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The holidays are finally here! For my wife and I, Thanksgiving and Christmas are our busiest times of the year. I’m sure most people can relate. In addition to running our boutique gym, Oak Fitness Club, there’s visiting family, holiday trips, and of course, all of the delicious (and inevitable) holiday food.
Fitting everything in and making sure to stay in tip-top shape can definitely be a challenge, especially if you’re holed up in a hotel room or a relative’s house. What a lot of people don’t realize is that you can get a great, full-body workout with no equipment and limited space. The resistance from using your body weight can be as difficult as using actual weights if you do it right. We even use some of these moves in our intense, 25 Minute Burn class at Oak Fitness Club.
These quick and effective fitness tips and exercises work the full body, from abs and arms to legs and glutes.
1) Single Leg Bridges
Lie on your back with your feet planted shoulder-width apart. Raise your hips to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. In this position, raise and extend one leg, keeping your hips raised and level. Alternate legs for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds in between each set and repeat 4 times.
2) Pushups
Get in the traditional pushup position: hands planted underneath your shoulders and feet shoulder-width apart. Do 15 pushups with a 10 second rest in between each set and repeat 4 times.
3) Iso Lunges
Stand with one leg planted in front of you and the other bent behind you. Keep the majority of your body weight in the heel of your front foot and the ball of your rear foot. Slowly bend your front leg until your front knee and hip reach a 90 degree angle then return to the starting position. Alternate legs for 20 seconds, repeating 4 times on each leg.
4) Swimmers
Lie on your stomach, face-down with arms and legs outstretched. Raise one arm and the opposite leg and hold for 20 seconds, alternate to opposite arm and leg for another 20 seconds. For 10 seconds, hold all 4 limbs in the air.
5) Criss-Cross Oblique Crunches
Lie on your back with your knees together and bent, then pull your feet up until your shins are parallel with the ground. Place your hands behind your head and keep the elbows wide. Extend the right leg and rotate your upper body toward the left knee, then switch to the opposite site (extend the left leg and rotate your upper body toward the right knee). Repeat for 20 seconds in quick succession, then start the motions over again, this time holding the twist for 10 seconds on each side. Repeat 4 times.
So no matter where you are, whether it be on vacation, with family or even if you’re stuck at your office, you can squeeze in a solid workout to keep it slim this holiday season.
-Aaron King
