Happy Thanksgiving Eve! I’m currently traveling to beautiful Edisto Island in South Carolina where I will spend a few days with my fiance’s family.
The original plan for this Thanksgiving was for my parents and grandmother to come to Charlotte and I would host Thanksgiving for the first time but we had to cancel. We’ve had so much going on over the last couple of months that it was too much for them all to travel here. While I’m sad to miss Thanksgiving with my fam for the third year in a row, I feel grateful that we just had a week together. I am also really looking forward to spending time with my fiance’s family because we don’t see them often. It all worked out!
Before leaving town we spent our morning teaching the studio’s annual Butterball Bootcamp class. It’s a two hour hot flow class with all sorts of challenges thrown in. This year we decided to go with eight intervals that combined a short yoga flow followed by things like “yoga burpees” (<– my creation!), partner sit ups, push ups, supermans, etc.
We had 83 yogis in class and it was so much fun. Our students loved it! 🙂
Speaking of Thanksgiving workouts, I wanted to share one with you here today.
I put together a “Give Thanks” workout that features simple bodyweight exercises that you can do at home. If you don’t have a Turkey Trot or special workout planned tomorrow, get up and give this a try! It’s family friendly so recruit others to join you.
My intent for you is to really focus on the “giving thanks” theme to the workout. As you work through the runs and various exercises, give thanks for your healthy and strong body and your ability to move it. I told my students this morning that we don’t come to our mats to punish ourselves but instead to celebrate our strength and to feel good.
As we move into Thanksgiving, I want to encourage you to ENJOY IT! You don’t have to “earn” the right to enjoy a holiday. If it feels good to start the day with a workout then do it. If you’d rather relax, cook and hang out with your family, then do that. Whatever you choose, be guilt-free about it. I have forever said that all of the hard work and training we do all year long isn’t worth it if you can’t cut yourself some slack and enjoy life! One day is just a splash in the bucket if you lead a healthy lifestyle.
Safe travels and happy Thanksgiving.
All of my love,
Jen
Ahhh those last two sentences. So so well said. And I love the looks of this workout. I’ve been doing your 10 000 reps workout frequently and this looks like a great one to switch it up with. I’m Canadian so our Thanksgiving is long since past but I have been really appreciating the second reminder to approach things with gratitude (and exercise is one that often slips my mind – thanks for making me mindful of it). Happy Thanksgiving, Jen! 🙂
I think we can all use a reminder to make gratitude a practice. So happy to hear you’re liking the workout! I hope this one is just as good!
I did it today and loved it!!! Are you fine with people sharing your workout graphics on their own blogs along with the link or do you prefer them to just give a link? I want to recommend it to my readers but would totally understand if you don’t like people taking the actual graphic!
Yoga burpees?! How fun! I’d love to know what they entail 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving, Jen!
The burpees went from high plank to Hindi squat to reach or jump up overhead then back to high plank. It was a lot of fun! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
I would have loved to attend your butterball class. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Thank you! You too!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you! Same to you!
Looks like a great workout. I started out my Thanksgiving with around 50 yogis from my studio — a beautiful and sweaty way to start the day! I have been adhering to a vegan diet since September but allowed dairy yesterday as to be able to break bread with my hosts. Life is too short for too much rigidity!
I completely agree! Sounds like a perfect Thanksgiving to me!
its well after thanksgiving now but what a wonderful message to enjoy the holidays guilt free. i think we all need that reminder a little. i spent sunday eating and laying around with a tivo marathon and felt a little guilty about it but i needed it and the last time i had that kind of day was in august for my bday. it can be hard to push the guilt aside but thanks for the reminder !