Happy first day of December, everyone! Can you believe we're in the last month of 2015?! Me neither. Now that Thanksgiving is over, you might be finding yourself needing to get back in the swing of (fitness) things this week. I've put together this total body workout to jump start (or continue) your fitness routine after the Thanksgiving holiday. Holidays are packed with traveling and family visits, so resistance band workouts are fantastic for keeping up your fitness when you're on the road. Of course, they provide better resistance than bodyweight alone, which makes them ideal for working your muscles while you're on the go.

This one is a full hour workout if you complete it twice through (recommended), but if you're short on time today, you can always drop it down to once through for a 30-minute total body workout. Ready for the fun? Let's get started!

Resistance Band Total Body Workout with Cardio Intervals

Resistance Band Total Body Workout w/ Cardio Intervals

Equipment Needed: 1 resistance band with handles and some floor space + a timer.
What You'll Do: each exercise in every round will use the resistance band except for the cardio move. You'll start with exercise #1 in round 1 and go through each move for 1 minute. Between each exercise, you'll do that round's designated cardio exercise for 1 minute. So, you'll alternate exercise #1, cardio, exercise #2, cardio... and so on. Go through the full 3 rounds two times, which will take about an hour to complete.

Round 1: Legs

Designated Cardio: Jump Reaches - squat down as low as you can get keeping your chest up and gaze up above you. From here, propel yourself up and jump as high as you can reaching your arms up above you as you jump.

1. Side Steps (4 each way) - start by standing on top of the resistance band, holding the handles at your sides so the band is coming up on the outside of your foot. From here, hold a slight bend in your knees and step to one side for 4 steps. Go back the way you came for 4 steps. Every step will pull the band slightly and you should feel it in your outer thighs.

- 1 minute jump reaches -

2. Lying Side Kicks + Pulse (1 minute each leg) - lie on one side with the band wrapped around the top foot, holding the handles up by your abdomen. Keeping the handles where they are, extend that top leg out as if performing a slow side kick, driving with your heel. Do 10 kicks, then keep your leg out straight and do 10 pulses up and down. Keep alternating 10 kicks and 10 pulses for 1 minute, then switch to the other leg.

- 1 minute jump reaches -

3. Donkey Kicks (1 minute each leg) - get into an all-4's position with one band handle wrapped around your right foot (flat part on the bottom of your foot), with the rest of the band underneath your hands holding firmly on the ground. From here, bring your right knee into your chest and then immediately extend it out straight as if kicking behind you. Do all kicks on the right leg for 1 minute before switching to the left.

- 1 minute jump reaches -

4. Resisted Glute Bridges - lie on your back, legs bent, heels in close by your butt, with the band resting over your pelvis. Hold the band firmly to the ground so your hands are planted, and perform a glute bridge by raising your pelvis up towards the ceiling. Press through your heels and squeeze your glutes at the top. Remember to keep the band pulled taught as you raise so you feel the resistance.

- 1 minute jump reaches -

Round 2: Abs

Designated Cardio: Cross-Body Mountain Climbers - just like regular mountain climbers, but instead of bringing your knees to your chest straight on, cross them to the opposite side of your chest. Trainer Tip: if the running is too much, slow it down to just stepping.

1. Rowing Straight Leg Sit Ups - lie on your back with your legs out straight, band wrapped around your feet, holding the handles by your sides. Keep your legs out straight and do a full sit up, pulling the band handles in toward your armpits as you come up. Reverse the movement by slowly releasing tension on the band as you slowly lower yourself back down. Trainer Tip: when rowing, keep your shoulders down and relaxed as much as possible and focus on using the muscles in your upper back to do the work.

- 1 minute cross-body MC -

2. Resisted Side Plank Pulls (1 minute each side) - this one is challenging to explain so bear with me. You'll start in a side plank, holding a band handle in the top hand and the other hand holding the band in place underneath it. Keeping your torso in that side plank, pull the band across your chest (elbow up towards the ceiling) so there's tension. Release it back down. Keep pulling (like a side facing lawnmower almost) for 1 minute each side. Trainer Tip: if the full side plank is too much, drop your bottom leg so your propped up on that knee, keeping your top leg extended out straight.

- 1 minute cross-body MC -

3. Resisted Russian Twists - like regular Russian twists, but the band is looped around your feet and you're pulling the handles to each side. You have the option here to either keep your feet on the ground (knees bent, feet flexed), or for an added challenge, raise them up off the floor.

- 1 minute cross-body MC -

4. Resisted Leg Lifts - lie on your back with your legs out straight, band wrapped around your feet, holding the handles up by your sides. Keeping your upper body planted on the ground, lift your legs up and bring your knees to your chest. Extend them back out reversing the movement and bringing them back to the floor. Keep going for 1 minute.

- 1 minute cross-body MC -

Round 3: Arms

Designated Cardio: Frog Stamp Jumps w/ Push Up - start in a high plank and jump your feet to the outside of your hands keeping your hands on the ground the whole time. Jump your feet back out into a plank and do 1 push up. Come back up into a plank and jump your feet to your hands again. Keep alternating jump up, jump back, push up for 1 minute.

1. Lawnmowers - stand in a semi-lunge position with your left leg forward, right leg back straight, band underneath your left foot and handle out on the right side. (Make sure your foot is relatively close to the handle to allow resistance when you pull.) Using your right arm (left arm is lightly propped on your knee), pull the band up to your chest while turning your upper body to look toward the ceiling. Release it back down close to the floor. Pull up again. Repeat that motion for 1 minute on the right arm, and then switch to the other side.

- 1 minute frog stamp jumps w/ push up -

2. Bicep Curl to Shoulder Press - start standing with one foot slightly in front of the other, band underneath the front foot, holding the handles by your sides. From here, do a bicep curl, then immediately press the band handles up over your head. Reverse the movement back down to starting position. Keep going for 1 minute. Trainer Tip: if the double-arm approach is too much, you can do this one arm at a time (holding the band in only one hand) to release some of the tension. If you do this, go for 30 seconds on each arm.

- 1 minute frog stamp jumps w/ push up -

3. Resisted Lateral Raises - you're still in a standing position with the band under your feet and handles by your sides. From here, keep your arms straight and lift the band up out to the side as high as you can. It might not be a very high raise, and that's okay! Lower back down. Keep the raises going for 1 minute. Trainer Tip: if the resistance is too much with the band under both feet, step one foot back so you're in a slight lunge and do the move with the band under one foot.

- 1 minute frog stamp jumps w/ push up -

4. Straight Arm Tricep Kickbacks - this is another one you'll do standing either with the band under both feet or one depending on your resistance preference. What you're doing is hinging slightly forward at the hips, chest up, gaze forward. Keeping your arms straight with your palms facing front, raise your arms straight up behind you, squeezing the backs of your arms at the top of the raise. Slowly lower your arms back down to your sides. Keep raising and lowering for 1 minute.

- 1 minute frog stamp jumps w/ push up -

Remember to go through each round once more for the full workout today! I hope your whole body feels it!

Readers: chat with me! How was your holiday? Did you stay active over the break or did you take the time to relax? How are you getting back into the swing of physical activity now? Do you enjoy resistance band workouts?