These 7 Exercises Can Transform Your Body Just In Time For The Holidays

Nov 23, 2018

With the holiday season upon us, there is a desire in many of us to look and feel our best as we attend festivities, social events, and family gatherings.

As we head into a new year, we also make resolutions to get in better shape, lose weight, and improve our overall health.

With the sea of workout options and nutrition plans that bombard us on social media and advertising, it can be quite confusing to pick one and see it through to the end, hoping for results.

Fortunately, for you, we have a collection of exercises that might just be exactly what you need to transform your whole body just in time for the holidays. Of course, other key components to improving your health and fitness are consistency and a sensible diet.

Following these tips--and these exercises--will get you in shape for the new year and beyond:

Planks are an all-encompassing exercise that tones the arms, back, glutes, and your entire core. Try to work your way up to a 60-second plank each day for maximum strength gains and some serious toning. To perform a plank:

• Start by kneeling down and resting on your elbows, forearms straight out.
• Extend your legs backward, lifting your thighs, pelvis, and stomach off the ground.
• Keep a straight line from the crown of your head all the way to the backs of your heels, paying particular attention that you keep your butt down.
• Hold for 60 seconds.

Push-ups are ideal for upper body strength and toning. Whether you choose to modify them by putting your knees down, or in a fully extended position, you will reap the benefits of additional strength and upper arm and upper back definition. To perform a push-up:

• Place your hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
• Modify by leaving knees down or fully extend similar to plank position.
• Lower upper body slowly toward the floor, stopping when upper arms are parallel to the floor.
• Raise your body back up into fully extended position.
• Repeat 10 reps twice daily for maximum results.

Squats are another comprehensive exercise, working several different areas of the body simultaneously. Don't worry ladies, they add more definition than they do bulk; feel free to do as many as you like for speed and strength gains. To perform a perfect squat:

• Keep your feet flat on the floor.
• Keep your knees behind your toes.
• Lower your body until your upper thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your chest, head, and neck up.
• Raise your body again in a standing position.
• Perform two sets of 10 reps each, pausing between each set to monitor form.

This exercise is great for those spinal muscles that need a bit of toning. To perform this exercise correctly you must: 

• Lie face down on the floor
• Bend your arms at the elbow and place them just under your head, like in the photo
• Simply lift your body as far as you can
• Keep that posture for about 1 second, then return to the original position. 

This exercise targets your core, thighs, and bottom, three persistent problem areas for many of us. If you want to amp up this exercise, consider adding ankle and wrist weights, as they improve results and increase resistance. To perform table top:

• Begin by kneeling on your hands and knees.
• Stretch out one leg fully behind you as you stretch the opposite arm forward.
• Hold for five seconds, then switch sides.
• Repeat ten times, five each side.

What? Despite the creepy name, this exercise blasts away at your core and improves overall flexibility and posture. To perform dead bug:

• Lie on your back, legs bent and hands reaching up to touch your knees.
• Extend one leg and the same arm on that side outward, but do not allow them to touch the floor.
• Keep the other leg and arm in beginning position.
• Hold for five seconds, then switch sides.
• Repeat twenty times, ten each side.

If you are familiar with yoga, you'll no doubt know about down dog. This is an amped up version of that pose with all of the original benefits of down dog and a little added bonus for your abs. To perform downward dog leg pull:

• Begin in down dog position, with your body in an inverted V and hands and feet pressing into the floor.
• Extend one leg up and back behind you, balancing on your other three extremities.
• Bend the knee of the lifted leg and bring it in toward your chest, curling in toward your abs, chest, and face.
• Extend that leg, lower to the ground, and repeat on the other side.
• Perform exercise ten times, five on each side.

You may not have time to run to the gym during your busy day. You may not have time to complete an hour-long workout at home. You do, however, have no more excuses when it comes to this workout, as it can be done in the privacy of your own home in mere minutes a day. What are you waiting for? A better body and better health are in your future!

Make sure to let us know how these exercises worked for you in the comments - and don't forget to pass it to your loved ones! 

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!