December is great for many things – socialising, scoffing, falling out with relatives – but sticking to a training schedule is not one of them.

Heading out the door on Christmas morning for a two-hour long run is likely to put anyone on the naughty list, while it takes a dedicated runner indeed to spend part of the festive period running loops of the track.

What the mere mortal needs is exercise “snacks”. These can be enjoyed/endured alongside the carb-based variety and snuck in to even the busiest Christmas schedule.

A review in Sports Medicine and Health Research confirmed that regular, short bursts of physical activity throughout the day improved cardiovascular respiratory fitness, increased fat oxidation and polished off blood sugar levels after eating.

Vigorous intermittent exercises, such as sprints, were good for building muscle strength. Meanwhile, 10-minute resistance training sessions were found to be particularly beneficial to older people. The researchers concluded that exercise snacks could be a viable alternative to longer, less frequent sessions.

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Cram in vigorous bouts of stair climbing for muscle strength, or one or two sub-10 minute morsels for muscle growth as an efficient alternative to meatier long sessions. Here’s some inspo below…

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3 exercise snacks to gorge on

Try these simple workouts for results on the quick

For upper-body

Press-ups: 3 x 20 with a 30-sec rest between (b/w) reps

Bench dips: 3 x 15 with a 30-sec rest b/w reps

For lower-body

Bodyweight squats: 3 x 20 with 20-sec rest b/w reps

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Wall sit: 2 x 90 secs with 1-min rest b/w reps

For cardio fitness

Burpees: 3 x 20 with 30-sec rest b/w reps

Skipping: 4mins consisting of 1min normal, 1min high knees, 1min normal, 1min high knees

I love many different herbal teas just as much as I enjoy a good old-fashioned British cup of PG tips, Earl Grey, or Glengettie — a Welsh favorite from the rolling valleys where I was born. In an interesting study, researchers explored whether drinking green or matcha tea can improve sports performance and exercise recovery, and the results might have you reaching for a vibrant green drink. If you want to get straight to the results, the short answer is that drinking green and matcha tea can support hydration, body fat control, and exercise recovery. Still, it definitely won’t be a game-changer when it comes to your performance in the gym, on the court, or on the field.

Hydrating with tea

In a study published in Nutrition and Food Technology, researchers reviewed existing studies of athletes and active adults that focused solely on drinking tea — no pills or extracts. They revealed that green or matcha tea can help hydrate the body when consumed in normal amounts. Tea counts toward your daily water intake.

Antioxidants and recovery

The research highlighted how the widely-studied antioxidants in green and matcha tea can improve exercise recovery and help protect your cells from the stress associated with intense exercise. That said, the research shows that drinking tea won’t lead to faster or better strength gains, so it’s no silver bullet for helping you achieve your fitness goals. However, they also concluded that low-caffeine green tea could even improve sleep quality, which I would argue could potentially help you power through that workout if you’re getting better sleep the night before.

Linked to lower body fat

Interestingly, the study authors also concluded that drinking around two or three cups of green or matcha tea per day was associated with slightly lower body fat and improved body composition and fat burning. While the effects weren’t overly significant, they were noted in the research. Cup of tea, anyone?

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was a feat few artists could imagine. Spanning 632 days from March 2023 to December 2024, the tour included 149 shows across five continents and became the highest-grossing tour in history. Behind the glittering performances, Swift relied on an intense and meticulously planned exercise routine to sustain the stamina required for her marathon three-and-a-half-hour concerts.

Preparing for a Physical Marathon

Before the tour began, Swift recognized the physical challenge she was about to face. “I never would’ve believed you if you told me we were doing a three-and-a-half-hour show. Saying it is one thing, doing it is another,” she admitted in the Disney+ docuseries The End of an Era. For comparison, her longest previous show had lasted just two hours and 15 minutes.

To meet these demands, Swift began training six months ahead of her first rehearsal. Her daily treadmill sessions mirrored the tempo of the songs she would perform live, with faster tracks prompting running and slower songs calling for brisk walks or light jogging. “You just don’t want them to see you panting,” she explained to TIME.

Strength and Conditioning Regimen

While cardio built endurance, strength training ensured she could perform high-energy choreography without fatigue. Under the guidance of longtime trainer Kirk Myers, Swift tackled exercises such as battle ropes, medicine ball throws, assisted pull-ups, sledgehammer workouts, leg raises, and Russian twists. Myers described her as “the most resilient person I have ever met,” highlighting her ability to persevere through challenging workouts.

Swift’s humor surfaced even during difficult exercises. “In no way do I ever apply this … at any point in the show, I just want to flag that as I do every time I have to do pull-ups. Strong dislike. Two thumbs down,” she said, referring to resistance band-assisted pull-ups. She jokingly attributed her increasing strength to “all the pent-up rage and resentment” she felt toward the moves.

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Dance Training and On-Stage Precision

Beyond the gym, Swift committed three months to dance rehearsals with choreographer Mandy Moore to ensure every move was second nature. “I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought,” she shared with TIME. The precision extended to rapid costume changes, often completed in under 1 minute and 15 seconds, with the fastest taking just 39 seconds.

Swift ran an estimated eight miles per show while performing over 40 songs that spanned her musical eras. High-cardio sections, including the 1989 and Reputation sets, were particularly demanding. Yet she described the physical challenge as secondary to the personal purpose the tour provided, especially during a period marked by two breakups.

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