Dear reader, happy holidays! 'Tis the season to rejoice with your family, share in the spirit of giving, and watch a year's worth of hard training go down the drain. Let's be honest—apart from waiting in long lines at the airport and reuniting with people who are best loved from afar, the holidays ensure two things: blubbering up with fatty food and sleeping in strange homes or hotels where it seems almost impossible to get in a good workout. By the time the New Year rolls around, it's no wonder you end up making the same ol' resolution again: "To get back in shape!" Happy holidays, indeed.

But we're not really that cynical here at MF. That's because we know holiday travels and tribulations don't have to mean a loss of progress or a long layoff from training.

In fact, it's actually possible to sustain or improve the condition you're in with very little maintenance at all. And with our Bare Essentials Workout, we'll show you how to do it—in just 20 minutes a day. The program offers two options you can employ over the next eight weeks for getting in a muscle-building, gut-busting workout when all you have at your disposal is a minimum of equipment. Take it with you on the road or to Aunt Tilly's house, or use it in your own minimally equipped home gym when time is short. Either way, you'll start the New Year right where you left off—in shape.