Get Out Here and Sweat with this Bodyweight Workout
There’s a Fast Company article being passed around that claims to have found the secret to having a better winter.
After a study during the country’s short, chilly days, Kari Leibowitz, a PhD student at Stanford University studied the residents who had surprisingly low rates of seasonal depression. She found that in Norway “people view winter as something to be enjoyed, not something to be endured.”
Let’s change the way we think about the winter this year and adopt the Norwegian tendency to celebrate the colder months. Think back on when you were young and the dawn of winter signaled everything you loved (except for wearing shorts, sorry).
We’re challenging you to get up each day and find something to be grateful about each winter day. Write it down – even if it’s just in your phone’s notes – and spend the day really embracing it. Is it that you can get away with snuggling under a blanket at your desk and no one thinks twice about it? Is it your favorite sweater or scarf making your winter great? Is it that you can speed-walk from the train to your office without arriving sweaty?
Or is it that you can get in a killer workout outside? Colder weather means smaller crowds on your favorite running paths and that satisfying instant-sweat when you walk inside from an outdoor workout.
Grab a buddy, bundle up in your favorite cold-weather gear and get out here for a bodyweight workout! Do each exercise for a minute then move onto the next. Repeat the entire series three times.
Lunge jumps: Start in a lunge position, jump and switch the position of your legs while you’re mid-air and land with the opposite leg forward. Be sure to keep weight in your front heel and that your front knee stays behind your front toe.
(all photos in this post are by Christiana Basso)
Straight-legged crunches: Start laying on your back with your legs straight above your hips and your hands behind your head. Crunch straight up, lifting your shoulders off the ground.
Narrow push-ups: Starting in a plank position, lower down, bringing your elbows back and straighten your arms to raise back up.
Standing abs: In a low plie position, put your hands behind your head and bend to the side, going from right to left.
(Disclaimer: This workout is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor is it a replacement for seeking medical treatment or professional nutrition advice. Do not start any nutrition or physical activity program without first consulting your physician.)