10 Step Holiday Workout: Intense and Full-soul

Christmas is a week away! The Christ child, presents, family, friends, and big meals and more big meals. Ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies, cakes, cookies, and candies are only part of the variety on the menu.

For this reason, holiday workouts abound."7 Ways to Sneak in a Holiday Workout" Stay Fit on the Holidays" "Get Movin' Monday" "A Six Minute Holiday Workout" Honestly, I don't think six minutes cuts it to knock off the calories in the ham, stuffing, potatoes, eggnog, and gingerbread cookies.

But there are other ways to get pudgy and soft during the holidays - off work, no more classes, time to rest, and a well deserved vacation. A great way to relax, but when we don't watch it, we forget the reason for the season.

We need a full-soul workout. Here's my simple ten step suggestion:

Warmup

1. Silence - Find five minutes a day of quiet time to think and pray. It's not a lot - right when you get up, before you go to bed, but just do it. We lose touch with the important things and don't appreciate it all when we can't take a step back for a moment.

2. Faith - What's Christmas all about? It's the stable in Bethlehem and what it means for us. But we have to remind ourselves of the why behind the stockings and the tree, otherwise it loses real meaning.

3. Confession - Not always the most popular element but a necessary encounter with the Christ-child. Say sorry, be forgiven, experience mercy, and start over in the New Year.

Workout - 5 Exercises guaranteed to build Virtue

4. Fortitude - Okay, not exactly a spiritual virtue, but it gets things started. In today's world if we don't stand for what we believe, the rest is pointless. Tell someone else the true meaning of Christmas. 

5. Gratitude - It begins here. When we recognize what we receive, then we want to give back. Thank God for coming into the world! Thank family for their love and support. And why not - write thank you notes for all those presents.

6. Joy - "It's the season to be jolly..." Take it a step further and make a point to be positive and smile even when it means helping around the house when we just want to relax.

7. Charity - If we have received so much, we have to give back to God. Why not do something concrete for someone less fortunate during the holidays - help at a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. Remember Christ in the cold manger, "Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me."

 

8. Prayer - The toughest and most important part of the whole thing. Make those five minutes of silence in the warmup, count. Say a decade of the rosary, ask Christ for the things you need, but make sure to talk to him. If you want some more materials, send me a note.

Cool-down

9. Pick a Saint - Why? We need some inspiration and to see other souls that are in great shape. Choose one that will keep you motivated and exercising these virtues: Edmund Campion, Francis Xavier, Andrew, or any one other you can think of.

10. New Year's Resolution - If the Mayan calendar is right, this could be our last year. Joking, but this is where we have to make this exercise connect with daily life. Things will have to change. What virtue do you need for 2012? More gratitude, joy? A little more time for prayer? Decide on something that will go beyond the holiday season and into the New Year.