This Do-Anywhere Workout Will Keep You Fit During The Holidays

With rich foods, flowing booze, travel obligations, and dark, cold mornings that make you want to savor every last second under the covers, it’s hard to maintain your weight and fitness level during the holidays. This head-to-toe workout sequence uses nothing but your body weight, and can be completed in 15-20 minutes, so you’ll have less damage control to take care of come January.

WARM UP: 5 minutes

Get your heart pumping with jumping jacks and high knees, then do dynamic stretches that take your joints through every range of motion (think arm circles or bending to touch your toes before reaching for the sky).

UPPER BODY Downward Dog Push-Up

Instructions: From regular downward dog, rise up onto your toes and walk your feet closer to your hands. When your shoulders are almost over your wrists start the push-ups.

Sets: 3x sets of 8

Push-Up

Instructions: Start in a high plank position, with your shoulders over your wrists and your core engaged. Lower your chest towards the floor, keeping shoulders away from ears, then push through your palms and return to start position. You can modify by dropping your knees to the floor if needed.

Sets: 3x sets of 10

Tricep Dips

Instructions: From a seated position cross ankle over thigh and place your hands behind your hips, with fingers facing forwards. Press through your palms until your arms are straight and your butt lifts off the floor. Bend your elbows, keeping them close to the ribcage, and dipping your hips to the ground, before straightening them again.

Sets: 3x sets of 8

CORE

High/Low Planks

Instructions: Start in a high plank position, then slowly transition into a low plank (on elbows). Keep your core super engaged and try not to rock your hips from side to side.

Sets: As many as you can in one minute

Bicycle Crunches

Instructions: Lie on your back, engage your core to peel your torso off the ground into a crunch position. Then extend the left leg out and away as you bring the right knee in towards your chest. At the same time twist your body and bring your left elbow to meet that right knee. Then repeat the movement on the other side.

Sets: As many as you can in one minute

Mountain Climbers

Instructions: Start in a high plank position, then transition into a kind of run — keeping hips low and driving your knees towards your chest.

Sets: As many as you can in one minute

LOWER BODY

Single-Leg Bridge

Instructions: Plant your feet on the ground, hip-width apart. Press through your feet and lift your hips, then extend one leg to the sky. Lower and lift the hips, squeezing your glutes at the top of each move. Repeat on opposite side.

Reps: 3X sets of 20

Curtsey Lunges

Instructions: Start standing with feet hips-width apart. Take your right leg backwards and cross it behind the right. Sink into a lunge as if you were curtsying, then switch to the opposite leg.

Sets: 3X sets of 20 (one rep includes a lunge on each side)

Sumo Squats

Instructions: Take your feet wide and turn the toes out slightly. Bring all your weight into the heel and sink your hips low, without letting knees come past the toes. When you return to standing, squeeze your glutes at the top.

Sets: 3X sets of 20

Cool down

Do static stretches, holding each one for at least 30 seconds, and follow up with some foam rolling to help prevent tightness and muscle aches tomorrow.

About the author

Esme Benjamin

Wellness Editor

Born and raised in Bristol, England, Esme has been geeking out over syntax her entire life. She studied English Lit by the Brighton seaside before moving to London to pursue her writing career in 2009, going on to work for Grazia Daily, The Telegraph and SheerLuxe. In 2013 she swapped The Big Smoke for The Big Apple, where she trained as a yoga teacher and contributed to Refinery29, Self, Fitness Magazine and Greatist. When she's not glued to her laptop or iPhone you'll find her drinking Kale Margaritas at an East Village happy hour, planning her next adventure, or hand-standing (with more vigor than skill) at the yoga studio.