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Merry & Happy Everything to All!
It seems only fitting to use this Throwback Thursday to share what’s become my annual holiday gift to my wonderful LauraLovesFitness followers. Like many of you, I find myself a bit overwhelmed this season thanks to Thanksgiving being as late as it could be, cutting back on the prep time for Christmas and Hanukkah.
Between the holiday hustle and bustle and my continued efforts at physical therapy to fix the damage I did to my arm during my bikini competition prep, I’ve decided to make this my last post of 2019. Since the hardest part of my recovery is a six-week hiatus from my favorite workout, I thought I’d offer a kickboxing addict’s version of…
The 12 Days of Fitness
On the first day of fitness, my workout gave to me…my favorite kind of therapy.
On the second day of fitness, my workout gave to me…two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the third day of fitness, my workout gave to me…three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the fourth day of fitness, my workout gave to me…four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the fifth day of fitness, my workout gave to me…five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the sixth day of fitness, my workout gave to me…six speed bag intervals, five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the seventh day of fitness, my workout gave to me…seven side kicks, six speed bag intervals, five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the eighth day of fitness, my workout gave to me….eight back-fist punches, seven side kicks, six speed bag intervals, five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the ninth day of fitness, my workout gave to me…nine jab-cross combinations, eight back-fist punches, seven side kicks, six speed bag intervals, five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the tenth day of fitness, my workout gave to me….ten burpee push-ups, nine jab-cross combinations, eight back-fist punches, seven side kicks, six speed bag intervals, five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the eleventh day of fitness, my workout gave to me…eleven side planks, ten burpee push-ups, nine jab-cross combinations, eight back-fist punches, seven side kicks, six speed bag intervals, five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
On the twelfth day of fitness, my workout gave to me…twelve reps of lunges, eleven side planks, ten burpee push-ups, nine jab-cross combinations, eight back-fist punches, seven side kicks, six speed bag intervals, five roundhouse kicks! Four minutes of tabatas, three sets of squats, two boxing gloves and my favorite kind of therapy.
Whatever you and your family are celebrating as another year winds down, I wish you a very happy and healthy season ahead. I close with a huge thank you for all the support throughout a big year filled with unprecedented events amidst the usual highs and lows. Here’s to ringing in 2020 with a bang (and a punch!) and welcoming all the new chances to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
Holiday Survival Tips for the Mind & Spirit
It’s hard to believe this Motivation Monday brings us to T minus 29 days until Christmas and less than one week away from the beginning of Hanukkah. As crunch time commences, the growing number of items on our to-do lists can get a bit overwhelming. In addition to the daily work grind and family responsibilities, many of us wish there was even just one more hour in the day to get all the holiday “stuff” done including decking the halls; cooking and writing cards. Add online shopping and searching for recipes to the daily frenetic stimuli of emails, texts, and status updates…and it’s no wonder our hustled-and-bustled minds are in overdrive.
While I implore you to fit that quick-hit workout into your daily routine, I also remind everyone to remember it’s equally important to steal another few precious moments to re-boot. Here a few tips to make it happen:
- Focus on one thing at a time: If you set aside one hour to write holiday cards or wrap gifts, make sure that’s all you do during those 60 minutes. No texts. No emails. No multiple posts on Instagram. Worried about withdrawal? Use social media to alert your network you’ll be offline and in elf mode for a bit.
- Step away from the computer: I understand the need to check email once before bedtime to make sure you didn’t miss any late-day developments on the work front. However, try to shut down at least 30 minutes before bedtime to get your brain in mellow mode. The same goes for social media. The Facebook world will continue to spin if you don’t wish it good night.
- Turn off the TV: Try to establish one night where you set the DVR and turn a show’s normal viewing time into down time with family or friends. Play cards or a board game and forget about the holiday craziness for awhile. It may turn into a night of getting the Christmas chaos under control, but it’ll be time to tackle the holiday to-do list with fewer distractions.
- Make Me-Time a Must: If you’ve committed to finding 10 minutes (or more) in your schedule to exercise, add just five minutes more minutes to stretch. Then go ahead and add another five minutes to your post-workout shower. At this time of year, I keep lavender-scented body wash or moisturizer in my arsenal to help me decompress. (I’m a big fan of Aveeno.) Also, don’t underestimate the soothing power of caffeine-free, herbal teas. My two favorites are Yogi Kava Stress Relief® Tea and Twinings Nightly Calm® tea.
It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. However, if you find yourself wanting to throw your hands up and scream “Bah Humbug,” rest assured you’re not alone. While I applaud any effort to make time to exercise even when you’re jingling all the way, I also want to stress the importance of standing still for a few moments when you can. Never underestimate the power of your mind on the journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!
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