staying active through the holidays
Over the holiday period many of us fall out of our regular exercise routine, inevitably we eat more and move less. We recommend finding a balance! Here are seven body weight exercises that you can do wherever you are and in a short amount of time. There is no need to do all seven in one go but pick at least three which target different muscle groups that way you will be working the whole body. Try the different variations of each exercise depending on your current strength and training goals.
Squats
Squats strengthen muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments around the legs. Try mixing it up with clock squats, changing the width of your legs or incorporating a pulse/ pause. This will help maintain lower body strength over the holidays without needing weights or a gym.
Press Ups
The press up is a staple exercise for body weight training, helping build muscle and strength throughout the upper body and the core. By elevating your feet you’ll apply the necessary bodyweight to increase the resistance for your arms to have to push back up.
Burpees
A burpee is a great way of getting your heart rate up and creating calorie expenditure. By adding a jump at the highest point and a press up at the lowest we are creating a greater range in movement and will be exhausting the whole body.
Glute Bridges
The bridge is great for improving hip mobility and strengthening your lower back, two things that any desk-bound worker can really benefit from. You should feel the burn in your glutes and your hamstrings if you’re doing it correctly.
Start with both feet planted on the floor and progress to the single-leg glute bridge, which halves the number of grounded legs to double the difficulty.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are explosive increasing your heart rate and cardiovascular fitness. You’ll engage multiple muscle groups at one time making the exercise an effective way for strengthening arms, back, shoulders, core and legs.
Lunges
Lunges require mobility through the hips, knees, ankle, feet and toes. Doing lunge progressions with proper form can increase mobility in these areas and work the entire lower body. Lunges work one leg at a time, meaning each leg works harder. This also mimics the way our body works throughout most of our day.
By elevating the trailing leg and leaning the torso on your dominant knee you’ll be attempting a Bulgarian split squat which is a great variation of the lunge.
Plank
From your rectus and transverse (deep) abdominal muscles to your erector spinae, you'll build strength throughout your whole core. And yes, your core includes your lower back muscles, too. With correct form and a perfect neutral spine attempt a longer hold or add more dynamic movements, like a shoulder tap or plank rotation, which allow the rest of the body to work harder.
If you find it impossible to find time for exercise then experiment with creative ways to move your body, for example: clean the house with pace, play active games with kids or friends in the garden, volunteer to walk the dog or walk to the shops, refresh the position of the heavy items of furniture around your home or if away from home go for a walk and explore the surrounding area. Remember every little counts!