Click on NOTE CATEGORIES to browse by topic, read through the entire archives, or type a topic in the search box.I love movement and I love celebrating, thus I always strive to create movement-rich celebrations. For years, I’ve done a movement advent calendar at the end of the year as a thank you to my readers, and as a way of inspiring people to move more in their daily lives. No fancy equipment, just us moving joyfully together during a busy time of year.
There are three ways to follow along this year. Starting December 1st, move along each day by following Nutritious Movement on Instagram or Facebook, or if you're not on social media or are trying to be there less (a decision we wholly support!) you can find each day's move updated daily below! If you're excited for more, check out the exercises from other advents here:
EXERCISE ADVENT 2014: Walking
EXERCISE ADVENT 2015: Upper Body
EXERCISE ADVENT 2016: Core Strength
EXERCISE ADVENT 2017: You DO Know Squat
EXERCISE ADVENT 2018: Get Heavy
EXERCISE ADVENT 2019: Dynamic Home Advent-ure
EXERCISE ADVENT 2020: With a Twist
EXERCISE ADVENT 2021: Take A Breather
EXERCISE ADVENT 2022: A Butt For The Holidays
DAY 1: Woolen Warm-Up
Go grab yourself a blanket (the heavier, the harder the move; or if you want to try it now, use a big jacket).
Grip it tightly—you’re going to be working on your hands a lot this month—and start “shaking out” the blanket in front of you, the bigger the shoulder movement the better.
Next, “washing machine” it to warm the wrists, elbow, and shoulders ALL WHILE YOU GRIP TIGHTLY.
Then, swoop the blanket to your right and left shoulder, and finally all the way around your body a few times in each direction.
Once you’ve warmed up, try it again, working to reduce how much you lean to the right or left or thrust the ribs. The more you keep your upper torso still, the more your shoulders, elbows and wrists have to change their position.
If you really want to up the ante, pick a few songs on your playlist and keep it swooping the entire time. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!
Click the picture to play the video!
Day 2: Oh Come All Ye Carpals
We want strength in multiple directions. Strong abdominals can flex the spine but we also need back extension strength to balance out abdominal strength. Toe lifting exercises balance out many hours spent toe scrunching.
“Grip Strength”—how tightly you can squeeze your hand—is one measure of strength, but we also need movement and strength in the opposite direction.
Today’s move is a finger-extension strengthener. Our hand-opening muscles. What should we call that kind of strength? GIVE ME STRONG JAZZ HANDS, EVERYONE.
Put a rubber band close to your fingertips, then open your fingers, against the resistance of the band.
Start with a thin/loose band, and progress to the thicker “broccoli bands,” or just add more and more bands to increase the resistance.
How far can you spread your fingers from each other?
You can do this without the bands too. If you’re wearing tight mittens, open your fingers against the resistance of the fabric.
Start keeping a rubber band for this move at your desk, in the car, in your pocket, so you can get in more “reps” every day. Remember, strong hands work in all directions!
Click the image to play the video!
Day 3: Hand Wreath
Hands and wrists that can support your body weight come in handy. Sometimes we want a tight grip and sometimes we want our hands to sit below our weight.
Today’s move is where we use one basic exercise to start loading our hands and wrists in a variety of angles (and if getting on the ground doesn’t work for you, try this against a wall—move your feet back to put more weight on your arms).
Begin on hands and knees, circling your body over hands and wrists. Keep this motion going throughout the move.
Turn your hands inward to point your fingers toward each other (if this is a lot, try doing one hand at a time).
Slowly, a bit at a time, rotate the hands back out while circling your body above. Give time for the movement of your body to mobilize your hands in the different positions.
Keep turning the hands OUT until your fingers are pointing back towards your knees (or stop where you need to).
Keep circling as you bring hands back to where they started and shake 'em out!
This move is great for functional hand and wrist strengthening, and great care for hands that do the same repetitive motions every day. Give yourself a break when you need to, and then get back into it.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 4: The Christmas Palm
What’s the relationship between your hands and your shoulders?
Today’s movement fits in anywhere, and you can scale it to where your shoulder mobility is right now.
Start by reaching your arm behind you, then bend the elbow to move the hand up the back a bit. If this part is already really pulling on your shoulder, then STOP HERE and make this today’s exercise.
Next, FLIP YOUR HAND OVER SLOWLY to move the palm toward your back. Maybe it will flatten, maybe not. P.S. There’s only one direction it can turn (supination; lift the pinkie side to do the turn). If your hand isn’t budging, try turning the other way in case that’s why.
If it’s not turning because your shoulder is protesting, then you’ve found a place in the body that’s too tightly connected! If you can partially turn, do that, and then practice more often.
Be gentle with yourself and don’t insist on any movements—think of this more like an exploration.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 5: Holiday Roll
If being on your hands and knees is challenging for your arms, being on one at a time is twice the work!
Get to your hands and knees (see Day 3 for a wrist warm-up). If this is already a challenge, just holding yourself here is a good move for you.
To double the hand and wrist work, keep your torso centered (no dropping toward the working arm) as you roll a mat, towel or tube of paper out and back in again.
Unroll it…and roll it up again focusing on keeping your pelvis centered between the knees.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. Is staying centered harder than you thought? Keep at it, then repeat on the other side once you’re ready.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 6: Hand Warmer
There are many movements our body needs and some of them are quite small, like the pressure of touch.
One good move to have in your hand-care repertoire is a systematic hand massage that moves the parts deeper in the hands that don’t get much diverse movement.
Some key parts to hit:
Spend lots of time in the meaty part of your hand between the thumb and pointer finger. Explore there to see what’s up!
2. Press your thumb into all the bones of the palm, working your way up along and between the fingers.
3. Stretch the fingers one at a time, then stretch all of them at the same time.
4. Roll and stretch the wrists in both directions.
Care for your hands a few times a day—they drive, type, swipe, lift, push and pull. My dentist says you don’t have to have to floss allll the teeth, only those you want to keep. I feel the same way about giving your different joints attention. Lavish on the parts you want to flourish (including the hands!).
Click the image to play the video!
Day 7: Glove, Actually
How does weather affect your hand and shoulder movement?
“Reciprocal arm swing” is a natural part of gait—it helps balance out the backward action of the legs. But, when hands are cold and you’ve got them in your pockets, your spine has to stiffen to balance the action of the legs instead. And, the hands and shoulders don’t get any movement.
It’s good that your body has more than one way to stabilize itself against walking legs, but if you’re wanting more hand and shoulder exercise AND you want to let your spine have a break, you can just GLOVE UP.
To increase hand and shoulder use put on those tiny “hand jackets” (gloves, actually) and let your arms swing. Our hands spend so much time gripping and swiping. Letting them swing on a walk is a great way to get them up and out of their version of a chair. Make sure those 10,000 steps are 10,000 arm swings, too. THANKS, MITTENS.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 8: Downward Yule Kitty
The YULE CAT is a terrifying character from Icelandic folklore that eats disobedient children (LOOK IT UP) and today, you’re going to channel it.
We are back to weight bearing moves, peeps. This inversion is a gentle way to start loading the wrists. If the loads are too high for you right now, you can do it on your hands and knees instead.
The wrists are a common site for osteoporosis and are often fractured due to the arms reflexively moving out to catch us during a fall. Exercises like today’s move are chances to let these tissues feel larger loads in a controlled fashion. You do them so when you do fall (and we’re all going to at some point) you’re more resilient.
Start in a downward dog position, stretching spread the fingers and thumbs away from each other.
Then act like a cat! Start kneading the ground with your paws, then walk your hands back towards your feet a bit then back forward again.
If the backs of the legs are tight, just bend the knees a lot to free up the upper body to move.
To work on muscular endurance, try pressing one paw into the ground at a time, lifting the other away from the ground.
Rest when you need to, then try it another round and it will leave you feline good!
Click the image to play the video!
Day 9: Chimney Sweep
When you’re sweeping (and doesn’t it seem like the floor always needs sweeping), give that broom a little turn and let’s take your wrists for a spin!
Start by gripping the handle with both hands, palms down.
Roll the broomstick away from you ten times, then roll it towards you ten times.
Make sure your elbows don’t poke out to the sides, work to keep them pulled in as you work your wrists.
Mix things up a bit: roll it with your elbows bent and close to your sides, then try it with your arms straight in front of you. Try it fast and try it slow
When you need a rest, stash the broom and do this wrist stretch: starting with “prayer hands”, keep the pinkies touching while you open your hands like a book, going until the backs of the hands touch (or as close as you can get). Lower your wrists to elbow-height as possible. Hold here for a few seconds.
Then carry on with your sweeping because the floor always. needs. sweeping.
Click the image to play the video!
Advent Day 10: Sack Switch-It-Up
Human bodies have been shaped by eons of carrying stuff, and using your hands more while you’re also moving the rest of your body is one way to stack grip strength with getting other stuff done.
We often carry stuff by placing a bag on the entire skeleton. Start thinking about taking that bag off your shoulders and putting it in your hands!
#VaryYourCarry to use the hands in different ways:
Use your fingers like a hook, and hold the handles that way.
Challenge your grip strength by holding the gathered straps like a rope.
Change your wrist position too—you can dangle your bag from the bottom or the top of a gripping hand, and when you need a rest but not a total break, the bag can go over your shoulder while you’re gripping it.
Try gripping your hands together beneath a bag in different positions.
Adding weight to your walk is a simple way to increase the work your entire body is doing (see “rucking”) but varying your carry is also helpful when it comes to distributing that extra work over your body so more parts can benefit. Carrying is about MORE than expending greater effort: it’s also an opportunity to give parts like our arms and hands work to do.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 11: All Hands On Deck The Halls
We’ve been slowly adding weight to the wrists: hands and knees, being on two knees and one hand, downward dog (a lower-load inversion), and downward dog with one hand. Today we are asking the wrists to carry more weight while they’re extending. We’ll be stacking weight directly above them (but also pay attention to your own body and maybe bookmark this exercise for later if the previous loads are enough for you to practice now).
Set up a chair against the wall to keep the chair stable. Bring your knees up to the seat and your hands down to the floor, stretching your fingers away from each other.
Walk the hands back so that they sit beneath the shoulders.
Watch for the tendency for the elbows to pop out to the side (internal rotation of the shoulders) and work to keep elbows pulled in towards each other.
Hold and breathe a few breaths, pressing the floor away from you.
I’m also demonstrating one more level up (bookmark for later). For even more wrist loading, walk your legs up the wall, one or both legs. Manage your ribs. You can also lift one leg for even more weight at some point.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 12: Grinch Pinch
Rice-bucket exercises have been used for hand and wrist strengthening and therapy for many years. Movements like these are also natural food moves—the movements humans have been doing for eons to convert other earthly things into something edible. It’s only recently that most of what we eat has been mechanically processed (read: “pre-moved”) on our behalf, by other people and/or machines.
Start with a bucket or deep bowl and fill it with rice, lentils, sand, etc. Then get to work! Submerge your hands and open and close the fingers, flex and extend the wrists, rotate the wrists and forearms with both open and closed hands.
Create your own patterns, moving hands and fingers differently. Play around a little bit longer for some extra sensory benefits too! It’s fatiguing and soothing at the same time—the hand-strength version of a tiny zen garden.
Thanks for the whole wheat grain to play in, @chimacumgrain!
Click the image to play the video!
Day 13: Nut Cracker
Skip the already-shelled nuts and get some movement in: Today’s move is a #snacktivity rich in grip strength, and it also makes a great way to stack an all-age movement opportunity with celebration.
Set a table/counter/picnic blanket with an assortment of unshelled nuts and tools—nutcracker, lobster cracker, mallet, rocks, hammer to name a few—and let everyone get cracking!
Mix your grip! Try all the different tools and fInd the one that’s easiest for you to use and the one you need some practice with. Play around with the way you’re holding the tools. Don’t always use your dominant hand.
These types of moves are part of what kept the hands of previous generations so strong. If you wanted something to eat there was likely going to be some “handy work” involved.
Holiday time can be cozy AND it can be rich in movement. Nut-cracking stations are a great feature at any indoor or outdoor gathering.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 14: Helping Hand Warrior
Lend a new hand to a favorite move!
While in a yoga “warrior,” grab the hand of another warrior, or someone who just wants to give you a pull, or use a strap around a doorknob.
Get a good grip, then using that as an anchor, turn your shoulders and hips away from the front knee, reaching back with the other arm.
Lean back a little (it won’t be much movement) to create some tension. Manage your ribcage and don’t let it thrust. Hold until you just can't hold anymore and then try it on the other side.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 15: Better Thank All The Wrist
On Day 3 we stretched your wrists 360° and today we add movement from a different angle to reach the top of your forearms and stretch the extensors, wrists to elbows. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WERE SURPRISED AT WHAT YOU FOUND IN YOUR FOREARMS!
Start on your hands and knees.
Flip one hand over, bringing the back of the hand to the ground with the fingers pointing back towards your knee. Spread the fingers and thumb.
ROUND 1: Gently press the back of the wrist toward the ground. It might not go down all the way and there is no need to force it. Repeat on the other side.
This can already be a tough stretch for many, but there’s one more piece of form that makes sure you’re not missing a big hunk of tense muscle.
ROUND 2: When forearms are really tight, they’ll push the elbows out to the side. This time, rotate the elbows in to also point back towards the knee. Keep the elbow slightly bent to not hyperextend the elbow.
This can be very intense, so to modify, don’t pull the elbow all the way in or don’t lower the wrist all the way to the ground. Find the angles that create the right amount of tension for you.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 16: Snowflake-Maker's Stretch
You’ve probably stretched your arms by sitting back but today’s move will show you how to change a simple shoulder stretch into a move that reveals any tension you have living between the thumbs and the shoulder.
Start on your hands and knees.
Instead of dropping your hips back to lower your chest, walk your hands forward instead.
Turn your right palm up until the right thumb touches the ground. It might not go all the way. Stack the left hand on top of the right and use it to press the right hand against the floor, especially the thumb!
Keeping the right hand (and thumb!) on the ground start sitting back as you can, holding for a few breaths before repeating on the other side.
You’ll quickly discover any tension that is overly connecting your hands to your neck and shoulder. These parts should be able to move without each other all the time, so repeat a few times, cycling between the right and left side and add this to your movement toolkit!
Click the image to play the video!
Day 17: Reverse North Pole Grab
Find a pole, post, thin tree trunk, or doorframe
With the pole to your back, interlace your fingers around it (or use a strap to get your arms back). Bring your hands up a bit on the pole as you can.
Lean forward to stretch the chest. Watch that the rib cage isn’t lifting—keep it lowered
Reverse your grip to slightly change the stretch a bit. Hold each side for a few breaths!
Click the image to play the video!
Day 18: North Pole Pull-Up
Pull-ups are a great way to challenge grip and wrist-bone strength, and there are lots of different shapes you can use for this move. A good entry for pull-up strength is the vertical pole pull-up.
Stand next to a pole, thin tree or doorway and hold on with a good grip. Walk your feet towards the pole and lean your body away.
Pull your body towards the pole and lower yourself away from it a few times.
Watch for the tendency to lift the elbow behind you. Work to keep the elbow pointed towards the floor.
Do as many as you can, then repeat on the other side. If you want the move to be a little bit easier, walk your feet away from the pole so you’re more upright.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 19: Gingerbread Workout
This is a classic food-prep movement AND it’s also a popular hand therapy exercise that just needs a ball of dough. Any cookie dough handy? Play-Doh? Or DIY it and find a playdough recipe online. findingmyselfyoung.com/2021/06/the-best-homemade-playdough-recipes.html
Place a ball of dough in the palm of a hand and squeeze it as hard as you can. Work to get the dough to squeeze out between the fingers.
Do it ten times, or for one minute on a hand, before switching (muscle endurance!) or switch hands sooner as needed.
When you’re done, either roll it out and make cookies (yum!) or pop it in a plastic bag to save for exercising your hands on the regular. When you’re done with it, gift it to some littles!
Click the image to play the video!
Day 20: Handy Push-Up
Today’s push-ups are so handy because 1) they’re elevated, which makes them easier to start building strength with and 2) you can do them anywhere you can find a bench, table, chair, or counter.
Tricep push-up. Place your hands shoulder-width on an elevated surface. Keep a straight body and squeeze your elbows into your sides as you lower your chest to the surface. Push yourself back up, working to keep elbows squeezing in.
Chest-muscle push-up. Widen hands to about double shoulder width and lower and push-up in this hand position.
Side-planks. From a push-up, keep one hand down on the surface and turn your body sideways to reach the opposite hand up to the sky. Rest one leg on top of the other for a balance challenge.
Once you start looking for exercise equipment, you’ll see it’s all around you, and you can grab one, two or five reps multiple times throughout the day—no “workout time” needed!
Click the image to play the video!
Day 21: Yule Log Burn
It's the longest night of the year, so we’re going to make our own heat with the longest HOLD of the year.
Set yourself up in a plank (no, kitchen counters not required) with hands directly below the shoulders, knees on or off the ground, your choice.
Keep the ribcage lifted and tuck the pelvis a bit to decrease the lower back curve.
ELBOW CHECK! Gently squeeze elbows in towards each other.
If you’re tired, set your knees down instead of letting the hips sag.
Hold it until you’re roasting warm, then rest and massage those hands and wrists.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 22: We Three Swings
Find a bar or branch and kick your hanging loads up a notch by adding a little swing.
Swing front to back.
Swing side to side.
Create a twisty-swing!
You can also do all these swings with your feet on the ground, which will create a lighter load on the hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Which is your favorite?
Click the image to play the video!
Day 23: Tinsel-Tensile Nerve Stretch
Hands up, y’all. Nerves stretch too!
Place a STOP hand against the wall at shoulder height.
Work to place the palm all the way flat (watch for the hand cupping) and stretch your thumb down away from the rest of the fingers. Straighten the arm.
Then, turn the body away from the arm.
Check your elbow—if it’s pointing back, turn the arm to point the elbow toward the ground (external rotation).
Return to gently turning the body away from the arm while you press the palm into the wall. BREATHE and take breaks as you need to. When that side feels done, repeat on the other side.
Click the image to play the video!
Day 24: Helping Hands
A most vital exercise for y’all—starting with a little hand-exercise poetry from my friend Penelope Jackson:
“Take your left hand and dig deep into whatever resources you have—be they time, attention, money, warmth, shelter, or care. Pull out the largest handful you can hold, reach your arm out, and place your resources into someone else’s empty hand.
Try it again with your right hand. Don’t overstretch, but do as much as you can—and know that this exercise will strengthen your hand, heart, and community.”
I've been stretching my helping hands toward the World Central Kitchen, an organization I know well (a friend is a chef for them) who are feeding hungry people in crisis all over the world. Their link is in my bio. Let me know your favorite way to stretch your helping hands and I'm wishing you all peace and love. - KAB
Click the image to play the video!
