5 Easy At-Home Exercises
Do you feel like you can’t fit in exercise during the busy holiday season? Have you decided to wait until the New Year to hit the gym? If so, think again. Exercise is an important component of the South Beach Diet, and it’s a great way to help you maintain your weight during the holiday season (and also helps to off-set the occasional indulgence). To help you squeeze in a workout, we came up with some simple exercises you can do at home. Remember, every little bit of activity can boost your health and help burn calories!
Interval walking. Bundle up and take a brisk 20-minute walk around your neighborhood (alternating periods of fast walking with slow) to take in the festive lights and decorations. Or if you’re hitting the mall for last minute gifts, take a fast stroll around the perimeter before you leave.
Stair climbing. If you live in a multilevel house, stairs are the most readily accessible exercise tool. Make it a point to climb up and down them an extra five times each day. You can also climb the stairs at the office during your lunch hour: Finish eating ten minutes earlier and sneak in this quick mini-workout.
Yoga. If you don't know any yoga exercises off the top of your head, pick up a video at your local rental store. Yoga not only calms you during these stressful times, it also improves strength, flexibility, and balance.
Weight lifting. If you own a set of hand weights, you can easily do two to three sets of each of your favorite arm exercises. If you don't have hand weights at your disposal, cans of pumpkin, cranberry sauce, or chicken broth make great stand-ins.
Off-the-couch crunches. Keep your abs in shape with this simple technique: Lie on the floor with your butt against the couch and your legs at a ninety-degree angle on the cushions. Put your hands behind your head and crunch up toward the couch. Perform two to three sets of 15.
Do you feel like you can’t fit in exercise during the busy holiday season? Have you decided to wait until the New Year to hit the gym? If so, think again. Exercise is an important component of the South Beach Diet, and it’s a great way to help you maintain your weight during the holiday season (and also helps to off-set the occasional indulgence). To help you squeeze in a workout, we came up with some simple exercises you can do at home. Remember, every little bit of activity can boost your health and help burn calories!
Interval walking. Bundle up and take a brisk 20-minute walk around your neighborhood (alternating periods of fast walking with slow) to take in the festive lights and decorations. Or if you’re hitting the mall for last minute gifts, take a fast stroll around the perimeter before you leave.
Stair climbing. If you live in a multilevel house, stairs are the most readily accessible exercise tool. Make it a point to climb up and down them an extra five times each day. You can also climb the stairs at the office during your lunch hour: Finish eating ten minutes earlier and sneak in this quick mini-workout.
Yoga. If you don't know any yoga exercises off the top of your head, pick up a video at your local rental store. Yoga not only calms you during these stressful times, it also improves strength, flexibility, and balance.
Weight lifting. If you own a set of hand weights, you can easily do two to three sets of each of your favorite arm exercises. If you don't have hand weights at your disposal, cans of pumpkin, cranberry sauce, or chicken broth make great stand-ins.
Off-the-couch crunches. Keep your abs in shape with this simple technique: Lie on the floor with your butt against the couch and your legs at a ninety-degree angle on the cushions. Put your hands behind your head and crunch up toward the couch. Perform two to three sets of 15.
