Make Holiday Travel “Work-Out” Without the Total Gym
Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES
Holiday travel reshapes schedules and surroundings, and training is often the first routine to slip. Between family visits, seasonal commitments, and end-of-year vacations, many people find themselves without access to a home gym.
Consistent training is not defined by equipment, but by intention and movement quality. When the Total Gym stays home, its principles still apply. With a yoga mat, a small area of floor, and purposeful exercise selection, you can maintain strength, mobility, and mental clarity throughout the holidays and into the New Year.
Travel Workout Ideas
These strategies are designed to keep you moving no matter where your travels take you. They are not a formal workout but a toolkit to maintain strength, mobility, and momentum when a home gym isn’t available.
- Living-Room Strength
Bodyweight squats, push-ups, hinges, and pulls that mirror Total Gym mechanics through tempo, angles, and control. - 10-Minute Full-Body Circuits
Short, efficient circuits that build strength and elevate heart rate—perfect for busy holiday schedules. - Core Without Crunches
Standing and floor-based core work inspired by Total Gym stabilization principles for real-world strength. - Mobility Between Moments
Simple mobility flows to counter long drives, flights, and sitting helps keep joints healthy and mobile. - Hotel-Room Stability Sessions
Low-impact sequences that reinforce balance, posture, and control in small spaces. - The Daily Movement Commitment
One intentional session per day (5 to 20 minutes) to maintain consistency without pressure. - The New-Year Bridge
These workouts aren’t placeholders. They’re the connection that keeps momentum alive so January feels like a continuation, not a reset.
The Holiday Travel Workout Challenge
These exercises travel with you. Use them on travel days, between family plans, or while on vacation through the New Year. Whether you’re in a hotel room, a family living room, or a vacation rental, the structure takes the guesswork out of creating a workout while you’re away, allowing you to keep moving wherever you are. Consistency comes from showing up, not from having the perfect setup.
Direction Options:
- Begin with a dynamic warm-up to prepare your muscles, and finish with light stretching to support recovery.
- Perform the exercises for repetitions, timed intervals, or weave them into other routines.
- Mix and match the movements in any combination that works for you best!
- Add your own variations to keep the workout challenging and aligned with how your body feels that day.
- To further challenge your muscles, additional movement ideas are available on my YouTube channel: @groovysweat
Focus: Total Gym–Inspired | Bodyweight | Anywhere
Equipment: mat, timer APP (if timing exercises), space to move, good tunes!
Bodyweight Exercise List:
- Squats & Pulses (Option: Knee Up Twist)
- Quadruped Hip Circles (both directions & both sides)
- Forearm Plank – Superman
- Crab Dip Pulses (Advanced: single leg)
- Bicycle (bent knees or straight legs)
Check out the video to see a demonstration of these bodyweight exercises.
Strength is portable. With intention, a few simple tools, and the willingness to move, you can maintain motion wherever you are. Keep showing up, finish the year strong, and carry that momentum into the New Year.
Happy Holidays,
Maria
@groovysweat
