OK, today’s the day we start to bring it all together.
Even if you haven’t been following our recipes, we hope the message is sinking in: you don’t need to ditch all the unhealthy (but enjoyable) food this Christmas, but try and do yourself a favour in between those parties and heavy meals and grab healthy meals and as much exercise as possible, when you can.
Today, we want to combine the three exercise from Days 1, 2 and 3, and add one more in to form a short routine. It’s great for beginners, but once you’re used to holding your posture correctly and can do the beginner reps easily, feel free to increase the number of repetitions and sets.
It’s a short, sharp ad blast – with minimal movement so you won’t end up sweating – but which will definitely make you feel like you’ve worked!
We’ll call this Routine 1. Do each exercise in turn, with a 30 second gap between each one. after all four exercises, take two minutes, then repeat the whole set a further two times – ie perform each exercise three times in total.
Plank
Beginners: 15 seconds
Intermediate: 30 seconds
Advanced: 45 seconds
Pro: 60 seconds
Squats
Beginners: 10 squats
Intermediate: 20
Advanced: 30 (with additional handheld weights if required)
Pro: 30 seconds (with handheld weights if required)
Abdominal hold:
Beginner: hold for 5 seconds
Intermediate: hold for 10 seconds
Advanced: hold for 15 seconds
Pro: Hold for 20 seconds
Opposite Arm and Leg Raise (instructions below):
Beginner: 10 reps
Intermediate: 15 reps
Advanced: 20 reps
Pro: 25 reps
How to do the opposite arm and leg raise:
Begin on all fours, aligning your knees under your hips and your wrists under your shoulders.
Raise your left arm to shoulder height and your left leg to hip height.
Hold for 2 counts, reaching forward with your fingers and back with your heels.
Repeat this exercise on the opposite side.
For a bigger challenge, touch your opposite elbow to your knee as you pull your arm and leg in.
