4 Full-Body Sessions You Can Do Anywhere

Yes, you can actually get fitter during the holiday season!

The holidays are a busy time—and not in a way that generally gets you fit. Just because you’re eating cookies and drinking champagne doesn’t mean you can’t fit in a workout.

Dr. Jeff Banas, a certified sports physician, coach, and strength and conditioning expert, knows how to make the most of limited time. He shared some full-body workouts to do while you’re waiting around under the mistletoe. Don’t be afraid to get creative: Use cans of cranberry sauce as weights; make it a family competition; or mix and match these workouts to create one that’s just right.

Push Up & Squat Day

This is a go-to for Banas’ ER doctor athletes. Choose a number of push-ups and air squats—100 is a nice number for each—and then knock them out throughout the day whenever you have time: two here, five there. Lull in the conversation after opening presents? Bam, do another 10 squats.

Every Hour on the Hour

Set your alarm to go o every hour on the hour. (Minus the hours you hope to be sleeping.) When it beeps, do 10 burpees, 10 push-ups, and then a 30-second plank. Bonus: Every time your alarm goes off, it’ll give you something extra to talk about with friends and relatives besides the weather.

Tabata This

Tabata is a technique where you exercise at high intensity for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, and repeat—for four minutes. You can Tabata almost anything. Try a modified Tabata workout, where you do five rounds of four minutes, with a two-minute rest between each. Round one: Repeat 20 seconds of burpees followed by 10 seconds of rest over a four-minute period, then rest two whole minutes before the next round. Second round: Squats for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four minutes—either air squats or hold two weights in a front-squat shoulder-level position. Third round: Mountain climbers. Fourth round: Push-ups. Fifth round: Finish with 20-second sprints—probably outside, unless you want mom yelling at you for running in the house again.

10 Three Times

Do 30 kettlebell swings, 20 goblet squats (holding a weight in front of your chest like a goblet), 10 single-leg deadlifts per each leg, 10 Russian twists (sit in a V-shape, with your legs and back o the ground, and then twist to touch the ground with your hands on one side and then the other; make it harder by holding a weight as you twist), and then run around the block. Repeat this 10-minute circuit three times. An alternative option is to spread the three sets out over the course of the day—just before it’s egg nog time!

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