Don’t Be A Turkey This Christmas

Now that we've enjoyed out turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, and macaroni it's time to get back in shape so you can fit in your cute holiday clothes. Below is a quick at-home workout that will get you back to looking the way you did before the turkey torture. 1. Manual squats (with or without a medicine ball held in front of you at chest level). Stand with feet shoulder width apart and medicine ball held in front of you at chest level. Start by pushing your butt backwards into a sitting position and bending your knees. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor. Return to standing position and squeeze butt. Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up. 2. Pushups. Do these up on your toes or modified on your knees. 3. Alternating forward lunges. Holding a medicine ball if you have one, start with your feet together. Take a big step forward and immediately bend both knees as your foot hits the ground. Lower your body so that both Knees are bent to 90 degrees. Push off with your front leg and return to standing position. Repeat with the other leg. 4. Bent over dumbell or barbell rows. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your weight in front of your thighs. Bend your knees and lower your upper body forward to about 45 degrees with your arms extended straight down to the floor. With a rowing motion, bring the weights straight up toward your chest and clench your shoulder blades together. Hold for one second and repeat. Maintain a tight abdomen while performing this exercise. 5. Straight-leg dead lift. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells that resting on your thighs in front of you. With a slight bend in your knees, bend forward from your hips, maintaining a flat back while lowering the weights to the middle of your shins. Return slowly to starting position, squeezing your butt as you are stand upright. 6. Medicine-ball shouldering. Take a medium weight medicine ball and hold it with both hands on one shoulder. Extend your arms up and over to lower the ball down on the opposite shoulder. Repeat from site to side for one minute. 7. Wall sits. Do a squat with your back resting on a wall. Make sure that your feet are about 2 feet away from the wall and your knees and hips are bent at 90 degrees. Hold your shoulders back against wall. Try to sit for the entire minute. 8. Triceps chair dips. Sit on a chair or bench with you palms on the edge of the bench and close to your hips. Straighten your arms to support your body and extend your legs straight out with your heels on the floor. Lower your body to the floor by bending your arms until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Return to starting position by pressing down your arms to straightening the elbows. Now take three minutes of active rest. Options include light jogging, riding the stationary bike or walking. Then repeat the sequence. -- workout from Shape