Final week of our party dress fit plan
Christmas is coming and in week six of our countdown to the little red dress there’s really no time to spare.
While you are pondering that thought, let’s think about what happens to your fitness schedule over the holiday period.
With so much to do and so little time, there is always collateral damage and at this time of year fitness is often the one thing that is pushed to the side as we run like panicked elves on December 24 to finish cooking, shopping, wrapping, decorating, cleaning and posting cards through neighbours’ letterboxes.
So in the run- up to the festivities here’s a handy, cut- out guide to an exercise plan to keep you sane over the season.
These quick four and five- minute workouts should hold you together till we emerge like butterflies from the chrysalis of the festive season. Let’s start on December 23. The gyms are quietly shutting the doors and your fitness instructor has packed their bag and headed to Honolulu for two weeks so clear a space in the kitchen, the garage or anywhere and start moving. One minute forearm plank. One minute full plank on hands. One minute forearm plank with alternate leg extensions, alternate every ten seconds. One minute side plank. One minute side plank other side. That’s five minutes for core. Repeat when necessary. December 24: cardio day Get your Bluetooth speaker fired up, select the bounciest choon you have and get ready.
One minute low jog, keep feet close to the floor, no big moves yet, shift your weight from right to left, get those heels down.
One minute bigger jog. Get those heels up to your bottom and run like Rudolph.
One minute jump jacks. Bend those knees and don’t jack too wide.
One minute knee lifts. Alternate from right to left. Get those knees high
One minute touchdowns, drop your right hand to the floor, reaching across your body, holding your tummy muscles tight, bending at the waist, then repeat with the left as quickly and safely as you can.
That should burn up a few calories and get you really motivated. Repeat when stressed. December 25: tone day Hit the floor and give me press- ups, as many as you can in a minute, full or half will do.
Upward rowing: sit down and imagine you are in a rowboat. Row backwards, keeping your abdominals tight, then return to an upright position, repeat for a minute.
Let’s get to our feet and squat. Go slow and drop as low as you can. Use good technique and tighten those buns. One minute.
Grab a weight, anything will do – use the turkey if it’s still defrosting – and try a minute of Roman curls.
Sit down and take your weight to the side of your body and lean back, return to your neutral middle position then lean back and down to the other side. Great for that waistline.