Staying active through the hectic holiday season can help you better mange your stress.
Image Credit: Getty Images/LIVESTRONG.com Creative Healthy habits are built one day at a time. Our monthly fitness challenges can help you stay on track all year long. In This Article
Challenge Basics
Challenge Calendar
How to Join
Warm Up
Workout Videos
Rest Day Ideas
December can be overwhelming, and when things get hectic, exercise is often the first thing many of us let slide. But sticking to your regular exercise routine has benefits even when you feel like you don't have the time: It can help relieve stress and promote better sleep.
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That's why we put together this simple, month-long challenge specifically with the month of December in mind. This program takes the guesswork out of planning your workouts: Each day you'll follow along with one video. The videos are all between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning even when you're short on time, you can still squeeze them in.
Video of the Day
How the Workout Video Challenge Works
Starting Thursday, December 1, most days of the week, you’ll do a workout video (keep scrolling for the full list below), with each week generally scheduled the same way:
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Thursday: core workout Friday: full-body workout Saturday: rest or active recovery Sunday: rest or active recovery Monday: lower-body workout Tuesday: upper-body workout Wednesday: yoga, stretching or mobility
Each video is between 10 and 15 minutes, which is plenty of time to fit in an effective workout. But if you have some extra time and want more of a challenge, you can always run through the videos a second (or third!) time, or do them in addition to your existing workout routine.
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The Challenge Calendar
Visit Page
https://storage.leafmedia.io Image Credit:
LIVESTRONG.com Creative
Get a printer-friendly version of the challenge calendar here.
How to Join the Workout Video Challenge
Print and/or Save Your Challenge Calendar Keep your calendar somewhere you can see it, so you never forget what day you’re on. Cross off the days as you complete the workouts, so you always know which video you have coming up the next day.
Advertisement 2. Join Our Challenge Facebook Group Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative Our community of more than 56,000 members is here to support and motivate you through this challenge. Share your progress by posting sweaty selfies post-workout or pics of your calendar with the days crossed off or simply tell the group how the day’s video went.
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Advertisement Tip Even if you aren’t following along with the challenge, you can still share with our Facebook group. It’s a huge, supportive community of people ready to cheer you on to meet your fitness goals!
Warm Up Before each workout, make sure you warm up so you reduce your chances of getting hurt and maximize your results. If you don’t already have a warm-up routine or you want to try a new one, try one of these warm-ups:
The Only Dynamic Warm-Up You Need for Any Workout by Bojana Galic The Perfect 6-Minute Warm-Up for Outdoor Winter Workouts by Bojana Galic The 7 Best Dynamic Arm Stretches to Improve Your Mobility and Warm Up for Exercise by Matthew Schirm The Only 4 Warm-Up Exercises You Need for Leg Day by Rachel Grice 4. Do Your Daily Workout Video
Each day of the challenge you’ll do the workout video listed below. Some use equipment, like dumbbells or resistance bands, but you can also do the exercises with just your body weight or alternatives for weights you may have around the house.
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Week 1 (Days 1 to 7)
Day 1: Full-Body Pilates Workout With Amy Jordan x WundaBar Pilates Day 2: Low-Impact Cardio Workout With Keoni Hudoba Day 3: Rest/Active Recovery (keep scrolling for ideas!) Day 4: Rest/Active Recovery Day 5: Pilates Glutes Workout With Amy Jordan x WundaBar Pilates Day 6: Upper-Body HIIT Circuit With Luke Milton Day 7: 13-Minute Yoga for Beginners With Hailey Lott
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Week 2 (Days 8 to 14)
Day 8: 10-Minute Pilates Core Workout With Amy Jordan x WundaBar Pilates Day 9: Low-Impact Strength-Training Workout With Keoni Hudoba Day 10: Rest/Active Recovery Day 11: Rest/Active Recovery Day 12: 10-Minute At-Home Lower-Body Workout With Ingrid Clay Day 13: 10-Minute Upper-Body Pilates Workout With Amy Jordan x WundaBar Pilates Day 14: 10-Minute Balance and Mobility Workout With Ingrid Clay
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Week 3 (Days 15 to 21)
Day 15: 10-Minute Core Workout With Ingrid Clay Day 16: 10-Minute Full-Body HIIT Workout With Keoni Hudoba Day 17: Rest/Active Recovery Day 18: Rest/Active Recovery Day 19: At-Home Lower-Body HIIT Circuit With Luke Milton Day 20: 10-Minute At-Home Upper-Body Workout Day 21: 10-Minute Deep Stretch Yoga With Hailey Lott
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Week 4 (Days 22 to 31)
Day 22: Luke Milton’s 10-Minute At-Home Core Workout Day 23: 15-Minute Cardio Kickboxing Workout With Justin Blackwell Day 24: Rest/Active Recovery Day 25: Rest/Active Recovery Day 26: HIIT Lower Body + Core Workout With Keoni Hudoba Day 27: 15-Minute Shadowboxing Workout for Beginners With Justin Blackwell Day 28: 15-Minute Yoga for Flexibility With Hailey Lott Day 29: 12-Minute Full-Body HIIT Workout With Luke Milton Day 30: 15-Minute Cardio Endurance Workout Day 31: Rest/Active Recovery — and celebrate your hard work!
Don’t Skip Rest or Active Recovery Days Your body does a lot for you. Give it a little something back by taking advantage of the days off. Aim to do something active but low-intensity like swimming, tai chi or walking, or take some time to stretch and foam roll, making sure you focus on both your lower and upper body. And if you’re really not feeling up for it, it’s OK to take the entire day off, too. Check out these other ideas for how to spend your active recovery days:
5 Full-Body Stretches You Can Do Every Day by Aubrey Bailey The Perfect 15-Minute Foam Rolling Routine to Ease Sore Muscles and Improve Mobility by Madeleine H. Burry This 20-Minute Morning Walking Workout Helps Fire Up Your Metabolism by Jaime Osnato Passive vs. Active Recovery: Which Type Is Best for You? by Isadora Baum 7 Signs You Need a Rest Day by Jaime Osnato The Perfect 15-Minute Mobility Routine for Rest Days by Jaime Osnato 6. Celebrate Your Success
You made it to the end of the challenge! Take some time to appreciate that accomplishment — and let us know how it went in our Challenge Facebook Group. If you want to keep When you’re ready, keep your momentum going by joining our January challenge, the 31-day ‘New Year, Do You’ body-weight workout challenge, or try one of our other challenges:
This 30-Day Dumbbell Challenge Works Every Muscle in Your Body
by
Rachel Grice
Build Full-Body Strength in 4 Weeks With This Resistance Band Challenge
by
Rachel Grice
The 4-Week Mobility Challenge Eases Joint Pain From Neck to Ankles
by
Rachel Grice
You can do any of our challenges on your own whenever you want, or you can visit our Challenges page to see what we have planned for the full year.
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Staying active through the hectic holiday season can help you better mange your stress.
Image Credit: Getty Images/LIVESTRONG.com Creative
Healthy habits are built one day at a time. Our monthly fitness challenges can help you stay on track all year long.
Image Credit: Getty Images/LIVESTRONG.com Creative
Healthy habits are built one day at a time. Our monthly fitness challenges can help you stay on track all year long.
- Challenge Basics
- Challenge Calendar
- How to Join
- Warm Up
- Workout Videos
- Rest Day Ideas
Visit Page
https://storage.leafmedia.io
Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative
Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative
Get a printer-friendly version of the challenge calendar here.
Even if you aren’t following along with the challenge, you can still share with our Facebook group. It’s a huge, supportive community of people ready to cheer you on to meet your fitness goals!
The Only Dynamic Warm-Up You Need for Any Workout
by
Bojana Galic
The Perfect 6-Minute Warm-Up for Outdoor Winter Workouts
by
Bojana Galic
The 7 Best Dynamic Arm Stretches to Improve Your Mobility and Warm Up for Exercise
by
Matthew Schirm
The Only 4 Warm-Up Exercises You Need for Leg Day
by
Rachel Grice
5 Full-Body Stretches You Can Do Every Day
by
Aubrey Bailey
The Perfect 15-Minute Foam Rolling Routine to Ease Sore Muscles and Improve Mobility
by
Madeleine H. Burry
This 20-Minute Morning Walking Workout Helps Fire Up Your Metabolism
by
Jaime Osnato
Passive vs. Active Recovery: Which Type Is Best for You?
by
Isadora Baum
7 Signs You Need a Rest Day
by
Jaime Osnato
The Perfect 15-Minute Mobility Routine for Rest Days
by
Jaime Osnato
This 30-Day Dumbbell Challenge Works Every Muscle in Your Body
by
Rachel Grice
Build Full-Body Strength in 4 Weeks With This Resistance Band Challenge
by
Rachel Grice
The 4-Week Mobility Challenge Eases Joint Pain From Neck to Ankles
by
Rachel Grice
You can do any of our challenges on your own whenever you want, or you can visit our Challenges page to see what we have planned for the full year.
