Personal trainer Emmet Rushe motivates us with at-home workout ideas to make sure we aren't stuck to the sofa all Christmas.

If there is one way, that is guaranteed to beat the holiday bloat or the day after the night before, it’s getting out and doing some exercise.

While the thought of this might not be at the forefront of your mind at this time of year, it is something that could save you a bit of extra work, when January rolls around.

We are talking about heading into the nearest gym or going out and running a 10k, but if that’s what you like, there is nothing wrong with that either.

But, if the thought of that over Christmas, is as appealing as badly cooked Brussels sprouts, I have a few tips to help.

  1. Go for a walk. 
    Seriously, go for a walk.
    It’s easy, you can bring a friend and you can wear some of the new active wear you got from Santa.
  2. Use some of the exercise equipment you got for Christmas last year…
    You know that exercise bike, or cross trainer or treadmill, that is now a great clothes horse, you can finally make use of that and stay active while watching ‘Elf’ for the 5th time this year.
    While this is a bit of light-hearted humour, if you have a piece of equipment that is gathering dust, doing 30 mins a day on it over the holidays will burn off some extra calories for you.
  3. Do some body-weight exercises
    Body-weight exercises are a great way to work up a sweat, burn some calories and get a great workout at the same time.
    I have put a routine below that I use with my online group training ladies.
    It’s all done from home and with very little equipment.
    Don’t worry if you don’t know the exercises.
    Each exercise is a link that will take you to a YouTube video of me demonstrating the exercise.

For Round 1, you are doing Squats, Press ups and Jumping Jacks.
The time for each exercise is 40 seconds, the number of sets is 3, and your rest is shown as 10, 10, 60.

What this means:

ROUND 1
Squat for 40 seconds
 (Using good technique)
Take 10 seconds to get into position for the press up.
Press ups for 40 seconds (Bend from the elbow, chest as low as you can to the floor)
Take 10 seconds to get into position for the Jumping Jacks
Jumping Jacks for 40 seconds, (as fast as you can)

Take 60 seconds rest and then repeat this process 2 more times to make 3 Total sets.
Take 2 minutes rest and then move onto Round 2

ROUND 2
Dumbbell Deadlift for 40 seconds (Squeeze your glutes at the top of the lift)
Take 10 seconds to get into position for the Dumbbell Row.
Dumbbell Row for 40 seconds (Change Arms half way through)
Take 10 seconds to get into position for the Jog on the spot
Jog On The Spot for 40 seconds, (as fast as you can)

Take 60 seconds rest and then repeat this process 2 more times to make 3 Total sets.
Take 2 minutes rest and then move onto Round 3

ROUND 3
Lunges for 40 seconds (Alternate legs throughout)
Take 10 seconds to get into position for the Sit Up.
Sit Up for 40 seconds (Try not to jerk and pull your neck)
Take 10 seconds to get into position for the Total Body Extensions.
Total Body Extensions for 40 seconds, (If impact irritates your joints, don’t jump.)

Once you have the 3rd set for round 3 completed, you are finished and can do some gentle stretching.

You have trained your full body in the comfort of your own home in under an hour, and all you need is a small dumbbell or Kettlebell to add some resistance for 2 of the exercises.

If 40 seconds are too long for you at the beginning, start with 30 seconds per exercise and build up to the 40 seconds over time.
The main thing is to try it, once you realise that you can get real results without joining a gym, you will never look back.

There you have it.
3 simple ways you can stay active over the holidays without having to go to the gym.

#TrainSmart

P.S. My New 2018 Transformation Challenge kicks off January 8th.

Contact me through the link below for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushe-Fitness/120518884715118