Working Out on Breaks/Holidays

Ah, yes winter break is finally here and so have the holidays! But the struggle is real to consistently work out when we just want to hang with family, play games, or just hibernate. Whatever the reason, it's plain hard. But my book, Hot Body Year-Round by Cassey Ho gives me advice on this struggle.

While it may not be snowing this winter, the urge to hibernate and not move at all is still there. Ho says that, "...all you need is a little push to get you 'in the mood'" (Ho 210). She advises to put on your favorite upbeat songs that you can just jam to will motivate you to move and feel good (Ho 210). While this may be already a common piece of knowledge, it certainly does work. How upbeat and catchy the song is makes anyone to just move to release the energy that builds up inside their body. Even more, the beat can influence how intense or how fast they'll go. On top of this, both the music and going hard (working out) releases endorphines making them happy.

Now that we know how to get motivated, doing the usual moves may seem too boring to be paired with our awesome jams. Instead, "Choreographed, multilayered moves like the Shooting Star are a fun and inspiring method for burning off those holiday sweets" (Ho 198). The choreography gives  multilayered steps that is for one rep. By having more steps, it's required to move more and thus burn the extra calories gained from the holidays. But in the end, it's more fun than just doing one motion repetitively.

Now onto the Shooting Star. "Place your hands in a Charlie's Angel position, hands held together with pointer fingers up like a gun. Your legs should be lifted off the mat, ankles crossed, knees bent with your torso sitting tall, balanced on your tailbone. Beginners, you may leave both feet on the mat. Inhale and tap the tip of your gun to the left side of your hip, exhale and extend your legs forward long and straight while bringing your gun above your head and shoot! Then inhale down to the right" (Ho 200).
 
 
 
 
 Like I mentioned earlier, it's definitely more fun with a choreo because it switches things up. And if you read my last post, "The Plank" then you'll know why I liked the Charlie Angel's position. While I did have trouble with my form, the non-beginner's version was better for me because the beginner's version felt too easy. I think with more practice I'll have better form.

How do you keep yourself active on the breaks or holidays?

Ho, Cassey. Cassey Ho's Hot Body Year-Round: The POP Pilates Plan to Get Slim, Eat Clean, and Live Happy Through Every Season. First ed. New York: Harmony, 2015. Print.