Are your kids stuck on the couch with the same sense of malaise as the rest of us suffer from after a year of being cooped up?
Well, if they’re young enough to partake – or you can make them laugh at the effort – there’s a workout video starring one of Santa’s elves.
In fact, if they enjoyed the film Elf with Will Farrell, they’re bound to smile at what appears to be a stand-in for him leading a sweat session.
Hug squats
And just like it was for Buddy the Elf, everything here is positive as well. The very first exercise is “hug squats,” which require kids to begin by jumping their legs apart and squat down while holding out their arms.
A little terrifying? Yes. But younger kids might very well be into it. And since they can follow the countdown, they don’t need to do any of this on their own.
Finishing up the “hug squat” requires jumping the legs together again and giving yourself a big hug.
To be fair, it’s a pretty good arm and leg workout, not to mention some cardio to get the blood pumping.
A 10-second reprieve follows so that no one gets overwhelmed and bails too early.
Snowball sprints
Next up is 25 seconds of “snowball sprints,” which really just require you to jog in place.
An added arm movement – in the form of “throwing a snowball” – adds a little more action and arm work.
Running in place will get anyone’s blood pumping – just make sure you don’t have downstairs neighbors if your heavy on your feet.
Once again, this one allows for a 10-second rest in between.
Buddy Hops
Once we see “Buddy Hops,” it’s clear this elf is riffing on Will Ferrell’s character.
And the exercise itself is easy once you watch it. You simply use your whole body to take 2-3 hops in one direction, then hop to spin around, and then go back in the other direction.
Thirty seconds of this is great for anyone who has spent a bit too much time playing video games or watching Netflix. But for kids, it’s also a good stand-in for the phys-ed classes they may be missing out on this year.
Jack-in-the-box
Hopping forward is great and works those leg muscles, but hopping side to side will give you a whole different workout.
These side-to-side jumps, that “Buddy” calls “Jack-in-the-box” are simple to execute but a cardio challenge.
And that’s great news since you don’t want anyone getting hurt.
Snow Angels
After another quick rest, it’s time for “snow angels,” which are almost exactly what they sound like except they don’t require you to lay down.
We’re not going to lie, they’re just jumping jacks. After all, that’s the way you’d make a snow angel standing up if there were such a thing.
Santa’s Coming
It’s pretty clear that even at under 10 minutes long, this is a pretty intensive workout!
And the lunges involved in “Santa’s coming” are a fun way to get those normally tedious movements in.
But it helps when the lunge involves a happy cheer as you move from side to side.
We’re beginning to see the necessity of the 10-second break after each exercise.
At this point, you’d only be halfway through the workout!
After this come “Candy Kicks,” “Hug Squats,” and then MORE “Snowball Sprints,” “Buddy Hops,” “Jack-in-the-Box” maneuvers, “Snow Angels,” “Santa’s Coming” squats, and “Candy Kicks.”
It’s a lot. And we’d have every intention of rewarding ourselves with a Christmas cookie when we were done (although the workout is probably only enough to burn off one of those.
Still, if you need to get your kiddo moving, this is one way to get them motivated. And if the elf doesn’t work for them, the same channel features lots of superhero workouts and more!
Be sure to scroll down below for the whole video.
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