How many times has your workout routine disappeared into the ether because life got too busy? Late nights at work, back-to-back birthday dinners, first dates, blind dates, Netflix binges, boozy brunches, subsequent hangovers, subway delays, and laundry pileups are all insidious roadblocks on the path to our toned abs and perfectly lifted seats. With holiday season upon us, our calendars promise only to get more packed (and our litany of excuses more elaborate), so to help you combat the effects of all those incoming cocktail parties and platters of sugary festive treats, we’ve tapped the expertise of fitness maven Lauren Kanski. Lauren is an NYC-based personal trainer who specializes in functional strength training, athletic conditioning, and nutrition for weight loss. All you need is 20 minutes a day and a smidge of motivation. Laid out in bulleted directions, Lauren has made it super easy to incorporate these fat-busting, calorie-burning, muscle-toning routines into your schedule for maximum results in minimum time.  

Workout 1: Core and Glutes focus

“This workout is great for someone who sits the majority of the day. We want to keep the posterior (backside) and core activated while the demands of gravity pull on the joints in the seated position all day.”

Quadruped Cat Cow x10 
(tabletop position, drop belly, look up for cow, curl spine for cat)
Bird Dog x10 / side
(tabletop position, reach right arm long, left leg back, elbow to knee under the belly)
Glute bridges x15
(Lie on back with bent knees hip distance apart, and feet flat on floor. Engage the core and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips to a bridge. Hold, squeezing tight and return to floor.) 

First circuit: x3 
Lateral band walk x10 steps/side 
Jumping Jack squats :30 sec
High Plank shoulder taps :30 secs 

Second circuit: x4 
Squat walkouts with pushup x8 
Slow burpee x8

Third circuit: x3 
Kettlebell Goblet squat x12 
Lateral lunges with dumbbells x8 /side
(Hold weight at your chest, sink low into your squat staying tall and stand up) 

WORKOUT 2: QUADS, SHOULDERS, CHEST

“This workout mimics the demands of our daily lives. Incorporating balance, core and full body movement is great training for every aspect of life--from taking the trash out to stepping off a sidewalk curb unexpectedly.”

Warmup: 3 sets 
Walking lunges with thoracic spine twist x10 / side 
(open up through your arms across the leg you are stepping with) 
Kneeling pushups x10 
High plank to low plank x10

First circuit: 3 sets 
Double kettlebell split squats x15 /side
(take a tall half knee, stand up, lower down)
Split squat jumps :30 secs

Second circuit: 3 sets
Single leg standing dumbbell bilateral shoulder press x12
Renegade rows x12 / side
(in a high plank position, row one dumbbell up toward your side, keep your hips squared toward the floor)
Pushups x10

Third circuit: 4 sets
Dumbbell thrusters x10 
(squat to stand, press dumbbells overhead while you stand) o Dumbbell lateral raises x15 / side 
Jumping jacks :30secs

WORKOUT 3: PRESS/PULL

“This workout is designed to balance the body out from a postural standpoint. Whether seated all day or looking down at a laptop or texting on your phone, our necks can be in a bad position throughout the day. We need pulling movements coupled with pushing or pressing movements in a two-to-one ratio.”

Warmup: 3 sets 
Rolling forearm plank (side to center to side) :30secs
Bear crawl :30secs 
Wall squat holds 1:00

First circuit: 3 sets 
High knees :30secs 
Mountain climbers :30secs 
(Start in a plank position, pull right knee into your chest, quickly switch and pull left knee in, continue to switch knees)
Superman shoulder retractions x25 
(lie on your belly, squeeze your glutes and lift your legs and arms off the floor together, reach fingertips long, pull arms wide 25x times)

Second circuit: 4 sets 
Dumbbell or barbell Romanian deadlift x10 
Dumbbell bench press x10 
Hollow body hold :30secs 
(lift arms and legs off the floor while keeping lumbar spine flat against the floor)

Third circuit: 3 sets 
Pullups (assisted or unassisted) x12 
Tempo pushups (5 sec lower towards floor, 3 sec pause, quick push back up) x5
Bent over double dumbbell rows x12