No Gym? No Problem. Get in Cardio Without Leaving Home
| 3 min read
Traveling for the holidays can be completely disruptive to your workout routine. You aren’t near your gym and there’s no guarantee there will be any exercise equipment where you’re staying. While you can strength train using just your body weight, cardio is a little trickier—especially if you don’t like to run. But you can actually get in a killer cardio workout without any equipment or stepping foot outside. Just follow these tips:
Do as the First Lady does. If Michelle Obama isn’t able to get to the gym, she does a 30-minute routine that includes a minute of jumping jacks, followed by a minute of pushups and then a minute of sit-ups. She continues to do that circuit for a total of 30 minutes in order to get a good cardio session in on the go.
Stick to shorter workouts. When it comes to cardio, research finds that shorter workouts are best for fat loss. But the catch is that the workouts have to be intense and your rest periods (which should be no more than 30 seconds) should incorporate jogging or walking in place. See what we mean by completing three sets of the following moves for a 20-minute workout that will burn major calories.
- Jog in place: 45 seconds (warm-up)
- Jumping jacks: 45 seconds
- Rest (while walking or jogging in place): 30 seconds
- Squats: 45 seconds
- Rest (while walking or jogging in place): 30 seconds
- Basketball jump-shots: 45 seconds
- Rest (while walking or jogging in place): 30 seconds
- Power squats: 45 seconds
- Rest (while walking or jogging in place): 30 seconds
- Mountain climbers: 45 seconds
- Rest (while walking or jogging in place): 30 seconds
Remember that variety is key. Try out a few cardio routines so that you tone different muscles while also improving your cardiovascular system and overall fitness level. For example, try all three of the following routines from the Huffington Post.
- High-burn bodyweight workout: Complete 6 to 10 sets of the following moves depending on your fitness level. Don’t know what one of the moves looks out? Check out this poster.
10 jumping jacks
10 sprinter lunges
10 lunge step-ups
8 side-to-side skater hops
- At-home cardio workout: Alternate 10 high knees with 2 mountain climbers and repeat five times. Rest for two minutes then repeat that sequence 6 to 10 times, depending on your fitness level.
- Squat challenge: Complete 100 squats as fast you can, resting when necessary.
Find other exercise ideas with these travel-friendly workout suggestions and share some of your favorite at-home exercises in the comments below.
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Photo credit: Paolo
