Over the holidays a lot of people think that they’ll fall off the wagon. There’s so much fun to be had and delicious meals and treats to eat that our wellness might be an afterthought. However, as you’ll often hear, it’s what you do consistently 80% of the time that brings you your results. Furthermore, I encourage you to indulge the other 20% of the time.
Indulging doesn’t mean that you stop moving though. Movement is so important and I implore you to follow Newton’s First Law of Physics and stay in motion. Find opportunities to walk as much as possible. When possible, take the stairs. Dance. Help people lift/move things. Stretch. But also, do try and get 30 minutes of intentional exercise in at least 5 out of the 7 days a week. If you need them, here are 5 workouts you can do in 30 minute sessions to keep you in motion.
5 Workout Sessions You Can Do Under 30 Minutes Over the Holidays
There’s actually a lot of research about how to make 30 minute workouts effective and efficient and the benefits you can get from high intensity workouts in 30 minutes. Here’s a variety of intensity exercises for you to give a whirl that you may not typically consider that aren’t just going for a run.
Incline Treadmill
This year in particular, incline treadmill walking took over TikTok and spread like wildfire. Not only did it get people moving by lowering the threshold of difficulty, but it even brings people results so they stick with it! If you only have a treadmill available, don’t discount incline walking! Try 30 minutes at a 12 incline at 3 miles per hour.
Stairmaster
If you’ve never done a 30 minute session on the stairmaster, let me be the first to tell you that it is a brutal workout. Even at a low intensity, steady state you will be sweating and exhausted afterwards. Great way to mix it up or mix it in with a mobility day where you aren’t doing another extraneous high intensity or weight lifting session.
Pilates
I am convinced that Pilates is the key to longevity and, maybe even the key to life. I found Sara Colquohon on the Sweat app and I tried it while I was on a beach vacation where I didn’t have access to any weights. It was my first introduction to Pilates and I was shocked at the efficacy of the workout! Here is one of her free Youtube video sessions should you want to give it a whirl.
Deck of Cards
I think I saw this first from Carrie Underwood a few years ago, but it’s a brilliant idea. Take a normal deck of cards and assign different exercises to each suit then use the number for the amount of reps. So for example: hearts can be lunges, diamonds can be push ups, clubs can be squats, and spades can be jumping jacks. If you were to draw 5 of diamonds then you’d do 5 push ups. And then do as many cards as you can in 30 minutes. Or you could even go through the whole deck.
Then the face cards you can decide if you want to make those 13 for a jack, 14 for a queen…etc. Or if you want to assign different exercises entirely to face cards.
High Intensity/Circuit Training
Whether you want to do traditional Tabata 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off; or do 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest; pick a few movements to do a few sets and reps of; or any other combination…these are great options to knock out your workout within a set time!
One of the reasons I love Tabata training is if you only have 20 minutes, this is one of the best ways to guarantee that you’ll be done with your workout in 20 minutes.
This is also effective for just body weight movement if you don’t have any equipment! Bonus points if you have weights or resistance bands, though!
My personal favorite is doing 10 minutes of 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off alternating each round between jump rope and burpees. But you can even do static holds like planks or wall sits. You can do air squats and push ups. You can do mountain climbers and jumping jacks. The options here are endless!
Bonus Idea: Take A Class
Most classes will be longer than 30 minutes, but wanted to throw this idea in because a lot of gyms will either allow you to try a class for free or you can drop in for a class or get a daily pass. One of the best parts of a class is you don’t have to come up with your own workout and you’ll be done within the class time.
Even better if you take a friend, take a family member, or someone else with you! I highly recommend to people looking to get into a fitness habit to start with a class because you will build bonds with your classmates and will push each other probably more than you would working out alone.
Keep It Moving Like Newton’s 1st Law
While none of these ideas are groundbreaking or an end all be all, the bottom line: stay in motion this holiday season. If you can maintain your routine or swim or try something new like a spin class with a friend or family member, definitely do so! Simply always keep these ideas in your back pocket so you can always have an opportunity to get some movement in.