Holiday Hustle

I confess. I was far from a model Fit Bottomed Girl over the holidays. I, of course, had the best of intentions leading into the holidays. But now that I live a solid flight away from home, going home for the holidays is always a little more hectic than I would like. With not even a week back home, two families to split time between and 90 miles between the families, every hour of every day is pre-planned. As you can imagine, working out gets a solid shove to the side, while chowing down becomes the centerpiece of all activities.

While a week off doesn’t send me into a panic state, I do always feel better when I work out, so I tried to sneak in exercise when I could. Inspired by Hemalayaa, I took advantage of my husband’s ability to watch our luggage and took a good 15-minute walk around the terminal at the airport before we left. It was an active way to pass the time and enough to get my heart pumping.

I also managed to fit in a great airport sprint. Because of an hour-long delay, we landed at our connecting airport 5 minutes before our next flight was supposed to take off. And because we push the luggage limits, we had four decent-sized carry-on bags to haul as we SPRINTED to our next gate. Never before have I been so pleased to see a 20-minute delay, which meant that we were precisely on time. Never before have I felt my lungs burn that intensely, either.

Beyond my airport shenanigans, I did manage to fit in a cold walk with my mom and a mini-run to the end of the street with my 3-year-old nephew. Plus, we played Elefun, which counts as a little activity, right? My only “organized” workout was doing a Yoga for GrandparentsDVD with my grandma. Talk about a Fit Bottomed Girl: At 83, my granny still takes water aerobics classes and is as sharp as a tack, remembering things that even I don’t.

I knew she’d be game for trying yoga, but I told her she wasn’t allowed to try downward dog because, well, down dog is tough. While the DVD was fairly mild for me, I was surprised that it was specifically labeled “for grandparents.” Downward dogs were included, as well as lunges and other moves that just seemed a bit much for seniors. We both enjoyed a wide-legged stretch facing your partner, which allowed us to use each other to increase the stretch.

Because several partner exercises were included, I think it would be a great DVD for those wanting to incorporate their children into the activity. In fact, they do refer to children often in the workout. As I emphasized to my granny that she need not overexert herself, she did take breaks when moves were uncomfortable for her. This included one break that she used to munch on a breakfast roll. When you’re 83, you make the workout rules.

So, while I definitely didn’t fit in my standard workouts, every little bit counts. And if genes count for anything, I’m hoping to be just like my granny, trying new activities into my 80s and beyond. Check back later today for some good yoga moves for seniors and those with limited mobility. —Erin

Want more FBG fun? Check out my thoughts on people working out on crutches or Jenn’s undercover personal training experience.

Photos grabbed from Robert Couse-Baker and judepics on Flickr.