12 Days of Christmas Workout (No Equipment)
From Thanksgiving dinner to Christmas dinner, the end of the year is simply the best time to relax, chill out, and enjoy yummy holiday dishes and all the treats that come with the season.
Even though the season requires us to relax, one has to be careful not to go overboard with the festive fun.
During this time of the year, it is common to overindulge in food and neglect your workout routine.
And, of course, loosening up during the holiday season is fine as long as we are disciplined enough and know when to step back.
After working hard on your fitness goals for 11 months, it is only fair that you take a few days or two weeks off to relax.
It is such a struggle for some people to exercise self-control over healthy eating and fitness when everyone around them is having a merry time.
So what is the solution? What actions can you take to choose healthier foods and avoid neglecting exercise?
A low-impact and no equipment 12 days of Christmas workout is essential to helping you keep it together during the holidays and avoid winter weight gain.
Tips for healthy eating during the holidays
Regardless of how busy or lazy you want to get during the holiday season, you should have a game plan for how you are going to get it.
Plan your meals
Planning well ahead makes it easier to make healthy food choices and keep tabs on your meals. If you keep a food diary such as MyFitnessPal, log your meals in advance.
For example, if you have a family Christmas lunch and know you will stuff your face with all the yummy foods, you could cleverly eat way fewer calories a day or two before the big lunch.
On the other hand, you could just relax, eat that big meal, and enjoy the day without worrying about calories.
One thing about indulging yourself is that you shouldn’t let a day or two of overeating turn into a week of feasting, or however long, because that will all add up and show up on the scale.
If you have been following this blog, you probably know that I am against food shaming because that leads to unhealthy eating habits.
Related: How to deal with emotional eating
Exercise before or after your treat meal (if you really have to)
For decades, the fitness industry has had several discussions about whether you should exercise before or after a cheat (treat) meal.
Fitness professionals and nutritionists have shared different opinions on this topic. The views that support exercising before the treat meal have often won this debate.
My advice is that you should exercise as you normally would.
One cheat meal will not make you fat, just as one excellent workout will not make you super fit or skinny. What counts at the end of the day is what you do over a long period.
Whatever you decide, make sure you do not carry extra pounds into the New Year.
Remember, people who achieve results do something specifically and consistently to achieve those results!
Plan your workouts in advance
If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. If you have been working with an exercise plan during the year, you should maintain some routine during the holidays.
This will help you bounce back into exercise after the holidays.
Plan your workouts around whatever you are doing for the day. It is hard to skip a workout woven into your activities for the day.
A fun and quick holiday workout challenge will help you stay motivated enough not to miss your workout.
Keep your holiday workout plan as simple as possible so that it is easier to stick to.
If you are traveling away from home without access to gym equipment, have fun with easy but effective exercises that require no equipment.
You can also consider traveling with light exercise equipment like resistance bands, ankle weights, or a skipping rope.
Essential reading:
12 Days of Christmas Workout
Day 1
- 12 single leg hops
- 12 squat reach
- 12 side leg raises
- 12 single leg hops
- 12 good mornings
- 12 donkey kicks
- 12 single leg hops
- 12 plie squats
- 12 lunge kickbacks
- 12 butt kicks
Day 2
- 12 lateral skater jumps
- 12 mountain climbers
- 12 lateral skater jumps
- 12 standing knee to elbow crunches
- 12 lateral skater jumps
- 12 plank shoulder taps
- 12 standing oblique twists
Day 3
- 12 jab cross punches
- 12 arm circles
- 12 jab cross punches
- 12 wide push ups
- 12 jab cross punches
- 12 supermans
- 12 jab cross punches
- 12 tricep dips
- 12 jab cross punches
Day 4
- Rest and recovery
Day 5
- 15 single leg hops
- 15 squat reach
- 15 side leg raises
- 15 single leg hops
- 15 good mornings
- 15 donkey kicks
- 15 single leg hops
- 15 plie squats
- 15 lunge kickbacks
- 15 single leg hops
Day 6
- Rest and recovery
Day 7
- 15 lateral skater jumps
- 15 mountain climbers
- 15 lateral skater jumps
- 15 standing knee to elbow crunches
- 15 lateral skater jumps
- 15 plank shoulder taps
- 15 standing oblique twists
Day 8
- 15 jab cross punches
- 15 arm circles
- 15 jab cross punches
- 15 wide push ups
- 15 jab cross punches
- 15 supermans
- 15 jab cross punches
- 15 triceps dips
- 15 jab cross punches
Day 9
Rest and recovery
Day 10
- 15 lateral skater jumps
- 15 body jumping lunges
- 15 pushups
- 15 standing oblique twists
- 15 jab cross punches
- 15 good mornings
- 1 triceps dips
- 15 plank shoulder taps
- 15 jump squats
- 15 jab cross punches
- 15 plank walks
- 15 glute bridges
Day 11
Rest and recovery
Day 12
- 12 lateral skater jumps
- 12 body jumping lunges
- 12 plie squats
- 12 pushups
- 12 triceps dips
- 12 standing oblique twists
- 12 plank shoulder taps
- 12 good mornings
- 12 donkey kicks
- 12 jab cross punches
- 12 glute bridges
- 12 jump squats
New Year New Me
By the way, if you have resolved to get fit and lose weight in the New Year by joining a gym, be sure to check out this guide on gym tips for beginners.
Susan Chanda is a professional content writer/journalist with over 20 years’ experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from University of South Africa and a diploma in Journalism and Public relations.
Susan has been writing evidence based fitness and health articles since 2016 for Fitness Chat, and is a certified fitness trainer, and diet and nutrition coach.
Fitness Chat is one of the several other websites that Susan owns, or co-owns with her children.
You can read more about Susan here.