Don’t stop moving! It is harder to stick to a routine, especially when travelling or away from your usual schedule or gym. However you’ll regret it if you don’t at least try: returning to workouts in January will feel that much more difficult.

Go for a run
Running can be done almost anywhere. Last Christmas Day I went on a mid morning run across London to visit a close friend and her brand new baby in hospital while my turkey was in the oven and my parents had some time with their grandchildren.  I think that will now be a Christmas tradition for me, wherever I am. Make your run more of a workout by alternating your speed. I do two minute intervals of sprinting, jogging and running and if I find a hill, I’ll go up and down it a few times. Alternating speed and incline makes your heart work faster and will give you a much more effective calorie burning workout in a shorter space of time. Another run workout tip is to stop at a park bench and do some tricep dips, press ups and bench step ups.  When I get home, if I have time, I then blast my abs with some leg raises and just holding a plank for as long as possible. If you hate running, try simply going for a walk or jog – anything is better than nothing.

HIIT-based training
Do a HIIT workout in your own garden – there isn’t much more effective for your fitness than a 30 minute workout made up of burpees, squats, jump squats, lunges, jump lunges and tuck jumps. If you lack motivation, cannot get to a class and don’t know what to do yourself, download the Sweat with Kayla app. I tried it in the Arctic last weekend and it is absolutely brilliant for on the go training requiring minimal equipment (I used filled thermos containers for dumbbells and a reindeer skin for mat!) All you need is enough head height and floor space to do a burpee. My only concerns are concerns that are general for any non-personal personal training (i.e. making sure your form is correct). I will do a full review piece on it when I’ve finished all the workouts so I can give you my own personal tips on how to get the most out of it.

Use your time efficiently
Most people want to allocate less time to fitness at this time of year – we all want to prioritise being with family. So make sure that with whatever time you do allocate to fitness, you really make it count. We wrote a whole post on the how to get the most out of the time you have available – check it out for some specific tips here.

Exercise with friends and family
Why not try working out together with a family member? There can be few better ways to show you love someone than by helping them prioritise their health. My sister and I always make a point of encouraging each other to workout and when we are together, we do it together.  It is so motivating working out with someone else.

Have a wonderful Christmas and wishing you the best in fitting in some workout time!