Number of December days leading up to Christmas: 25. Number of calories in one advent calendar chocolate: 25. Number of calories burned opening presents: not enough! Check out our 25-day fitness advent calendar to combat those yummy chocolates and keep you on track!
Does your workout routine get heave-ho-ho-ho’d to the back seat of Santa’s sleigh once December rolls around? If you’re like most people, friends, family, office parties, and shopping commandeers your precious time around the holiday season. Now, more than ever, it’s important to squeeze in those workouts wherever you can.
Studies show that even two weeks of physical inactivity can diminish the effects built by regular fitness activities. You already know that exercising for at least 150 minutes a week can increase your fitness and energy while decreasing your chances of developing heart disease, but did you know that just 20 minutes of exercise in a day can significantly reduce feelings of stress? Holiday-induced stress: never heard of it, right?
And then there’s the challenge of holiday nutrition bombs. This is where many people claim to struggle the most. Between family gatherings, gifts of chocolate, and endless baked goodies, it can be hard to resist your sweet tooth.
But instead of trying to cut or limit particular foods, try turning your focus toward eating more of the good stuff. Not only will fruits, veggies, and whole grains fill you up with vitamins and nutrients before you go out to face all those naughty treats, but foods such as blueberries, Brazil nuts, onions, and black pepper actually contain antioxidants and healthy components that’ll help balance out the eggnog and gingerbread men!
Head to your local health food store for the lowdown on supplements to both mitigate the damage of your festive ways and get you the critical vitamins and minerals you need to function more efficiently.
Sneaky fitness
The key to squeezing in a mini-workout during the holiday season is to get creative! We don’t always have time to run to the gym, change out of sweaty clothes, or take a shower, but as I’ve always told my clients, there’s always time for fitness!
I call this “sneaky fitness.” In fact, the number-one tip for sneaky fitness I can offer is to actively engage your core throughout the day. Believe it or not, this alone will strengthen your abdominals and core muscles and can help alleviate back pain, plus give you better posture! Here are a few more sneaky ways.
- If you’re waiting for a bus, do a wall-sit instead of sitting on the bench.
- When you’re at the mall or heading for the office, do a calf stretch while going up the escalator.
- While waiting for the turkey to finish, do some push-ups against the countertop.
Feeling self-conscious about practising fitness in public? You aren’t alone. Instead of lunging to the water cooler, you can choose to make less conspicuous, but equally effective choices, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, enjoying a walk while eating your lunch, or carrying grocery baskets instead of pushing a cart.
alive's fitness advent calendar
Some turn to chocolates and treats to manage stress during the festive season, but the treats in our fitness advent calendar will help you manage that holiday stress—and keep you fit, happy, and healthy!
You can perform each day’s fitness activity on its own, add it to your regular workout (you high-willpowered son of a gun, you!), or, if you’re feeling ambitious, perform them cumulatively (“12 Days of Christmas” style).
These 25 exercises are all bodyweight-based, so you can do them anywhere at any time—no excuses!
1One 30-second plank |
2Two 60-second wall-sits with a 30-second break in between |
3Three 10-metre bear crawls |
4Four 10-second high-knees intervals with 15-second rest in between |
5Five 10-metre hamstring scoops |
6Six 40-metre sprints |
7Seven walkout push-ups |
8Eight jump squats with knee tucks |
9Nine downward facing dog to scorpion stretches |
10Ten up-and-over push-ups (or knee push-ups) |
11Eleven burpees (you knew these were in here somewhere!) |
12Twelve side crunches per side |
13Thirteen bench dips |
14Fourteen reverse lunge step-ups |
15Fifteen Superman back extensions |
16Sixteen bird dogs |
17Seventeen wall angels |
18Eighteen lying windshield wipers |
19Nineteen crunch and punches |
20Twenty mountain climbers |
21Twenty-one seconds of foot fire |
22Twenty-two stationary side lunges |
23Twenty-three jumping jacks |
24Twenty-four lunges |
25Twenty-five bodyweight squats |
Brendan Rolfe, BA, DipA, is an advocate for functional movement and work/life balance in Penticton, BC, where he strives to bring healthy lifestyle choices to every household.
Alissa Mohammed
Vibha Shukla
Nancy Hillis
Michelle von Hahn