To introduce an exercise routine, I want to first highlight that we have different routines or traditions we do day to day or even during a certain time of year. We do these things because they bring meaning to our lives. The activities and people you make time for, show what is most important to you. Every year since my husband and I have been married we send out a holiday card. At first it was just us and our dogs. Now the kids are included! Aren't they lucky? We pose in a silly way or include a funny phrase on the card and we ALWAYS wear argyle sweaters, even the dogs. See our cheerleading configuration below (LEFT). I think we wrote something like, "Don't let the stress of the holiday's pile up!". We hope to bring a smile to our friend's and families faces. I also like to put decorations around the house including these homemade snowmen. Originally, our dogs names were on the snowmen in the picture to the right along with our names. This year, I finally changed the smaller two snowmen's names to our children's names. My youngest is already 2 years old so it's about time! You can see the kids are having a hard time stacking up to the dogs. Haha, did you see what I did there? Stacking.. up.... These are just two of our simple holiday traditions. We do them because of the way they make us feel and they align with our values.
Christmas 2013 Christmas 2020
The Good Stuff
An important aspect of working in a routine into your schedule is it needs to fit your lifestyle. Did you know that FIFA (the international governing body for soccer) developed a program called the FIFA 11+ that will actually reduce your chance of injury? It's only 20 minutes, twice a week and research has shown a decrease in injuries in soccer players with this program. You can download it here or search FIFA 11+ in a search engine.
It consists of running, strengthening, plyometrics and balance. I love how comprehensive the program is for how little time it takes to complete. It is 3 parts. Part 1 and 3 you will need some space to run. Then within part 2, there are 3 levels of difficulty. If you are a beginner you will only do Level 1. If this feels easy, then the next time you do the routine, try Level 2. Likewise for Level 3. I also love the image in the bottom left corner which reminds you of proper knee alignment. Make sure you land with your knee in the correct position. A full length mirror can help you see if you are positioned right. Practice some squats, lunges and jumps in front of the mirror. These are exercises where people tend to move their knee inward which can cause injury. You need a partner for some of the program but there are ways you could modify if doing solo. If you aren't sure how to modify feel free to ask in the comment section below. I am happy to give advice on performing this program. I hope this is informative and I hope you have a happy holiday season.
-Hayley
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