Finding the time to move your body during a vacation can be stressful!  While you may rack up thousands of steps exploring during the day, some folks want a targeted quick workout to maintain their fitness lifestyle at home while away.  As someone who has been teaching group exercise for the last five years, here are my tried and true moves when you wanna sweat in the privacy of your hotel room.  

I prefer to perform this as a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), using the free app IntervalTimer, setting it for 45 seconds on, with a 15 second break.  

*Please be mindful of any personal injuries and consult your doctor before engaging in any movement that might be dangerous.  Please ensure a proper five -minute warm-up and cool-down surrounding your exercise routine.  As always, listen to your body, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.*  

1:  Squat to High Kick

Start out with your feet slightly wider than your hips and then lower into a squat while keeping your knees behind your toes.  As you rise up, kick one leg up as though you were auditioning to be in the latest Marvel action movie.  Return back to your squat and repeat!  

2:  Elevated Leg Drop

Lay down on your back and bring your feet to the ground with your knees up.  Then press down through your right foot as you raise your left leg straight up to the ceiling.  Flex your heel down as you drop your leg, and then raise it back up. 

3:  Alt. Plank Switches

Come down into a forearm plank.  As you hold, engage your core, and open your right arm all the way and lift it to the sky.  Hold through your hips, and return your right forearm all the way to the ground, and repeat on the opposite side.  

4:  X-Marks the Spot Punches

Stand upright with your feet slightly wider than your hips, ball your hands into fists, and punch your right hand towards your left knee. Then punch your left fist to your right knee.  Follow from pressing down to an upward motion, punching your right hand across and over your left shoulder and then left up and over your right.  Going as fast as your body will allow on any given day!

5:  Sit up to Clap Unders

Lie all the way down on your back and extend your legs flat on the ground.  Slowly rise up like a zombie, raise your right leg and clap behind your hamstring.  Roll back down in a controlled fashion and repeat on the other side.  Please note: Try not to roll up to the seated position too quickly or you’ll work your back muscles instead of your core. And this is a core focused exercise.

6:  Double Criss Cross Legs/Elbow to Knee

Stand all the way up with your legs wider than your hips, with your hands locked behind the nape of your neck, with your elbows wide.  As if you were performing a jumping jack, criss cross your legs back and forth twice through; pause your legs and bring your right elbow to your left knee, then your left elbow to your right knee.  Try to keep your elbows wide and crunching your obliques.  Repeat the cardio jumps, and continue to crunch through the core.

7:  Bear Pose Shoulder Taps

Come to a table top position; your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.  Tuck your toes and lift your knees off the ground two inches.  Hold the bear pose and tap your alternate hand to your alternate shoulder. Repeat.

8: Standing Marches

Keeping your legs about hips distance apart, raise your arms above your head and interlace your fingers together.  Take a big inhale, as you exhale, alternate bringing your knees up in line with your hips.  This will snatch in your core a tad, as each knee comes up while moving in your power.  

9:  Reverse Table Top Dips

Pop down on those gorgeous glutes and ensure that your hands are facing your booty.  Lift off the ground, keep that core engaged, and bend through your elbows.  Be careful not to just drop through your hips and glutes so that your triceps get to work. It’s okay if your booty taps the ground a bit, just don’t rest for longer than a moment or so.  Remind yourself that it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you go, as long as you can feel it, it’s working!  

10:  Standing Arm/Leg Reach Crunches

Step forward with your right leg, keeping your left leg extended out behind you. Then raise your arms forward and up in a diagonal manner.  Using your right leg for balance, crunch in through your core and bring your left knee to your elbows, then step back to the starting position.  Crunch faster for more of a cardiovascular workout or slower to practice your balance retention.