be able to lift your toes of the floor slightly.
Make sure to drink plenty of water and get clean, lean protein within a half hour after your workout.
What are some of your favorite moves to blast away holiday fat?
I don’t want to completely abstain from holiday treats, but I’d like my clothes to still fit after the holidays. Thank you for these!
You are most welcome Crystal. I say holiday treats are to be enjoyed, in moderation of course, but enjoy and enjoy this fun work out as well!