Workout ‘Snacks’ Are The Key To Squeezing In Exercise Over The Holidays
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Celebrity trainer Kira Stokes has been in the fitness world for a long time, and has built up a pretty impressive clientele list that includes big name celebrities. Candace Cameron Bure, Ashley Graham, and Norah O’Donnell all swear by her routines, and often tout her approachable—and fun—workouts.
Of course, Stokes' work with celebrities means she's an expert in fitting effective workouts into their very busy life, work, filming, and interview schedules. So, she definitely has some thoughts on how to squeeze in workouts during the holidays, keeping you on track with your strength and wellness goals. It's a notoriously tough time to get your sweat on—travel, work parties, and family commitments get in the way of that "me" time you're used to. The good news: You don’t need to set aside a huge chunk of time or disrupt any carefully-laid plans to stay on track.
Stokes, who makes her curated workouts accessible to everyone through her Kira Stokes Fit App ($14.99/month), just shared her best holiday workout hacks with Women’s Health—and they're surprisingly easy to accomplish.
Incorporate little workout “snacks” throughout the day.
Workout “snacks” are exactly what they sound like—little chunks of exercise you squeeze in throughout the day that add up to a super solid workout. Think: A 10-minute circuit in the morning before breakfast, 20 minutes while the kids are napping, another 10 minutes before heading out for a holiday cocktails event. That's a whopping 40-minute workout you got in through the course of the day.
Start with this 10-minute workout from Women's Health:
"It all adds up in your wellness bank," she explains.
Stokes says this method of breaking up your workouts can even be better for your overall health. “There are so many studies out now recently that show that [this] is an incredible option for your body because it keeps your metabolism revved,” she adds. “If you're always throwing a little movement in there and keeping your body guessing, your brain goes, ‘Oh wait, what are we doing now? This is not our normal time to work out.’”
Stokes stresses that “you need to shift your mindset to realize that every little bit counts.”
In her own app and with her personal clients, the trainer incorporates this idea in her “stacking” method, which involves combining several shorter workouts to create a full exercise routine, or "stack."
“I really started that stacking method—that's what I'm known for, Stoked Stacks—so that you never have the excuse that you don't have enough time. You could just do five minutes… or you could stack a 20-minute workout with a five-minute workout in the programs offered on the app.”
Stokes' app workouts also has options for people who don’t have weights at home. “There’s literally something for everyone,” she says. “And then there's beginner, intermediate, advanced.”
Get your family involved.
It can be tough to find time away from family during the holidays, but you don't need to think of your workout as a "solo" activity. In fact, Stokes recommends inviting your loved ones to join in your workout "snacks."
“Kids, family members—they love short little workouts,” she says.
If they're not into working out or don't want to join, that's okay! You're only asking for a short amount of time to build up a little sweat and take care of yourself.
When Stokes is visiting her family, she'll tell her sister, she just needs a little bit of time, and then, "'I'm all yours, all day, but I need that time.' Usually the person will go, ‘I totally get it. Take what you need.’”
A little workout time, even if it involves getting fathers, brothers, husbands, children, or siblings in on the workout, during the busy holiday season can be beneficial for everyone. “It's really important to remember that you’re important, too,” she says.
Try out the Stoked 4x3.
Stokes’ app now has a Stoked 4x3 category that’s designed to help meet you where you’re at, especially when you don't have extra time to spare. The method involves doing four moves in a circuit, three times each. And it'll definitely get your heart pumping.
Each of the workouts are 20 minutes or less, and are curated to target full body, lower body, or upper body. “I can't tell you how popular this category is,” Stokes says. “After two months, every time I go to add a new workout, every request is for ‘I want more 4x3s.’”
In the Stoked 4x3, each move "flows seamlessly into the next," she explains. "There's never a moment where we're not actually doing something or infusing mobility into [the workout] to give your muscles rest while we're working through some mobility work.”
Opt for heavier weights.
A shorter sweat sesh, like those offered in the Stoked 4x3, doesn't have to mean you're taking it easy. “You can get a kick-butt workout in 20 minutes if you just if you grab the proper weights,” she says.
Recently, she’s been getting lots of requests from people using the app for workouts that use heavier weights. “We can't just do fine tuning [workouts]—you also need to lift heavier,” she says.
At the end of the day, though, it's about taking a little time for yourself to exercise. “You can find every excuse in the book,” she says. “You’re stronger than your excuses.”
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