It’s time for this year’s edition of the 12 Days of Fitmas Workout! It’s a total body workout that’s in the format of “The 12 Days of Christmas” song. It’s super fun to do with your kids, family, and friends … or even as a challenge for yourself.
Staying active during the holidays is SO IMPORTANT. It can help you:
- Feel energized
- Improve your sleep
- Burn off some calories and
- Even boost your immune system.
Here’s how “The 12 Days of Fitmas Challenge” works:
There are 12 rounds … and every round, you add a new exercise that corresponds to the day it represents in the song.
So, for round 1, you would do 1 burpee. In round 2, you would do 2 lunges (each side) + 1 burpee. Round 3 would be 3 push-ups + 2 lunges (each side) + 1 burpee… all the way to round 12, where you would do the whole thing from day 12 through day 1.
Here we go …
12 Days of Fitmas Workout
Warm-up with 5-10 minutes of light cardio – walking in place, treadmill, etc., and light stretches (leg swings, arm circles, etc.)
(Click each exercise to see a demo of the move)
- 1 Burpee
- 2 Lunges (each side)
- 3 Push-ups
- 4 Side lunges (each side)
- 5 Mountain climbers (each side)
- 6 High knees (or march in place) (each side)
- 7 Bench (or couch!) Dips
- 8 Butt Kickers (each side)
- 9 Plank Jacks (in a plank position, jump/step your legs out to the side, then back to the center)
- 10 Air Squats
- 11 Jumping Jacks
- 12 Side Plank Hip Lifts (each side)
Be sure to cool down to bring your heart rate down, and then do some light stretching.
You’ll feel GREAT after you are done with this workout!
Setting realistic goals
Every once in a while I get a panicked email or call from someone who wants to “lower their cholesterol down x points before their next doctor’s appointment a month from now“ or “get ready for a marathon in two months”. Don’t get me wrong: Those are all important goals … but they absolutely are not possible (at least in a healthy and sustainable way) in only a month or two!
Upscale sandwich shop recipe inside…
Ever eaten at a gourmet sandwich shop and tried something new … and was BLOWN AWAY by the deliciousness?!Well, I’ve got a recipe for you today that’s based on one of those sandwiches. I’m drooling just thinking about it. It’s crunchy (the toasted bread) … creamy (the avocado & hummus) … and tangy (the sauerkraut).
The right way to work out for energy
One of the top reasons people tell me they skip their workouts (or don’t work out at all!) – is because they don’t have the energy. Here’s a mind-blower for you: one of the best & easiest ways to get more energy fast is to WORK OUT.
The minimum effective dose
Controversy alert! I’m going to say something you won’t hear from a lot of coaches.I hope it gets you fired up – especially if you’ve been struggling. I know you’re busy juggling a ton of day-to-day responsibilities …
