You squat, you score! These 5 easy exercises celebrate Canada’s Game

The good old hockey game may still be the best game you can name, but playing it again might not feel that way if it’s been years, or even decades, since your last shift. Thankfully, you don’t have to relive your glory days, or even join a team, to get some easy solo exercise that celebrates Canada’s Game. Wondering how to do easy workouts at home, in the park, or anywhere you can swing a hockey stick? Grab your old stick, or you kid’s stick, or even a broom handle, and give these puck-themed moves a try:

Hoist the Cup

1. Just for fun, imagine your stick is Lord Stanley’s Mug.
2. Hold your stick against your upper thighs with both hands so that it forms a cross with your body.
3. Raise your arms over your head. Yell “I’m going to Disneyland!” if you like.
4. Bring the stick back down. Repeat 10 times to complete one set. Add sets as you feel yourself getting stronger. Just don’t get champagne on the couch, OK?

This MVP move builds the muscles in your shoulders. Because who doesn’t admire a guy with big shoulders?

Two Minutes for Looking So Good

This exercise is an awesome three-for-one deal, as it firms up your butt, shoulders and hamstrings.

1. Hold the stick behind your upper back with your elbows wrapped around it.
2. Keeping your back straight, bend forward at the hips. Feel your muscles stretch and engage, and hold for 10 seconds.
3. Return slowly to the start position. Repeat 10 times. Add sets as you feel yourself getting stronger. Way to go!

Pucks, Meet Pipes

Another arm builder, this one focuses more on your biceps and upper arms.

1. Hold stick behind your lower back, palms down.
2. Slowly raise your arms upwards, sliding your hands along the stick. Stop when you feel a stretch.
3. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times. Add sets as you feel yourself getting stronger. Keep doing this move, and you’ll need a plumber. Why? Because your pipes are gonna burst!

You Squat, You Score!

This easy move combines the leg- and butt-building power of squats with some arm-enlarging stick work.

1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and hold your stick out in front of you with both hands.
2. Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your stomach tight and your back straight. Hold here for a few seconds.
3. Return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times. Add sets as you feel yourself getting stronger, or when your significant other starts calling you “The Great One.”

Walking Overtime

Is there anything more Canadian than strolling along with a hockey stick over your shoulder? Walking briskly for 30 minutes, it turns out, burns around 250 calories, with guys who walk five city blocks in a day lowering their risk of heart attack by 25 percent.

Use your stick to flick road apples into the bushes and trash into the can — top shelf, where they keep the peanut butter! — or use it as a walking stick should you decide to turn your walk into a hike up a nearby hill.

A hockey stick, a hike, and a scenic view. Now THAT’S taking Canada to the next-level!