With the heart of the holiday season in full gear, many of you will be hitting the road in the coming weeks to visit family or to take advantage of a little holiday get-a-way.
While holiday travel can make your regular fitness routine a bit of a challenge, there still are plenty of great ways to assure you stay on top of your game while not skipping a beat when it comes to your workouts. With a little creativity and proactive planning, you can maintain your fitness level no matter where you are.
Here are a few “stay in shape” workouts and tips that you can incorporate this holiday season….
Bodyweight Workouts
When planning holiday travel, the last thing you want to do is pack up a bunch of fitness equipment to bring along. This is where your own bodyweight become your best piece of fitness equipment. And, when done properly, bodyweight workouts can be just as challenging as those done in a full-equipped gym.
Bodyweight Workout #1
Perform the following exercises for 30 seconds each with little to no rest between exercises:
- Bodyweight Squats
- Mountain Climbers
- T-Plank Push-Ups
- Jumping Jacks
Rest 20-30 seconds and repeat for 3 total rounds before moving on to the following:
- Push-Ups
- Renegade Rows
- Wall Sliders
- Iron Cross Hold
Rest 20-30 seconds and repeat for 3 total rounds before moving on to the following:
- Front Plank Hold
- Side Plank Hold – Right
- Side Plank Hold – Left
Rest 20-30 seconds and repeat for 3 total rounds
Bodyweight Workout #2
Perform each of the following for 30 seconds with 15 seconds of rest in between exercises. Once you complete a full round you’ll rest 1 minute. Complete 4 total rounds. To make it more of a challenge, count how many repetitions of each exercise you get in the 30 seconds and then try to beat that number on each round.
- Bodyweight Squats
- Push-Ups
- Jumping Jacks
- T-Planks
- Hi Knee Run (in place)
- Skaters
Bodyweight Workout #3
This one is called the “500 Challenge.” You’ll be doing 50 repetitions for 10 exercises for a total of 500 reps. Make it a bit more of a challenge and time yourself to see how fast you can get through it (with good form, of course). Take breaks as needed….sometimes it’s best to break the 50 reps down and get a short rest as you work your way through the exercises. Example: do 10 push-ups, rest a few seconds, do 10 more, rest, etc. until you get through all 50.
- Alternate Forward Lunges (25 per leg)
- Push-Ups
- Total Body Extensions
- Mountain Climbers
- Hip Bridge
- Skaters
- Lateral Lunges
- Jumping Jacks
- Alternate Reverse Lunges (25 per leg)
- Squats
Band Workouts
Resistance bands take up very little space in a suitcase and can be a great fitness tool that can be used at home, in a hotel, or even outdoors.
Last month I shared some challenging total body band workouts, so now is the time to grab those bands and get to work!
A Few Reminders/Tips:
– Be sure to enjoy the holidays and everything that comes with them…don’t stress out about getting in “killer” workouts.
– If you’ve been working out regularly throughout the year, use the holidays as a de-loading period and focus on lower intensity workouts and recovery work (foam rolling, yoga, stretching, long walks, etc.).
– Be realistic and know that you won’t have time to fit in a marathon workout session….every little bit helps, so set-aside 30 minutes or so each day to do something.
– Want to hit the weights? Find local gyms where you can purchase a day pass.
– Be creative. Organize a family game of football, a hike, go snowshoeing or cross country skiing. There are a ton of different ways to stay active and fit.
– Get family involved by working out together and hold each other accountable to doing something each day.
About the writer: Ken Grall is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and owns and operates an Edge Fitness in Madison, Wisconsin. Learn more about Ken.