No gym or regular routine? Here’s how to stay fit over the holiday break

The festive season can throw our exercise routines out the window. You might be staying somewhere different, with no access to a gym. Maybe your yoga studio is closed or social sport is on a break. Or you might just be too flat out with social events to find the time.

For some people, a break from pushing their bodies will be exactly what they need.

But others will want to keep up the fitness and strength they’ve been working on throughout the year – and some will crave the mental release.

Here are some low-equipment, time-efficient strategies to keep you exercising through the break.

Staying fit

If you want to stay fit over the festive season, walking can be an easy and effective low-impact way to keep enjoying the health benefits of cardio exercise.

But how much should you walk? The more steps you take each day, the lower your risk of dying early, from any cause.

For adults 60 years and older, the benefits plateau around 6,000–8,000 steps a day, and for those under 60, at 8,000–10,000 steps. So these are good to aim for.

But people who run a lot or play a sport may be trying to maintain a higher level of cardio fitness over the holidays.

So, say you have been including brisk walks, running or high-intensity interval training into your routine.

You can reduce the number of sessions (for example, from five to two sessions a week) and/or how long they last (for example, from 40 minutes down to 20 minutes).

But to maintain your fitness, it’s key to push to the same intensity as normal when you do train.

You can also try cardio exercise snacks. These are short, high-intensity workouts, typically less than ten minutes. But they’ve been shown to enhance cardio fitness.

There is evidence even five minutes or less of high-intensity interval training – where you work hard for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds – can still improve cardio fitness.

Another recent study found one minute of vigorous physical activity has the same health benefits as 4–9 minutes of moderate activity, and up to 153 minutes of light exercise.

So even a tiny “snack” is worth doing, if you’re able to exercise at a high intensity.

Keeping strong

For those who want to build or maintain muscle strength, small bouts of body weight training can work as resistance exercise snacks – a similar idea to cardio snacks.

These involve using your body for resistance rather than gym equipment. So they are lower intensity, but you do them more often (most days or even every day).

A suggested approach: do just 1-2 exercises per muscle group and 1–2 sets per exercise. Do this for up to 15 minutes at a time, in five to seven sessions a week.

Below is an example workout which can be completed as a circuit at home or the local park. Be sure to include a warm-up and cool-down either side of the workout.

If you already lift moderate to high loads at the gym, and still have access to equipment, you may prefer to try a low-volume and high-load approach.

This might mean you do just one session a week, and one set of exercises, but you keep the amount you lift the same.

Maintaining your wellbeing

Many of us exercise because it helps us de-stress and improves our mental health.

One 2025 study pooling the evidence shows people often report better wellbeing on days when they are active, and dips on days they are more sedentary.

Fitting exercise in during holidays can be tricky. But this period, which can mean more social events and fun as well as stress, tension, conflict – and for some people, loneliness – may be when you need it most.

Activities such as swimming, yoga or walking for 20–40 minutes can help to improve mood, anxiety and tension.

Exercising in a calming environment is also important for reducing stress. So if you can, find somewhere quiet or go outdoors in nature, whether solo or with family and friends.

Exercise can also be a chance to connect. Research shows for families with younger children, being active together can increase the feeling of involvement and closeness.

Consider family activities for the break such as bike riding, swimming at the pool or beach, Christmas light walking trials or “exergaming” (digital games that involve physical activity) such as Just Dance.

But it’s OK to take a break

Regular physical activity is important for health and wellbeing. But it’s possible to become fixated on fitness and for feelings of worry or withdrawal to creep in at the thought of working out less over the holiday period.

Don’t forget that taking a few weeks off can also be good for you. It allows the body and mind to have a break and recover both physically and mentally from a regular or strict exercise regime.

Sleep and downtime are vital for recovery. But you’re more likely to neglect these during busy periods, such as when you’re juggling deadlines and social events in the lead up to the holidays. And you’re more likely to be stressed and tired too.

Allowing yourself to reduce your exercise commitments, prioritise self-care, and allow more time to rest might be just what you need.

Seek guidance from your health-care provider and/or an exercise professional before undertaking a new exercise program.

Joanna Nicholas has worked for a business selling fitness equipment and delivers strength and conditioning sessions at dance studios.