Christmas: the time of mince pies, stuffing, roast potatoes, and too much chocolate. It’s a well-documented fact that keeping up our fitness regimes can be very tricky over the festive season. But it’s not impossible.
So to help keep you motivated, here are 12 Christmas-themed workouts for some festive fitness fun.
It’s that time of year again. Winter. When the nights are getting longer, the days colder, and it’s becoming harder and harder to get outside and keep active.
Unfortunately the cold weather can really have an impact on our motivation. But just like any other time of year, it’s still important to keep fit and moving during the winter months. And luckily there are a few things we can do to make the transition from cozy fireplace to freezing streets as smooth and painless as possible.
Dress the part
Due to the darker weather, safety is paramount when it comes to outdoor winter exercise. So dressing accordingly is important.
There are two aspects to winter workout gear. First, as mentioned above, is safety. Second is comfort and warmth. Make sure to wear plenty of high-visibility gear, and maybe even a head torch if you’ll be out and about in places that aren’t well lit!
Warm up
Possibly the number one obstacle to going out during winter is the cold. Stepping outside when temperatures are looming around zero is hardly the most appealing prospect. But by warming up before leaving the house we stand to make our lives much easier.
A few minutes of stretching followed by a bit of light cardio is all you need to get the blood flowing and the heart beating. Then, when it comes to stepping outside, it won’t feel quite so daunting.
Occupy your mind
Listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks whilst exercising is a brilliant way to pass the time and take your mind off the weather.
Not only will you stay entertained, but the time will fly. And for extra motivation, only allow yourself to listen to the best content whilst your out exercising.
Take your friends
Exercising with friends is a guaranteed way to keep motivated. Being accountable for your workout regime, and having people to answer to if you take a day off, can really help to keep you going through the darker days.
The reality is that we’re much less likely to call something off if a friend’s coming with us. This counts double for exercise.
Talking and walking will make the time go by in a flash. And if safety is a concern when it’s dark outside, being with other people can provide lots of security and peace of mind.
Most importantly, just keep going!
Keeping fit and active isn’t always easy. Sometimes we go through lazy periods, other times the weather gets the best of us, and sometimes we just don’t have the time. But as with most things of this nature, motivation is the key to success.
So to keep yourself driven, why not check out these 6 inspiring health and fitness documentaries, or take a look at these 9 motivating TED Talks on exercise, and wellbeing.
The pull-up is one of the most difficult bodyweight exercises to perform. It places incredible strain on your upper body, and demands a great amount of strength in your back, arms, and shoulders.
But hard as it may be, the pull-up is one of the most effective and powerful upper body exercises around, and it can do wonders for your core strength.
The real trick to this exercise is volume, and a good tip is to attempt 1-2 sets to failure every day.
But how many reps should we actually be aiming for? According to former Royal Marines PTI Sean Lerwill, “A guy in good shape should be able to do about six perfect-form pull-ups at a slow and controlled tempo, with an aim of getting to 12 reps.”
This may sound like an impossible task for beginners. But with the proper practise and form, you’ll be hitting double figures in no time at all.
So whether you’re just looking to increase your current rep limit, or simply wish to perform your very first pull-up, we’ve got some tips to help you boost your performance.
How to do a pull-up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIvJTfGxdFo
First things first, you need to get to grips with the proper pull-up technique. The above video should hopefully set you off in the right direction. And further to that, here are some general takeaway tips:
Grip the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from you.
Hang with your arms fully extended and bend your knees (if they’re dragging on the ground).
Keep your shoulders back, core engaged.
Move with control until your chin is above the bar.
Variations
Once you’ve mastered the basics, there are a number of ways to alter your pull-ups. . .
Grip — try switching between wide, narrow, and normal grips to work different parts of your body.
Pauses — you can add pauses at different parts of your pull-up for a more intense and fatiguing variation.
Tempo — altering the tempo of your pull-ups is a great way to increase intensity and add a different angle to the exercise.
Supplemental exercises
For extra strength-building, and to help condition your body for strong and successful pull-ups, try adding these exercises into your daily workout routine:
Inverted row
Arm hang
Lat pulldown
Stability ball rollouts
Squat, pull, push
Once you’ve perfected your pull-up, why not throw in some squats and push-ups for an all-round bodyweight workout!
The squat is one of the most effective compound exercises for building and toning the lower body. When performed correctly, they can strengthen most of the muscles in your lower body, including the thighs, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. They also work the abs and core too.
Generally speaking, squats are one of the most functional human movements, and are a fundamental aspect of smooth and painless mobility. And because of the particular muscles they target, squats can also improve balance and stability, and help us jump higher and run faster!
Yes, as an all-rounder squats are hard to beat. And for those who like variety, there’s no shortage of variations to shake up your workouts. But, ultimately, the squats you squat depend on your workout style and fitness goals. So to help you along, we’ve compiled a few our favourite squat types to give you an idea of the diversity and range of this classic exercise.
Bodyweight squats
Goblet squats
Sumo squats
Pulse squats
Squat jumps
Isometric squats
Eagle squat
Lateral squats
Squat walk
Frog squats
Bear crawl squats
Pistol squats
Squat tuck jump
Eccentric squats
Now push. . .
Don’t forget, the best exercise routines are all about balance. So once you’re lower body’s taken a beating from all those squats, why not even it out with these 9 push-up variations?
It’s well-known that diet and lifestyle can greatly contribute to our risk of becoming obese, but genetics also play a part. And some people who suffer from a genetic predisposition to obesity can find it much more difficult to ward off weight gain.
But there’s good news. According to a study by Wan-Yu Li and colleagues of National Taiwan University, there are certain exercises that are particularly effective at combating genetic effects that contribute towards obesity.
The study looked at 18,424 Han Chinese adults, aged 30-70, and examined the relationship between their genetics and self-reported exercise routines. The researchers focussed on five measures of obesity, which included BMI , body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio. What they concluded was that, according to the five measures, the following six exercises were particularly effective for managing obesity. . .
Jogging
Jogging is one of the most accessible type of exercise around, so it’s a great choice for people who are just starting out. It’s gentle and fun, and it offers lots of social opportunities if you’re willing to join a group (Jesmond Joggers are our local club).
There’s also a huge choice of apps you can download to get you going and keep you motivated along the way.
Yoga
Another form of exercise that can be very gentle if that’s what you’re looking for. According to Lin’s research, long yoga practises are a safe bet for helping to ward off weight gain.
Mountain climbing may be a little more specialised and demands higher motivation, financial commitment, and initial fitness levels, but it offers certain benefits that some of the other exercises on this list don’t.
Primarily, mountain climbing gets you out in the clean air and provides ample opportunity to immerse yourself in some beautiful landscapes. The perfect exercise for outdoor enthusiasts who love to travel!
Walking
There are many heath benefits to walking. One of them happens to be that it helps combat weight gain; specifically, according to Lin’s research, in those with a genetic predisposition to obesity.
For most people, factoring walking into their daily routine is arguably the easiest way to get active. Even for those with relatively little time to spare, there are plenty of opportunities throughout the day to squeeze in a few extra steps. Using stairs instead of elevators, walking to the corner shop, taking walking meetings — these are just a few examples.
Of course, going out on regular long walks is ideal, but simply adding a few extra steps here and there can go a long way in fighting weight gain.
Power walking
Similar to the above in most ways, aside from being more physically demanding. Power walking is probably best suited to those who are already keen walkers. But for all its heightened intensity, it may reap greater (and faster) rewards.
Dancing
According to the study, certain types of dancing are also excellent for impeding weight gain. But dancing is brilliant for lots of other reasons too. It can reduce stress, promote cardiovascular health, and improve balance. Not to mention how fun, rewarding, and generally enjoyable it is.
Exercise for health
On the whole, exercise can do wonders for our health. And there are lots of different exercises out there, each with its own specific set of benefits. To learn more about what’s good for what, why not take a look at the benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training, weightlifting, and yin yoga.
Post-exercise recovery is almost as important as the exercise itself. When we train, we put our bodies through a lot of stress and strain, and without a proper post-workout recovery regime we run the risk of injuring ourselves.
Post-exercise recovery allows our muscles and tissues repair themselves properly. Not only that but it helps us train more effectively too, keeping our bodies strong, fresh, and energised.
In a nutshell, post-exercise recovery is essential to any fitness routine. And here are some tips on how to do it right. . .
Eat the right food
Food can have a huge impact on the quality and effectiveness of the post-exercise recovery process. After all, exercise drains the body of energy, and it’s essential to replace that energy so our muscles and tissues can repair quickly.
Choosing high-quality foods and consuming the right amount of calories are both essential elements of good recovery eating.
Though achieving an optimal balance can be difficult, it’s important to maintain an awareness of what we put into our bodies. Note enough protein can result in loss of muscle mass, and too few carbs can leave us feeling fatigued. So balance and moderation are key.
Hydrate
Our bodies lose a lot of fluid when we exercise, so hydration is essential for effective post-workout recovery.
One tip is to weigh yourself before and after exercise, and then drink 3 cups of water for every pound of body weight lost.
Rest
Relaxation is one of the most effective ways to recover after a workout. By factoring in constructive rest periods, your body can repair and replenish naturally.
It’s also a good idea to incorporate full rest days into your weekly exercise regime, because rest is an integral part of building fitness.
Stretch
Stretching before and after each workout is an excellent way to facilitate muscle recovery. Stretching helps to reduce lactic acid and improve circulation, and has the added benefit of making you more flexible. (See here for tips on how to stretch like a pro.)
Go for a massage
In case you need an excuse, massage therapy can help post-workout recovery by relieving muscle tension and ridding the body of toxins.
Also due to the relaxing nature of a massage, it can help to de-stress and calm the mind, encouraging psychological as well as physical recovery.
Listen to your body
Last but not least, just do what feels right for you. Possibly the most under-utilised recovery technique is simply listening to your body. When you feel over-worked or strained, take a rest. If you wake up the morning after an intense workout feeling sore and tired, take a day off.
Pushing our bodies too hard, and making them work when they want to rest, will only set us back. And if we want our fitness goals to be sustainable in the long term, we have to work with, and listen to, our bodies.
