Needing a Simple and Effective Home Workout?

Ideally, it is best to have a routine, in which you prioritize your workout times. Sticking to that routine is the best way to get and maintain desired results. At the same time, we sometimes travel and find ourselves in a hotel or at a family member’s house. So, what can you do to maintain some strength and conditioning when you're unable to make it to the usual training facility? Here’s a circuit that will do the job pretty much anywhere without needing any gym equipment:

After a basic dynamic warm-up:

1. 12 Hand Release Push-ups (Lower Body all the way to ground)
2. 12 Each Way: Plank w/ Alternating Oblique Crunch (Arms straight/knee wide)
3. 12 Each Way: Russian Twist (Hands together/arms straight)
4. 12 Sumo Squats (Wide stance/toes pointed outward/2 sec pause at bottom)
5. 12 Alternating Forward Lunges
6. 30 Sec Wall Sit (Feet about 8 inches apart)
7. 30 sec Jog in place or High Knees
8. 30 sec Jumps Squats or Jump Split Lunges
9. 30 Sec Jumping Jacks or Star Jumps
* 60 sec recovery after each round.
* 2 - 4 Rounds based on fitness level and time available for exercise
* 3-5 minute cool down and stretch

If your trip or absence from the gym is 1-3 days, hit this workout once and maybe supplement it with a walk, hike or run. If that time frame is more than 5 days, you should aim to hit the circuit twice and then be more active with the extra activities: walks, hikes, swims, runs. Enjoy the trip, get some rest, and try some good foods in moderation, but remember that it is very difficult to outwork a bad diet. Weight loss always comes down to how many calories are consumed vs. how many are burned off each day.