If you’re traveling for work or pleasure, you might be wondering how to avoid losing your progress while you’re away from the gym. This is especially true if you want to go out to dinners and enjoy cocktails without dealing with a severe caloric deficit. Continuing your cardio routine can free up extra calories, so you can go have fun without the guilt or loss of progress. Here is one fun routine that only takes about thirty minutes to complete each day.
Jumping Jacks
Begin by stretching, and then warm up your body by doing a series of jumping jacks. This exercise can start off slowly and increase in difficulty as you go. If your arms are sore or tired, consider doing half-jacks until they warm up. The half-jacks only use a halfway-extended arm movement combined with a full jump.
You can also increase the intensity and speed in which you jump as you go. Jumping jacks will drive your heart rate into its target zone within just a few minutes. However, you should complete 20 to 50 reps, depending on your fitness level.
Wind Sprints
After you warm up from the jumping jacks, take a moment’s rest before heading into the wind sprint routine. You should perform wind sprints at full intensity all the way down and back again. Pick an isolated area to perform this exercise, so you don’t have to stop for a passersby or limit your speed to avoid running into anyone.
At first, you might only perform a sprint or two before feeling extremely winded. Later on, you should sprint five to ten times before this happens. Listen to your body to see how many reps you need.
Jump Rope
Take another short rest period, and then head straight into the jump rope workout. You can match the intensity of the wind sprints at first, and then slowly work your way down to a reasonable pace. Continue jump roping at a pace that keeps your heartbeat in its target range without exceeding its upper limits.
Time your jump roping session and aim for at least ten minutes to start. You can increase this limit as your body grows accustomed to this exercise. Try out different jump rope variations to change up your arm and leg movements.
When you get to the end of your workout, slow your jumping speed to start the cool down period. Finish this session with some more stretches to protect your muscles, tendons and ligaments from injury.
Continue On
If you enjoy this routine, there’s no reason you have to stop after returning home. Substitute this routine whenever you cannot make it to the gym or simply want to get outdoors for some exercise. As you practice these sessions, you might feel inclined to up the difficulty by trying out new jumping jack, sprinting or jump roping styles. You can also compete with friends and family to improve your edge and make these sessions even more fun.
