I absolutely love Christmas. Though I’m somewhat past the time of wishing for piles of gifts, I’m always ready for the piles of food available seemingly everywhere during the holiday season. Home chefs reveal their most decadent holiday dishes—and who are we to say no?
Unfortunately, too much of that wonderful food can be expansive—to say the least!
After the holiday season, it’s time to return unwanted gifts to the store and shed the new and unneeded pounds bestowed upon us. The first part is easy, but losing pounds can prove quite challenging, and I say this from experience.
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Thus, I’m offering you a gift! A set of exercises to help you get through the holidays and enter the new year with less holiday poundage.
The following exercises work well for my patients, but you may wish to consult your medical provider to ensure they are right for you.
5 Ho-Ho-Hot Exercises
1. Santa Squat (Chair Squat)
Santa does a lot of squatting while delivering holiday gifts, so he probably has some of the best quads and gluteal muscles on the planet. We can get better muscles with this exercise, too.Practice Tip: If you want to increase the intensity, dig under the tree for one of your heavier gifts and hold it as you perform the following movements.
Step 1: Sit at the front of a chair with your back straight and head up. Reach both arms straight out in front of yourself as far as you can, as though reaching for a gift.
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Step 2: Stand up and lower your arms as you do.
Step 3: With control, gently lower yourself back down to the chair; be careful not to plop down to avoid placing stress on your spine.
Step 4: Standing up and sitting down counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Modification: Start standing and lower only halfway down before returning to standing. Over time, your legs will become strong enough to lower all the way down with control.
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Kick It Up a Notch: Adding a hop when you stand up can help increase the intensity, as can reaching your arms straight overhead.
Dan Skorbach/The Epoch Times
2. Reindeer Row (Bent-Over Rows)
Bent-over rows are a great exercise for your back, shoulder, and arm muscles and can help you control reindeer better when sledding.Step 1: Find the heaviest gift you can under the Christmas tree.
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Step 2: With your back straight, bend your knees and reach down to pick the package up. Keep the bent position, touch it to your chest, then lower it toward the floor.
Step 3: Lifting the weight and placing it back on the floor counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 12 repetitions per set and 3 total sets.
Modification: If balance or back pain is an issue, you can perform this exercise while sitting on the edge of a stable chair.
Kick It Up a Notch: Once you pick up the gift, stand up and hold it as far forward as you can. Then, bring it back to your chest and gently place the gift back on the ground while keeping your knees bent and back straight.
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Dan Skorbach/The Epoch Times
3. Elf On a Shelf (Counter/Chair Pushups)
The Elf on a Shelf is quite busy at our workplace during the holiday season. The inventiveness and timing of the location changes have become legendary, and we’re always on the lookout for wherever the Elf will appear next. In keeping with the tradition, I have an exercise we can do for a bit of fun and potentially to lose a little weight.Step 1: Stand in front of a counter or chair about 3 feet away. The counter will be easier to exercise on, while the chair will be less stable.
Step 2: Lean forward and place your hands on the counter or chair with your elbows straight.
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Step 3: Bend your elbows and slowly lower yourself to the counter or chair, keeping your feet in place. This is an elevated pushup, so keep your legs locked, your back straight, and engage your core.
Step 4: Move as close to the surface as you can, then push back to the starting position. This counts as 1 repetition.
Step 5: Try to complete 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Modification: If a full pushup is a challenge, lean in as far as possible, then return to the starting position. You’ll soon get stronger, allowing you to go deeper into the repetitions.
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Kick It Up a Notch: For a greater challenge, move the exercise down to the floor and do regular pushups or modify with your knees on the floor.
Dan Skorbach/The Epoch Times
4. Jingle the Bells
Now that we’ve worked on a few strengthening exercises, let’s do one that will really get our heart rates up. This exercise, also known to non-elves as running in place, is so much better if you attach bells to your shoes. Trust me, you won’t be able to resist smiling if you do, especially if you listen to the tune “Jingle Bells” as you do it.Step 1: Start slowly running in place to allow your body to warm up. Be sure to involve your arms for the maximum benefit.
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Step 2: After about a minute, speed up until you are moving as fast as you safely can, and try to keep the pace for 1 minute.
Step 3: Slow down to a walking pace for 1 minute.
Step 4: Speed up again as fast as you can for 1 minute.
Step 5: In all, try to perform 3 rounds of running.
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Modification: If running fast is a challenge, just speed up to a fast walk or a slow jog for 1 minute or for as long as you can.
Kick It Up a Notch: Increase the amount of time you run if 1 minute isn’t enough to challenge you.
Dan Skorbach/The Epoch Times
5. Christmas Tree Pose
Now that we’ve done strength and endurance, let’s add a balance component. Tree pose focuses on maintaining your balance while standing on one leg.Story continues below advertisement
Step 1: Stand tall with your back straight, shoulders back, and head up.
Step 2: Bring your arms over your head and touch your fingertips together. This is the top of the tree.
Step 3: Lift your right leg off the floor and place your foot on your inner calf or thigh.
Step 4: Hold this position for 1 minute, then switch to the other side.
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Step 5: Balancing on one leg for a minute counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 repetitions per side.
Modification: If balance is tricky, place your arms by your sides or hold them out to your sides to increase your ability to maintain your balance. You can also do the pose next to a wall to touch if balance goes awry.
Kick It Up a Notch: Just for fun, try this exercise while putting Christmas ornaments on your tree. Switch between your feet to work on balance, paying attention to your fatigue levels. I recommend you avoid working with the family heirloom ornaments while standing on one leg for obvious reasons.
Dan Skorbach/The Epoch Times
Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but extra pounds are a gift most of us can do without. These exercises can help you shed unwanted Christmas pounds or potentially prevent you from gaining them in the first place. I recommend performing them at least three times each week and optimally once per day.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
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