Even when you have the best intentions, it can be hard to keep workout motivation high when on vacation.

After a day or two, a leisurely breakfast or an evening cocktail by the pool quickly becomes more appealing than a visit to the hotel gym.

“Holidays are for switching off, and after a day by the pool or the beach, the last thing most people want to do is head to the gym,” says fitness trainer Edwina Jenner.

Her solution? Get your workout done early with her 20-minute bodyweight vacation routine.

“It’s one of the simplest ways to move your body and not lose your fitness routine, without taking away any of your precious time to unwind,” Jenner tells Fit&Well.

“This is an effective full-body routine that will increase your heart rate, build strength, improve your coordination and balance, and positively impact your mood,” says Jenner.

You can do Jenner’s workout in your pants, pajamas or swimwear, with no equipment or preparation required.

All you need is a little floor space, and you can work your way through the four-exercise routine in just 20 minutes.

How to do the 20-minute vacation workout

Jenner’s vacation workout features four exercises in total and is structured around 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest.

Once you’ve done that for each exercise, you’ll have completed one round. Complete three rounds in total, taking a one-minute break between rounds.

And, if you’d like an extra challenge once you’ve done three rounds, there’s an optional finisher.

1. Unweighted squat

Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, as if you’re sitting back into a chair.
• Keep your chest facing forward and your knees in line with your toes.
• Push through your heels to stand upright, and squeeze your glutes.

2. Reverse lunge

Time: 45sec each side Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Step your left foot back.
• Bend both knees to 90° to lower, keeping your right knee over your right ankle and your torso facing forward.
• Push through your right foot to stand upright and bring your left foot hip-width apart from your right.
• Continue lunging on your left foot for 45 seconds, rest, then repeat with your right foot.

3. Push-up

Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec

• Kneel on the floor and place your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart, directly underneath your shoulders.
• Step your feet back so you’re on your hands and toes with your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Engage your core.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest with control, keeping your elbows at roughly 45° to your body.
• Push the floor away from you to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

Trainer tip: Place your hands on a raised surface such as the edge of a bed, a sturdy desk or a kitchen countertop to reduce the difficulty. The higher the surface, the easier it will be.

4. Standing ab curl

Time: 45sec each side Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your hands behind your head or by your temples.
• Lift your left knee and lower your right elbow, bringing them to meet in front of you—squeezing your abs as you move.
• Return to the starting position with control.
• Continue, bringing your left knee and right elbow to meet for 45 seconds, rest, then repeat on the other side.

5. Optional finisher: Wall sit

Time: 45-60sec

• Place your back flat against the wall.
• Step your feet away from the wall and slide your back down the wall until your knees are bent to 90°.
• Hold this position for time.

When many people resolve to get fit, they decide to launch straight into running. Running is great and all, but it’s demanding and jumping in feet first can leave you saying never again.

David J Sautter, a NASM-certified personal trainer at WalkFit tells Fit&Well that walking is great if you want to increase your activity levels.

“Performed regularly, it improves your cardiovascular health without putting too much strain on your heart and joints, making it a relatively risk-free form of exercise,” he says.

“It places less stress on your joints than higher-impact exercises such as running and can be adapted to suit a wide range of ages and fitness levels.”

“I recommend combining changes in speed and incline. This helps increase the session’s intensity while keeping it low-impact and accessible to most people.”

Sautter recommends you spend a few minutes warming up to gradually increase your heart rate and prepare your muscles and joints for the movement.

He says the following workout is challenging but achievable. If you struggle to maintain the pace or experience pain at any point, decrease the incline and slow down.

20-minute treadmill walking workout

1. Start

Time: 4min Pace: 2.5mph-3mph Incline: 0%-1%

“Start by setting the treadmill to an easy pace. This allows you to ease into the workout and get your body moving right away,” says Sautter.

2. Increase incline

Time: 4min Pace: 3mph-4mph Incline: 2%-3%

“At this stage, you should start to feel your breathing become slightly heavier while still being able to hold a conversation,” says Sautter.

3. Fast climb

Time: 4min Pace: 4mph-4.5mph Incline: 5%

“This may be the most challenging part of the workout,” says Sautter.

“It should feel like you are walking briskly up a hill, increasing the workload on your hamstrings, calves, glutes and cardiovascular system.”

4. Slow, steep climb

Time: 4min Pace: 2.5mph-3mph Incline: 6-7%

“This stimulates walking up a steeper hill and places greater demand on your lower-body muscles while challenging your balance and posture,” says Sautter.

5. Cool-down

Time: 4min Pace: 2.5mph-3mph Incline: 1%-2%

“These minutes can be used as a cool-down,” says Sautter.

“This will allow your heart rate and breathing to return to resting levels gradually.”

How to get the most out of your walking workout

Sautter recommends focusing on correct form and consistent effort.

“Keep your back straight, your shoulders relaxed and engage your core lightly to support your posture,” he says.

“Allow your arms to swing naturally and freely, and avoid holding onto the treadmill handrails unless necessary for balance as this can reduce the effectiveness of the workout.”

“Most importantly, keep at a pace and incline that feels challenging, but not painful. If you’re experiencing any pain or discomfort, stop the workout and seek professional help.”

To fit exercise into my busy week, I try to get up early and squeeze something in before my daughters come down for breakfast. I usually have about 30 minutes max before I’m back to mom duty so how I work out matters.

I’ll often do a circuit that uses EMOM (every minute on the minute) timings. You complete a certain number of repetitions of an exercise at the start of every minute, and your recovery is the remaining time on the clock before the next 60 seconds start.

I recommend this style of training if you’re on a tight schedule. There’s minimal downtime and workouts can build cardio fitness as well as muscular strength and endurance because you only have short recovery periods. As you get tired, you have to work harder to complete the repetitions, which is what improves fitness, strength and endurance.

As you get fitter, you might complete your repetitions faster, giving you more recovery time within the minute, in which case you can increase the repetitions to keep things challenging.

If it sounds like a good fit for your goals, try this five-move workout I created.

How to do the EMOM workout

You will need a set of dumbbells or a kettlebell for this workout. Do 10 reps of every exercise, one after the other, and complete four rounds.

Each exercise starts at the beginning of the new minute, with any remaining time used as rest. For example, if the first exercise—the goblet squat— takes you 40 seconds, then you will have 20 seconds rest before the next move at the next minute mark.

If your RDL reps take 50 seconds, you will have only 10 seconds of rest before moving on, and so on.

Don’t compromise technique just because you want to complete your reps quickly and have a longer rest. If you are new to EMOM workouts, try two rounds and then increase this as you get fitter.

Resist the urge to make it as hard as possible. Pace yourself so that you can complete your reps without having to stop halfway because you’ve started too fast, or picked a weight that’s too heavy. Because of the short rest periods, what feels hard at first can become impossible by the final round.

It’s helpful to keep a log of how you perform in the workout each time you do it. Over time, you might notice you can complete your reps quicker, add more reps to each minute, or can use a heavier weight.

1. Goblet squat

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in front of your chest with both hands.
• Engage your core.
• Bend your knees and sit your hips back to lower, keeping your chest facing forward.
• Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Press through your heels and squeeze your buttocks to stand back up.

2. Romanian deadlift

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing you.
• Engage your core, and set your shoulders back and down.
• Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back to lower the weights down the front of your legs, keeping your back flat throughout.
• Pause when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then squeeze your glutes as you drive your hips forward to return to the starting position.

3. Bent-over row

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides, palms facing.
• Engage your core, and set your shoulders back and down.
• Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, letting your arms hang down—this is your starting position.
• Lift the dumbbells to your hips, drawing your elbows past your torso.1
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
• Lower the weights slowly with control.

4. Plank shoulder tap

Reps: 10

• Start in a high plank position with your shoulders directly above your hands, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Raise one hand and tap your opposite shoulder, keeping your hips stable.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Glute bridge

Reps: 10

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor, hip-width apart and your arms by your sides.
• Push through your heels to raise your hips, making a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower your hips back down slowly.

A spare 20 minutes can disappear before you know it. If I have a little free time, I always find myself dilly-dallying or starting chores but not finishing them. The time always feels wasted, even if I approach it with the intention to be productive.

We Run coach Amanda Grimm thinks 20 minutes is just long enough to invest in yourself and complete a quick, easy treadmill workout.

“We all have those days where work takes over or the weather outside is awful. Just remind yourself it’s only 20 minutes, and it actually could be one of the most effective workouts you do,” she says.

While it might not be the most challenging workout you do, if you are able to put aside just 20 minutes, you’ll feel better for it. Your focus, mood and stress levels are likely to improve.

“It does wonders for your mental health,” says Grimm.

“I often remind my clients that a 20-minute workout is always better than nothing. I personally love walking outdoors for the fresh air and for a better view. However, that’s my choice, and walking on a treadmill is brilliant when life gets in the way.”

“Both get you moving, and that’s what actually matters.”

20-minute treadmill walking workout

1. Warm-up

Time: 5min

Walk at a comfortable pace. You should be able to speak in full sentences, but stride forward with purpose and gradually increase your heart rate.

2. Intervals

Time: 10min

Walk for two minutes at a challenging pace, then walk for two minutes at an easy walking pace. Repeat until 10 minutes have elapsed.

3. Cool-down

Time: 5min

Walk at an easy pace, ensuring your heart rate gradually decreases.

How to get more out of this workout

Swing your arms

Grimm says that she always reminds clients to swing their arms naturally when they walk. This way, you burn more calories and work the core of your body, rather than just the legs.

Add incline

“If you can increase the incline slightly every time you train, even just by 1%, this makes a difference as it mimics outdoor walking,” says Grimm.

Incline is a great way to add challenge and progress your fitness without speeding up or spending longer on the treadmill.

My exercise routine has been a bit inconsistent over the past few years. Like everyone else, I switched to at-home workouts in early 2020, but I primarily focused on developing core strength and upper body muscle.

It took a while (thanks, global pandemic shortages), but I eventually managed to get a set of the best adjustable dumbbells. I've stuck to strength training workouts ever since, but I used to enjoy cardio-focused exercise as well.

Now that winter has passed, it's much more comfortable to exercise with the windows open to stay cool. The time seemed right to give cardio another try, so I looked around for a quick routine I could fit into my day.

That's when I found this 20-minute high-intensity workout on YouTube. It seemed long enough to raise my heart rate but short enough that I could realistically get it done without rearranging my schedule.

Watch The Body Coach's 20-minute workout

Joe Wicks, the personal trainer also known as The Body Coach, guides you through the routine, demoing each move so you can see how it's meant to look. Plus, I figured doing it at the same time as the instructor would keep me motivated.

The key to this workout is how you train; exercise for 40 seconds, take a 20-second break, then carry on to the next move. This is known as High Intensity Interval Training, and it's a time-efficient way to exercise.

I had no idea how I'd do after so long away from cardio, but I'd settled on a routine, so it was time to get started. I loaded up the YouTube video, put in a set of the best workout earbuds, and gave it a go. Here's what happened.

1. My core got a good workout

Most of my workouts focus on building core strength. This area of mid-body muscle—which includes your rectus abdominis (abs)—plays an essential role in your body, encouraging stability and promoting blood circulation.

When I'm training with weights, moves like kettlebell swings, dumbbell snatches, and weighted squats help work my core, but this HIIT session had plenty of bodyweight alternatives, including some of the best workouts for abs.

There were squat jumps, planks, crunches, push-ups, and walkouts, focusing on your ab muscles and core. It was a refreshing reminder that you don't have to be lifting heavy weights to build muscle and get stronger.

2. It made me feel good

There are days you want to train hard and really push yourself. But exercise isn't punishment, and I'm not always in the mood for that. Sometimes, I just want to unwind, move my body, and feel good, and that's precisely what I got from this workout.

That's not to say that this routine was too easy. The good thing about HIIT is that you can make it as hard or as intense as you want. Whether you're after a sweaty session or something a bit more relaxed, you can adjust the intensity of each exercise.

Plus, Wicks offers modifications for many of the moves. These are ideal if you're just starting out or returning to exercise after some time away. During the workout, I took the knees-down push-up variation instead, as it was what I needed at that moment.

3. Distractions are inevitable

While I was in the middle of a plank, my dog decided she really wanted to come to see me. She clambered over my back, ran under my arms, and put her paw on my face. As much as I tried, I didn't get through the entire 40 seconds for that move.

It happens. Although exercise routines are pretty regimented (40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest, eight reps of this, four sets of that), you can be flexible and still benefit from your training.

With the plank, I decided not to try and make the time back, and cutting it short by eight seconds didn't spoil the session. But sometimes, I do add another set onto the end of the workout if I feel like I need it. Do what feels right for you.