The holiday season is officially here! To help you get in the spirit, I’ve rounded up my favorite Christmas workout ideas; including a festive Christmas-inspired ab workout routine that is so jolly, even your kids will want to join in on the fun.
Use these ideas to help you stay in shape during this eventful and busy time or invite your family and friends to join. While these workout ideas are plenty fun to do on your own, they’re even more entertaining when done together!
4 Christmas Workout Ideas
1. Holiday-Themed 10 Minute Ab Exercise Routine
Workout Details
Join Santa (alter ego: Sam Candler) for 10-minutes of Christmas-inspired abs. This challenging ab routine requires a towel, and if you’re feeling extra festive some milk and cookies!
In this energizing ab routine, get ready to complete some challenging towel ab exercises and plank variations that will put your core stability and strength to the test. Your abs will probably be shaking during this routine - don’t worry, embrace the challenge!
Finish it all off with a classic cookie dip. What is a cookie dip you ask? Start with a standard sit-up. Easy enough. Take your cookie, and dip it in a glass of milk. Pause at the top to enjoy a bite (of course). Switch hands and repeat.
While this may sound silly, keep in mind every good Santa must train for the biggest day of the year! Santa means business. So, we take our cookie dips very seriously around here.
The cookie used in the making of this video is my very own Healthy Christmas Cookie Recipe; and, may I happily report even Sam referred to them as ‘delightful’. So do yourself a favor and get in the holiday spirit with not just a fantastic ab routine, but a cheerful plate of wholesome cookies as well!
2. Advent Calendar Exercise Plan
Does anyone else feel all the nostalgic vibes when they see those advent calendars with all the little chocolates and candies inside? This advent calendar exercise plan has all the same joy and thrill as your favorite holiday version, but with the sweet surprise of a daily exercise challenge.
Simply complete the exercise challenge listed for each day. This exercise advent calendar is the perfect way to countdown to Christmas with a little extra pinch of spirit!
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 |
| 1 Minute Wall Sit | 2 Mile Walk or Run | 3x 10 reps Squats | 4x 0:30 second Plank Hold | 5 Min Full Body HIIT |
| Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |
| 3x 6 reps Pushups | 3x 7 reps Sit-Ups | 8 Cups Of Water | 9x Burpees | 10 Min Treadmill HIIT |
| Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 |
| 11 Minutes Of Stretching | 12,000 Steps | 2x 13 reps Sumo Squats | 2x 14 reps Russian Twist | 15 Min Upper Body Dumbbell |
| Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 |
| Jumping Jacks | Flights of Stairs | Lunges | 19x Sit-Ups | 20 Min Cardio Aerobic Step |
| Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 |
| 21x Mtn Climbers | 22x Squat Jumps | 23 Minute Walk or Jog | Skater Jumps | 25 Min Core & HIIT Cardio |
3. 12 Days of Christmas Winter Workout Program
The 12 Days of Christmas Winter Workout Program is a great way to stay purposeful in your routine this holiday season while keeping it interesting. In this program, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite calorie-burning workouts that call all be done from the comfort of your home to get you through this holiday season in tip-top shape.
With the busyness of the holiday season in mind, each workout in this program is intentional and efficient, ranging from 10-30 minutes. Make the most of your time spent exercising so you can get on to your to-do list, whether that be shopping for gifts, planning your holiday menu, or simply soaking in some quality and needed R&R.
This program includes bodyweight and dumbbell strength workouts as well as traditional cardio. For the strength workouts, you’ll need a pair of dumbbells or a comparable household item. For cardio, you’re welcome to head outside for a walk or jog, or use your bike, rower, treadmill, elliptical, or stepper to follow along with the plan from the comfort of your home gym!
4. Holiday HIIT Workout
Looking for the perfect Christmas workout? December 25th, 2021, join the Sunny community, and take to your cardio machine to complete this Holiday HIIT session in solidarity! Use the hashtag #HolidayHIIT to share and find others in the community joining in.
Your HIIT session can be completed any time on the day of December 25th. Use any cardio machine to complete your workout. Whether you have a bike, rower, treadmill, elliptical, stepper, or even a Row-N-Ride® - come work out with us! If you don’t have a home gym, join us outside for a run.
I’ve kept this routine simple so it can be completed on any machine, and without too much thinking involved on your part. So, grab your timer, and let’s do this thing!
Holiday HIIT Workout 2021
3:00 Warmup
Easy pace, getting progressively faster as your body warms. Repeat the following series 10 total times. Focus on recovering well in between sprint intervals so you can go all out on each sprint!
15:00 Workout
- 0:30 Sprint (Hard, All Out, 8-9/10 effort)
- 1:00 Recover (Easy to Moderate, 4-5/10 effort)
2:00 Cooldown
Nice and easy, don’t forget to stretch when you’re done. Great work!
If you’re joining in on the holiday fun, don’t forget to hashtag #HolidayHIIT. We look forward to seeing you on our social media channels.
I hope this article helped give you some jolly good ideas to keep the magic alive this holiday season. These bright and lively ideas are proof that working out during Christmas time can (and should) be more fun! Be sure to share your favorite Christmas workout ideas in the comments, I’d love to hear them. Happy holidays, Sunny fam!
