Today, in my at-home exercise series, Jennifer Nyp from Zen Girl Fitness tells us why going away for Christmas break doesn’t have to get in the way of your regular exercise routine.

Many of us will be traveling for the holidays, which throws us off our regular routine. Shifts in routine can be a recipe for fitness failure, but it doesn’t have to be. You just have to come armed with a plan. There is always somewhere to walk or run and most hotels come with access to a gym. But really, to get a satisfactory workout, all you need is a versa-loop (which packs up easily in any bag) and your own body weight. Free weights are great, but water bottles also work wonders. If you follow my Vacation Workout Plan below, you’ll be less likely to beat yourself up for all that extra dessert when you get back to reality.

Step One: Cardio

I don’t care if you are visiting your Grandmother’s farm for the holidays or your sister’s apartment in Brooklyn— there are roads everywhere. Get out and walk with your family for at least 30 minutes.

Better yet, interval run/walk. Time yourself. If you don’t have a watch, pick landmarks to run to, like wire posts, fences or blocks.

Walk 5 min.
Run 1 min.
Walk 4 min.
Run 2 min.
Walk 3 min.
Run 3 min.,
Walk 2 min.
Run 4 min.

You get the point. That’s 25 minutes burning calories before a big meal, and I bet on top of that, you’ll make better food choices because of it. You can follow this same routine on the treadmill or elliptical. If you are going to workout on the elliptical machine, change up the resistance levels for the same amount of time. Going up odd numbers and down even numbers. Make up your own pattern. The time will fly by.

Step Two: Strength

Since you are on “vacation” and there is probably not a ton of time to exercise, I recommend doing your strength training during your run/walk, stopping for exercises as you go. I really like combo moves that are quick and challenging and cover a lot of different muscles. You can do these exercises in any order, but I’ve put them in my preferred order. You can also modify them as needed.

1) SIDE LEG LIFT WITH STEP UP

Outside: find a park bench, ledge or step.

Inside: use a weight bench or step.

2) MOUNTAIN CLIMBER TWIST WITH BUTT LIFT

Outside: use a park bench, railing, or ledge.

Inside: bench, bosu, even the floor.

3) TAP FRONT & BACK STEP UP

Outside: use a bench or step.

Inside: Bench, Bosu, Plyo-box, step or even the side of a treadmill.

4) PUSH UP WITH OPEN SIDE

Outside: bench, railing, ledge, step or even just on the ground.

Inside: Bench, bosu, push-up handles or the floor.

5) BURPEE WITH KICK

Anywhere, anytime.

6) TABLE TOP WITH OPPOSITE HAND TO FOOT TOUCH

7) BUTT SERIES:

Bent leg lift, Cross behind the other leg, hamstring curl, fire hydrant (10-30 of each)

OR KNEELING SIDE LEG LIFT AND CIRCLES

You decide which one you like better- Butt series is purely visual.

8) PLANK/DOWNWARD DOG HAND TO ANKLE TOUCH

9) SIDE PLANK ELBOW TWIST TO FLOOR

10) PILATES AB SERIES WITH VERSALOOP

You can also do this without the band at all.

Happy traveling and happy exercising. Trust me, there is room for both.

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You can follow Jennifer Nyp on Instagram at @zengirlfitness for more daily exercise ideas or if you live in Manhattan and want to work out with her private SOHO studio, you find her contact info here.