The festive season can throw our exercise routines out the window. You might be staying somewhere different, with no access to a gym. Maybe your yoga studio is closed or social sport is on a break. Or you might just be too flat out with social events to find the time.

For some people, a break from pushing their bodies will be exactly what they need.

But others will want to keep up the fitness and strength they’ve been working on throughout the year – and some will crave the mental release.

Here are some low-equipment, time-efficient strategies to keep you exercising through the break.

If you want to stay fit over the festive season, walking can be an easy and effective low-impact way to keep enjoying the health benefits of cardio exercise.

But how much should you walk? The more steps you take each day, the lower your risk of dying early, from any cause.

For adults 60 years and older, the benefits plateau around 6,000–8,000 steps a day, and for those under 60, at 8,000–10,000 steps. So these are good to aim for.

But people who run a lot or play a sport may be trying to maintain a higher level of cardio fitness over the holidays.

So, say you have been including brisk walks, running or high-intensity interval training into your routine.

You can reduce the number of sessions (for example, from five to two sessions a week) and/or how long they last (for........

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