With Halloween behind us and the winter holidays quickly approaching, those jeans might be getting a little snug. Suddenly it feels like all those fun-sized treats are adding up, and, well, it’s not that fun. But just because the weather is cooling down doesn’t mean you have to put your fitness regimen on the backburner. These five workouts that are perfect for maintaining your health even if you eat those five pounds of Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham.
The Turkey Trot
An all-time favorite holiday activity is the Turkey Trot, a race that takes place every year early Thanksgiving morning. Talk about starting the day off right before the big feast later that night! It’s an easy way to do something good for your body, and most anyone can do this over break since there are tons locations across the country.
Trotters bundle up and head out to run or walk this race that typically ranges between a five and 10K distance. Local race details can be found online, and many cities offer online registration up until race day. The cost depends on where you’re racing, but averages around $30. The fee includes a T-shirt and donation to the local food bank. Participants are also encouraged to bring canned goods to donate.
Post-race festivities include breakfast, giveaways and more. The looming date of the race is also an incentive to hit the treadmill and work toward your personal best time at this fun event!
Sophomore Kelsey McCole says, “I did the Turkey Trot in my hometown because it’s a big thing in Green Bay. A lot of people do it there because they close down the Packers stadium, and part of the course is running through it, which is a really cool experience. It is also a motivator to keep in shape. Sometimes running is a pain because you don’t want to do it, but the Trot is actually exciting. You can run with whomever you want and go at whatever pace you’d like, so it makes it a fun activity rather than a boring workout.”
TV/Online Workouts
Don’t feel like walking through the cold to get to the Rec? Couldn’t muster up the moolah to join a gym over break? This might be one of the easiest and most fun workouts you can do. Most people might not know, but the On Demand feature on major cable networks has more than just Pay-Per-View. It has an extensive selection of free workouts as well.
If you have this feature on your digital cable service, all you need to do is lace up your gym shoes and head into the living room. With the click of a button, you have your own personal trainer! Some favorites are Kim Kardashian’s “Fit In Your Jeans By Friday” workouts. They range from sculpting a famous Kim K. booty to toning your abs. At 20 minutes each, you can squeeze in a few to target different muscle groups.
Scrolling through the menu provides endless choices to work any area of the body, and workouts last from five minutes to an hour. Time is no longer an excuse to skip the gym, and these accessible workouts will force you to do those last five squats that you would have given up on by yourself.
Freshman Kara Perconti says, “I usually do the yoga ones because I have a yoga mat, or I do the cardio ones where you use the exercise ball. I like them because I can do them from the comfort of my home, and it’s inexpensive because a lot of them don’t require any extra equipment. During the summer I did it like two or three times a week. I feel like it’s a good substitute if you don’t have enough time for a full body workout, and it is something you are able to do at nighttime or in the morning before you start your day.”
TigerX Classes/Boot Camps at the Rec
Before heading home for break, many Mizzou ladies are already prepping themselves for the holidays with special six-week boot camps and TigerX classes at the Rec. The boot camps began October 25 and last until finals week for either two or three days a week. If you missed out on that session, there will be new ones at the start of the semester. Some are in the early morning when you’re still feeling groggy, but once you get going, you’ll be pushing yourself to your limits before your 8 a.m.
If a boot camp just won’t fit into your schedule, the Rec offers tons of awesome TigerX group fitness classes. Complete schedules can be picked up at the main desk, and memberships are only $49 for the semester. The schedule still accommodates the early bird with classes such as sunrise yoga and cycling, but classes also run all day and into the night.
There are classes that match all interest areas, so mark down the ones you want to regularly attend, and get yourself going! The group setting is motivating and challenging, and with consistent attendance, you’ll be ready for bikini season every season.
“I like the atmosphere and the people who are there,” says freshman Kirsten Moen. “It’s not intimidating to go there at all. The instructors are encouraging and they format workouts to make sure you get a great workout. Every time I go I have a positive experience.”
Indoor swimming
This total body workout has been a recent trend in the fitness world, and its popularity is on the rise. It’s one of the best things you can do for your body with hardly any wear and tear on your joints. This workout is great during cold weather around the holiday season because it can be done indoors at the Rec or at a local fitness center over break. Killer cardio combined with the resistance of water with each stroke – what more could you want?
This is one of the easiest workouts to motivate yourself to do because it can alleviate stress, and when starting this workout routine, even a 30-minute swim will leave you aching the next day. You’ll wake up feeling muscles you didn’t even know you had, but it particularly targets the core, hamstrings, quadriceps, biceps and triceps.
Register for a sprint triathlon for a fun challenge that will give you a goal to work toward. All you need is a pair of goggles and optional swim cap, and you’re ready to hit the water. Try this sample workout to get started.
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Warm-up: 100m freestyle, light
- Workout: 50m backstroke, moderate
- 100m freestyle, vigorous
- 50m breaststroke, moderate
- 100m freestyle, vigorous
- 50m backstroke, moderate
- Cool down: 100m breaststroke, light
Junior Nicolette Melvin says, “The entire process of swimming uses every muscle, and you get that toned look without having to work on a certain area. It’s very challenging because you have to coordinate your breathing the right way, so it’s really just something to work at. It’s convenient if you want a quick workout. If you do a half hour of swimming, it burns more calories than running and lifting weights.”
P90X/Insanity Programs
These are similar to the On Demand workouts, because you can conveniently do them without even leaving your living room. Fitness programs such as these are more long-term and can be done throughout the winter season to achieve long-lasting results. P90X is a 90-day program, but if you’re looking for less of a time commitment, Insanity lasts 60 days.
Both programs provide customized workouts and calendars to ensure that sessions are varied and help yield the ultimate results. These programs are planned out day by day, so all you need to do is pop the DVD into the player and start sweating! Because it’s more of a process, a personal sense of accomplishment truly develops over the course of the sessions, and you can physically see the results of your hard work.
Another reason these programs have become so popular is they can easily be turned into group activities. Grab a few girlfriends, and commit to finishing this workout regimen. Not only will your friends keep you motivated on those lazy days, but the program can also be a great way to spend time together!
“I started Insanity after some friends recommended it to me,” sophomore Sarah Nadler says. “I saw the results that they were enjoying after just a few weeks and had to try it. I like Insanity because you can do the workouts whenever, wherever. A group of friends and I started doing it in our basement and had a lot of fun with it. Also, the workouts were designed by people who really know what they’re doing, so I don’t have to go to the gym and rely on my own expertise. I know after a workout that all parts of my body have been targeted.”