Try This Quick (and Easy) Circuit Workout When You Need a Break From Holiday Family Gatherings.

The holidays are a time for rest, relaxation, and eating enough reindeer cookies to fill your entire body. Your fitness goals can wait until New Year’s, of course. But if you find yourself in a house where someone has said, “Well, actually,” for the third time in ten minutes and you need to escape to your old bedroom before you say something you’ll regret, here’s a quick (and quiet) bodyweight workout you can do surrounded by your school participation trophies.

Circuit training

Here are my favorite exercises for beginners that will help you effectively relieve stress. I hope you have some floor space next to your bed.

Tactical Door Push-Ups (10-15 reps)

These are classic push-ups, but you listen carefully to your footsteps. Is someone about to ask why you ran out of the living room? This adds an element of suspense that really engages your core muscles. You can perform the exercise on your knees if needed.

Squats for the sake of harm (20 reps)

Do a few deep squats, mentally crafting the perfect counterargument you’ll never actually say. Feel the burn in your quads and gain composure. Make sure you push your hips back until your thighs are parallel to the floor, trying to keep your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and in line with your toes. Bonus points if you can do this quietly enough that no one downstairs hears the creaking floorboards.

Frustration Lunges (10 each leg)

Do a lunge from your bed onto your old dresser (the one still covered in stickers, right?). Think of each lunge as an argument you’ve wisely chosen not to bring up. You’re not avoiding conflict; you’re being generous. And you’re strengthening your glutes!

Remember, when performing a lunge, your front knee should be over your ankle, not over your toes. Keep your torso upright and your core engaged.

Diplomatic plank (30-60 seconds)

Get into a plank position, reflecting on how you’ve become the most emotionally mature person in your family. It’s harder than it seems, both physically and existentially. If you need to kneel after 20 seconds, that’s okay—you’re still doing better than the person sitting on the bottom. My top tip for maintaining a straight posture is to engage your glutes more than you think.

Passive-Aggressive Climbers (30 seconds)

Fast, quiet mountaineering headphones that let you blow off steam without making enough noise to let anyone know you’ve stormed out of a family gathering. Imagine running away from a discussion, but standing silently on the floor of your childhood.

Peacemaker Exercise: Glute Bridges (15-20 reps)

Lie on your back (by the way, you’re already thinking about taking a nap), place your feet on the floor, and lift your hips. Each bridge represents your elevation above the current. You’re literally rising. Metaphorically and gluteally.

Zen Bicycle Crunches (20 total)

Finish the exercise with crunches, imagining yourself pedaling away from the situation. Alternate elbow and knee movements, finding your center of gravity.

Cool down

Sit on the edge of your too-small bed, breathing deeply, feeling refreshed and energized, and feeling only a hint of guilt for leaving your family. Check your phone. Consider going downstairs. You hear someone raise their voice and mention “fake news,” “snowflakes,” or whatever else is being discussed today. Repeat.

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