Thanksgiving Day Fitness Tips
With the holidays approaching, it is easy to get off track. Whether it is 10-minutes or 30-minutes take time to exercise. The holidays aren’t the time to focus on losing weight or starting a new fitness program, but you can still find time to take care of yourself. Exercising can also provide a much needed stress relief from the holiday blues.
A Tip to Share
Interval training is a great training tool. It provides an effective workout with less time commitment than your normal jog. Here are some workout ideas that require no equipment:
A Running Workout– after a brief warm-up (e.g., 5-10 minutes of activity progressing from light to heavy intensity), run for 1 minute at a high intensity then take 1 minute off for recovery (don’t sit down). Repeat this process for 5 rounds. After 5 rounds, take a break by doing some active stretching or light activity then repeat the 1 minute on 1 minute off intervals for another 5 rounds. Total time for this workout is approximately 25 minutes maximum. Using intervals here will allow you to run harder than if you were running collectively for 25 minutes.
A Full Body Conditioning– after a brief warm-up (e.g., 5-10 minutes of activity progressing from light to heavy intensity), pick a serious of 4-5 exercises (e.g., squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, etc.). You’ll most likely want to arrange the exercise order to allow for a recovery between sets if you’re choosing similar body part exercises. Perform each exercise 6-8 times for 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. Once you complete one exercise take a minute of recovery then move onto the next exercise. This type of interval training is very effective and only requires 4 minutes of your time per exercise selection. To make it more challenging add resistance or choose a more advance exercise such as substituting jump squats for body weight squats. This workout will be sure to leave you exhausted so be mindful of your other holiday plans. Total approximate workout time is 25 minutes.
*Please note that you should not attempt these exercises if you are not cleared to perform strenuous physical activity. Additionally, if you have never performed interval training before, it is best to start slow and work your way up.
Enjoy your workouts and wishing you the best over the holidays,
Bucky