The 5th Day of Christmas with Clare Smith–Peak 313 Fitness

Welcome to the 7th annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!!!

12 days graphic

12 Days.

12 friends guest posting sharing a Christmas idea, recipe or favorite with you.

12 great giveaways for you to enter along with one GRAND PRIZE for someone who comments to enter all 12 days!!

clare473On this 5th Day of Christmas, I am  clapping for Clare Smith as she comes to our holiday fitness rescue! Clare lives with her husband and 2 children in Northeast Ohio. She has her bachelor’s degree in business management and left a promising career to be a stay-at-home mom to her children. She is a certified fitness instructor and teaches pilates and group fitness classes at her church and local university. Clare’s passion (outside of raising and nurturing her children and home) is motivating women of all ages and stages of life to live well physically, emotionally and spiritually. Visit her at Peak313!

Now, for Clare’s idea….

“In a Hustle” Holiday Workout and Hoppin’ Holiday Workout Playlist! I know that this time of year is CRAZY! We have extra parties to attend, shopping to fit in, Christmas cards to address, and volunteering to be done, so one of the first things we tend to leave out is our workout!

Many of you are determined to keep this in check thanks to our holiday challenge, “21 days to a Hunger-Free (& Healthy!) Holiday “, but for those of you who need some additional motivation, maybe this will help!

You’ve heard many times that quick, intense workouts do a great job in regards to your health–and I’ve found this to be true in my own life! Sometimes you just can’t hit a home run, but making a hit to first base is what you can do–and that’s just fine! Here is an 18 minute routine that you can do on your own as soon as those little feet hit the floor!

Blast your own music, OR, use this Christmas playlist I created! I tried to get some fun, up-tempo music that you may not usually choose. These songs are all done by Christian groups or musicians! Enjoy! Or grab playlist from iTunes!

Workout PlaylistAnd now, onto the workout!

The image below is just a quick reference for you. Read below for details on each move if you aren’t sure of them! You will need a timer of some sorts and a pair of dumbbells. (A light and heavy pair would be awesome, but if you don’t have both, then it’s not necessary)

You will want to do each exercise in each circuit for 45 seconds without stopping. Don’t sacrifice form and rest when you need at ANY time. Rest for 15 seconds before you move to the next exercise! (Right click and download the image to your computer or phone, or screensnap it on your smartphone for reference!) Holiday Workout

Warm-Up

1.) Jumping Jack, Jog in place, Squat with circle knee

Circuit 1

1.) Curtsy Lunge with shoulder raises 2.) Skater Taps

Circuit 2

1.) Rear Lunge Kick with bicep curl

2.) Weighted Jumping Jack: Take one weight and press it into the air as you do a jumping jack.

Circuit 3

1.) Burpee/Renegade Row/Push-Up

2.) “W” Hops: Hop left, center, right,center, left and repeat.

W Hops

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.) Weighted Plank Pull

Circuit 4

1.) Alternating Punches

2.) Cross Jab with a knee (Make sure you do both sides!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.) Knee Drive (right and left side)

KneeDrive

Circuit 5

1.) “The Hover”

2.) Thread Thru Needle

Remember, you do not have to sacrifice your health during this season! There are very practical ways to keep you in the game if you want it!

 

Today’s Giveaway:  

Clare would love to give you a chance to grab some new workout tunes AND grab a new workout top or socks! She’s giving away a $5 gift card to iTunes and a $15 gift card to Target! For a chance to win these great gifts post a comment below sharing some of your tips to keep moving during the holidays. Or share your struggle with fitting in exercise at the holidays. Or how about this…what do you think your favorite Christmas tune to exercise to would be?

Don’t forget to come back for all 12 days! You can comment on all twelve posts until midnight December 14th. {And remember, if you comment on all 12 posts, you might win the Grand Prize!}

216 Comments

  1. I struggle to exercise this time of year because it’s so cold. However, I do extra baking, so standing a little more than usual counts, right? LOL!

  2. I do find it hard to fit in, but that is an all year thing. I would like to be more consistent. I think one song I can think of that would be fun to work out to is Rockin around the Christmas Tree. :)

  3. I’ve found that the best time of day for me to get to the gym is first thing in the morning, before work. With it being cold and dark, it’s easy to just snuggle down under the covers instead of hopping right up! However, If I focus on how much better my day will be if I just get some exercise in first, I’m more likely to get to the gym. Some days, it’s only for a 20 minute walk on the treadmill, but even that helps!

  4. It’s hard to fit it in. But I’m not getting any younger so I just have to schedule it like anything else that’s important.

  5. I kind of struggle with exercising over the holidays but I sure do cover a lot of territory walking in stores and malls and that is my best kind of exercise for now. I could do better, though. Thanks for this giveaway!!

  6. I have been running 5ks. I did one on Thanksgiving and last weekend. We plan to do one on New Year’s so that means no slacking on the running program.

  7. I struggle at all to fit exercise in my daily life but especially during the Holiday Seasons. I do try to walk places when I can and that has helped me stay at least a little active.

  8. Struggle doesnt seem like a strong enough word when it comes to me and exercise-know i’m not getting any younger sitting here!

  9. I struggle to stay active all year, but one thing I do is to always take the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

  10. Thank you, thank you! I love this quick workout! On October 14 I committed to following weight watchers for one year. I have managed to lose a pound a week, even with a special travel weekend with hub and thanksgiving! Adding this booster will help get me through christmas. My realistic goal is not to lose weight overall in December, but not to have a net gain.

  11. If I can’t fit in a trip to the YMCA, I do stretching at home. Every little bit helps during this busy season

  12. If I can’t fit in a trip to the Y, I do some stretching at home. Even a little bit helps during the holidays

  13. I’m having the hardest time finding moments for exercise. I desperately need it. After having my daughter, the weight is just not coming off like I’d like it to. Having a major sweet tooth is not helping anything.

  14. Exercise – hard to get into the habit. I have been keeping up with how many steps I take each day for over a year now, and just this week have lost my fitbit tracker. Hopefully, I will continue to try to get at least 7000 steps in a day.

  15. Fitting in exercise of any kind is always a struggle for me too. Whether it’s walking (don’t want to leave the kids alone in the house (though to run errands I have no problem lol) even just to walk up and down my street a few times (think flylady 15) is something I can’t motivate to do. Have a yoga dvd for morning routine, but that doesn’t often happen. or at least every day.
    Christmas tunes to exercise to: oh Sidewalk prophets, Mannheim/TSO (rockier/peppier songs), (i tend to prefer the mellower, less fluffy Christmas music so finding those tunes to exercise with would be tricky for me. I will use others recommendations. And use this playlist. :-)

  16. Looking forward to trying this — rocking around the christmas tree is a fun one to dance to Do it with my gkids.

  17. We’ve had a warm front (of sorts) the past week, but the pattern looks like it’s going to turn chilly. I’ve been walking down a side road for my exercise, but once it gets below 40 during the day, I will definitely turn my attention to this routine. Thanks!

  18. It was a struggle for me to wake up early to have my quiet time with the Lord, exercise then prepare breakfast for the family. Now, I thank the Lord that I’m able to do these things when I started to sleep earlier at night so that I could also wake up earlier the next day. During the holidays, aside from doing 40 min. cardio in my health rider, I also do 50-60 jumping jacks 2-3 times a day. This helps me not retain the calorie intake especially during holiday parties. :-) I love listening to all the fast beat Christmas carols/hymns.

  19. Exercising in the winter has always been a little more challenging for me, and adding all the busyness of Christmas makes it even more so. Those faraway parking spots count for extra walking time, right? ;) I just fell in love with the Sidewalk Prophets song, ” O what a glorious night” and it gets me moving a little every time I hear it. Working out to Christmas music might be a fun way to get both my mind and body a uplifting!

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