12 Days of FITNESS

• Facebook
• Tweet
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• Email

Workouts tend to take a back seat during the holidays. Last week, I provided you a 31 day challenge to help keep you on track during this busy season. Today, I want to provide you a simple, at-home workout using nothing but your bodyweight that you can do anywhere, anytime. It will help keep your fitness in check, the typical holiday weight gain at bay and your spirits high during a typically stressful time of year.

You can do this workout in a variety of different ways:

1. Do each exercise listed below for 1 minute for a 12 minute workout. Do this 2-3x/week
2. Do each exercise listed below for 1 minute whenever you can giving yourself a number of 1 minute, mini, energy boosts throughout the day. It may take you all day to get your 12 minute workout in, but you’ll feel great knowing you got it done. Sometimes during the holidays, a minute is all you can spare!
3. Or if you’re feeling super energetic, perform this workout just like the 12 Days of Christmas. The first time around, you do a 30 second plank. The 2^nd time around, you do 2 Burpees and a 30 second plank. The 3^rd time around, you do 3 Forward Hops, 2 Burpees and a 30 second plank. Continue until you’ve completed all 12 days of Fitness!

• 1^st day of Fitness….30-Second Plank on Elbows and Toes
  •  Lay on your stomach propped up onto your elbows.  Position your elbows so that they are underneath your shoulders. Now lift your body up so your weight is completely supported on your elbows and toes. Keep your abdominals contracted and your back in a neutral position and remember to breathe comfortably.
• 2^nd day of Fitness…2 Burpees
  • Start with a 4-point Burpee. Place your hands onto the floor about shoulder distance apart. Walk or jump your legs back into a plank position. Jump or walk your legs back towards your hands and then stand up and jump.
• 3^rd day of Fitness…3 Forward Hops
  • Start by driving your hips backward like you are going to sit in a chair. Go as low as you feel comfortable going, or until your thighs are parallel to the floor. From here, stand up fast with a little hop at the top. Your feet should just barely leave the ground. Perform these as fast as you can, trying to accumulate as many as you can in one minute.
• 4^th day of Fitness…4 Mountain Climbers
  • Start in a plank position on your hands and toes with your hands positioned under your elbows/shoulders and you spine elongated and a straight line from head to toe. Keep your core stable and strong while quickly alternating and driving your knees towards your chest. Complete 20 reps (10x each leg)
• 5^th day of Fitness…5 Push-Ups
  • Lie on your stomach. Position your hands on the floor a few inches beside your shoulder. Make sure that your elbows are directly over top or to the inside of your wrists. Keep your abdominals contracted and your back in its neutral position. Now slowly push up keeping your knees down and slowly lower down to the starting position.
• 6^th day of Fitness…6 Superman Back Extensions
  • Lay face down on a mat with arms stretched overhead and legs stretched behind. Draw in your bellybutton as you inhale and lift your arms and legs up off the mat. Exhale as you float your arms down to your sides. 
• 7^th day of Fitness…7 Calve Raises
• 8^th day of Fitness…8 Jump Squats
  • Position your feet about hip or shoulder width apart. Keep your knees caps facing forward and your body weight equally distributed on all 4 corners of your feet. Now slowly squat down until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor and then quickly explode upwards jumping into the air. 
• 9^th day of Fitness…9 Crunches
  • Place your hands behind your head to lightly support the weight of your head.  Keep your chin away from your chest and focus your vision at about 45 degrees into the ceiling.  Avoid looking straight up to the ceiling or towards the opposite wall.  Now slowly lift your torso up on an angle.  Simultaneously, lift the opposite leg off the floor.  An oblique crunch does not need to involve a large twisting action. Contract your abdominals on each repetition. 
• 10^th day of Fitness…10 Walking Lunges
  • Start with your feet together. Lunge one leg forward ensuring that the front knee stays over the foot and that the knee-cap always faces forwards. Now slowly push upwards from the front leg, extending it until you are standing on that leg. Repeat lunging forwards with the other leg. Keep your abdominals contracted throughout the entire exercise.
• 11^th day of Fitness…11 Glute Bridges
  • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.  Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles and slowly lift your buttocks off the floor.  Slowly roll up until your body weight is resting on the top of your shoulder blades and your knees and shoulders are in a straight line.  Keep your hips square to the ceiling. 
• 12^th day of Fitness…12 Jumping Jacks

Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan

Note:  As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a 2 week pass at her world-class training studio to help get you started.  Contact 360.574.7292 for more details. 

Join us for the…..COUVE CLOVER RUN – 3, 7 & 10 MILES – March 25th, 2018
Celebrate in your festive green while running or walking 3, 7 or 10 miles along an extremely fast and scenic course to support local charities! We will make you earn your post-event party but it will be off the charts hosted by Main Event and other downtown Vancouver Pubs & Breweries.