1st Workout Advent : CBDB’s Weekly Countdown to Xmas

[CBDB]

As last year, I thought I’d post a fun kind of Advent Workout Plan and see if anyone on the Strengths and Flexibility Forum would like to join me.

I’ve recently had to readjust my running plan due to foot niggles, and looking at last year’s posts, I was then attending to some knee niggles. Well knees are strong now, but my right foot needs some workout love! So foot-targeted workouts might just make an appearance.

So c’mon, feel invited to join in on the fun and post how you are doing by reply.

Each Sat/Sun until Christmas I will post a weekly list of workouts, and the idea is to choose two of these, try them out and report back. And if you have any recommendations of your own to share, add them to the mix by reply.

My own select list will include gentle workouts to slightly more energetic ones, and including those focussing on feet . There might be a slight bias to those which are doable for individuals new to Strength and Flex, and which are gentle on the oldies of us. And of course the classic that gave this forum it’s name, NHS Strength and Flex with Laura, features every week. Also, spot the elf, as each week will have at least one video workout with a Christmas theme!

To recap: choose (at least) two of the below. Build them in between your running days or any other sport you do regularly, and some of these are possible to do outside. And please add your own as well!

4 Sundays to go to XMas

(choose 2 this week or post your own)

=🕯= 🕯=🕯=🕯=🕯=🕯=

💪🎄 REFITREV (𝟸̶𝟶̶ ̶𝚖̶𝚒̶𝚗̶ 4 min) "Like It's Christmas" || Dance Fitness Choreography tinyurl.com/2p9e93e3

A little ditty with a dance routine . This never goes wrong, right? 😉

—————————

🛌 Meghan Livingstone (5 min) 5 Morning Stretches in Bed tinyurl.com/ctwmpwfn

We featured this one in a whole feature about different morning stretches, and I like it as it is done in bed ! (C'mon, YWA, show us your morning stretches done in bed, I am sure they exist 😉)

—————————

💪 Yoga with Adriene (30 min) Yoga For The Feet | 30 Minute Practice | Yoga With Adriene tinyurl.com/yckskawv

Adriene might not have those in-bed morning stretch workouts, but she does have Yoga for feet, and I love these, particular now when I am navigating some metatarsal challenges. 👣

—————————

💪 Yoga with Adriene (5 min) Take 5 Yoga Break! | Yoga Quickies | Yoga With Adriene tinyurl.com/y3nrr8td

A real quickie that is pinned to my working desk browser, for that quick 5 min stretch at your desk.

—————————

💪NHS Week 5 Strength & Flex with Laura - Podcast (43 min) - WWW nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/s... or Download podcasts from iTunes

(This workout can be done outside in a park or garden, no mat required)

A classic, which just needs to be featured repeatedly. This was my introduction to S&F! Yey!

The NHS podcasts have in recent times stopped working properly , so here they are able to be downloaded healthunlocked.com/couchto5......

—————————

Have a very happy First Advent and a fabulous, workout-rich week!

=======

Further suggestions from the community:

💪🧘 From @DylanTheRabbit: Unwind Pilates Class (15 min) pilateslive.co.uk/pilates-c...

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Count me in. please and chase me up if I do not post what I am doing here! I am so out of the habit of so many things because of a few issues over the last month or so!

I need to become accountable and to get back on track ...

This just came at the right time! Thanks youx

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Oldfloss]

Nice! Will do! And sending you loads of peace and motivating thoughts! 😘👍💪

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to CBDB]

I need those, thank you... I am getting back to ,me, again, but things keep throwing themselves at me..... xxx

[DylanTheRabbit]

Yes! This is what I need right now ❤️

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to DylanTheRabbit]

Yey!!! ❤️‍🩹💪🦶👍🏽

[DylanTheRabbit]

I've dipped into these pilates classes a couple of times. I've picked this for being not too long or hard for starters.

pilateslive.co.uk/pilates-c...

Plus, unwind is where I'm at right now 😁

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to DylanTheRabbit]

Nice. Bookmarked them! Will try as well!

[Hedgehogs123]

Yep, count me in!!😄

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Hedgehogs123]

Yey! 👏👏

[linda9389]

Ahh yes, a christmas prep I can get my head around. Count me in too please 😊

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to linda9389]

Fabulous!! 😃👏🕺

[Neverhare]

I should try this, fallen off the wagon, wheels have come off, not run for 5 weeks, eek

[Neverhare in reply to Neverhare]

Just tried the Xmas dance, great, led me to the Stretchy Pants @Carrie Underwood dance workout 😂

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Neverhare]

Stretchy Pants workout? Huh 🤔, … swishes away to look it up …. 😂💃😂💃🎶

[Hedgehogs123 in reply to Neverhare]

haha, I did the ones that followed but I didnt get the stretchy pants one, feel like Ive missed out now!!!!😂

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Hedgehogs123]

🤣🤣

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Neverhare]

Yeah, I am about to finish my second week on the running IC. It’s a minor thing, so can workout (gently) but cannot run ☹️. So I know how you feel! Eeeekkk! 😱

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold]

🎄🕺💃🎄

Well, yesterday hubby and I did the 4 min retro fit dance routine, which was really good fun. But it always looks sooooo easy when I LOOK at their routine, but then trying to keep up and coordinate legs, feet and arms, it really gives you another level of respect for all dancers! Fun but wooaaahhhhh!!! 🤣🤣🤣

(And my foot survived, just about 🦶😉)

Afterwards, right into a 40min slow, stretchy Yoga practice, and the dance routine was a good warm up for that! 😃🧘‍♀️🧘🏽‍♂️

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to CBDB]

Oh and so sorry for the mistake in the text, where I suggested it was 20 min long 😱. It’s only one song long so around 4 min! 😃👍🏽

[Hedgehogs123 in reply to CBDB]

unless you do it several times Like I did!😂

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Hedgehogs123]

Twice was enough for us to realise that we are far from being talented dancers.😅😅

[Over60sRunner]

I'm definitely up for it! After 5 weeks of doing nothing at all due to injury and illness my mojo is just about starting to rise again. Bring it on and I'll do my best 😁

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Over60sRunner]

👍🏽💪

[Over60sRunner in reply to CBDB]

Decided on S&F week 5 and 5 minute yoga - two ends of the same stick!!!

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Over60sRunner]

Nice! 👏👏👏👏💪👍🏽 (do you do the S&F inside or outside? It snowed here where I am today and it’s white but cold!)

[Over60sRunner in reply to CBDB]

Always inside. I live literally half way up a mountain on the edge of the Brecon Beacons and the nearest park of any description is nearly 6 miles away - as is the gym I run in (too hilly by far for me to run outside, so it's strictly the treadmill for me!) 😮

I have thought about doing the S&F workout after my run, but I'm usually utterly cream crackered by then!

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Over60sRunner]

Well enjoy your runs. I never have run on a treadmill, and I do get jealous at times. See my post about virtual runs at healthunlocked.com/strength...

(There is a whole new additional world of indoor running that I have not been able to explore!)

👍🏽👏🏃‍♀️

[dijep 30D Graduate]

Great work CBDB I really enjoyed your festive workouts least year so I'm looking forward to giving them a try.

I'm particularly loving the idea of yoga in bed 😂🤣😂

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to dijep]

Ohhh yeah, try it and let me know if you like it! 👍🏽💪🧘🏽‍♂️☺️

[dijep 30D Graduate in reply to CBDB]

Well I'm writing this from bed 🛌😴 😂I usually stretch before getting up to mobilize my joints especially shoulder and knees, so I thought I'd give "bed stretches" a go even though it's not December 🎄

They were ok but the pace was completely off she was saying take 5 or 10 breaths in a position but moving straight to the next one, meaning pausing the video each time... rather annoying.

I was also very disappointed that I couldn't do them IN my bed 😂😂

Having said that if you don't stretch before getting up at the moment there are some easy moves to get you started.

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to dijep]

Huh! I need to revisit these! I’m with you, I want a stretch I can do in bed! Will report back when I do them!

[skysue16]

Wonderful, thank you very much!! Really need to get back to doing something (new role at school has meant all exercise has gone out the window 😂). Will really try hard to motivate myself!

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to skysue16]

Yey! 👍🏽👏💪

👩‍🏫📝🏫…🚍…🏡🏋️‍♂️🏃‍♀️💃🤸‍♀️🧘👍🏽

[DylanTheRabbit]

I just tried the bed stretches, nice and quick and simple, so that's an easy win!

There's a couple of them that I sort of naturally do already before I get up, stretching out flat and a side bending stretch, I usually do that sitting on the edge of the bed rather than cross legged. The bit where she says knee to chest stretch, I will be adding in gently circling the knees together and apart to oil the old hips. I don't know if there's a name for that but it's one of the nicest things to do while lying on your back stretching.

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to DylanTheRabbit]

Sounds great! I really need to revisit these!

[DylanTheRabbit]

I just did the unwind pilates class, very soothing with a little bit of breathing meditation at the end. Just what I needed 👍🏼 I need to make a bit more space next time though, it was tricky with the coffee table in the way.

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to DylanTheRabbit]

Sounds great! Did want to get around doing this soon! Sounds great. (I also added it to the body of the text. Thanks! )

[skysue16]

So….had a go at the bed stretches this morning 😊👍 but oh dear I feel stiff and tight muscles 🙁

[Hedgehogs123]

haha I started with the first link, the YouTube clip with the dancing (dancing is my background, I taught for many years) and just continued with the next few clips that came up, great fun!!!🤣

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Hedgehogs123]

Yeah, the three girls have a fabulous charisma.

So you probably were able to keep up with steps. We struggled! 😵‍💫🙃🙂😀

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold]

Just two days to go until the second advent practices drop. So last chance to chose some workouts from the list and tick off that first advent week of workouts! Let me know what went well, what didn’t.

And as a hint of what’s to come in next week’s sessions, get your resistance bands ready, a gym ball if you have it and you might just put some cozy pyjamas aside for that week!

Oldfloss DylanTheRabbit Hedgehogs123 linda9389 Neverhare Over60sRunner dijep skysue16

[DylanTheRabbit in reply to CBDB]

ooh resistance bands!

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to DylanTheRabbit]

😅

[Hedgehogs123 in reply to CBDB]

ooh yes have resistance bands and an exercise ball!!😆

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Hedgehogs123]

👍🏽💪

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Thank you for chasing me!!!

Okay... this week. Maybe not strictly by the book but;

Every morning whilst teeth cleaning, squats and Sumo squats.. at least 50+.

Running up and downstairs...12 stairs,,, at least.. 100 times a day and I take them quickly, ( up anyway).

Five /10 minute, core-strength and arm exercises Bodyfit with Amy; these can be slotted in anywhere anytime , which is why you may find me in the kitchen doing the 5 minute workout, whilst waiting for something to come up to the boil!

Add to that, care day with small runner in training, where I am never still, clearing snow from the drive and patio and I do count this week as a success!

I do need next week to focus on , leg strength and lower back, ( lifting stuff back into my Studio loft and lifting stuff down has taken a slight toll!

youtube.com/watch?v=I9b5YVz...(Not working as expected?)

youtube.com/watch?v=bqcH9h1...(Not working as expected?)

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Oldfloss]

Nice! 50+ squats!!! Awesome!

And I’ve also used Bodyfit w/ Amy. I think I got introduced to her channel by you! So thanks!

Keep on keeping on!

[Hedgehogs123 in reply to Oldfloss]

thanks gonna try these too!😆🏃‍♀️

[Hedgehogs123]

I did the yoga for feet tonight, very different. I'll tell you if my feet ache tomm!!😆🏃‍♀️

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Hedgehogs123]

Yeah, I’ll need to do those again in the next few days! I’m hoping to try out my post-injury-couch feet on a tiny run!

[Hedgehogs123]

I did the Take 5 min yoga break tonight and then I did this one too, brilliant for anyone who spends all day infront of a laptop!

youtu.be/M-8FvC3GD8c(Not working as expected?) - with Adriene

😀

[CBDB Administrator Graduate Gold in reply to Hedgehogs123]

Nice 👌🏼! Yeah, I’ve done that one before as well! I’ve got a couple short ones like these now pinned to my browser on my work laptop, and do them once in a while after longer sessions at the desk. Feels great!