With Christmas just around the corner, Mathew Moine, Park Manager at British Military Fitness (BMF), has compiled three short workouts to help you look great just in time for Christmas.

5 Minute Workout
If you only have five minutes to spare then the burpee is the ultimate full body exercise working your chest, arms, front of shoulders, thighs, abdominals and lower back giving you a total body conditioning.

The Burpee
The perfect burpee is otherwise known as a squat thrust followed by a jump. Follow the steps below to execute the exercise correctly:

1. Stand with your feet just under shoulder width apart, bend knees and reach down and place hands on the floor so that you are sitting on your heels in a crouch position of a squat thrust.
2. Transfer all your weight onto your hands
3. Thrust legs out and back as a normal squat thrust
4. From the squatting position jump up with hands above your head and your back straight, feet leaving the floor before hitting the ground again and returning to the squatting position and start again.

Aim: 15 burpees, (or to failure), repeat three times
Why: The burpee can make a difference to your overall conditioning because your bodyweight provides plenty of resistance for a workout that improves your strength, stamina and aids fat loss. Add up those repetitions and it becomes a great cardio workout too!

10 Minute Workout
With an extra five minutes available alternate your burpee workout with alternate leg v-sits to give you a flat stomach.

Alternate Leg V-Sits
1. Lie on your back with your arms and legs together and fully extended on the ground.
2. Slowly raise your head, shoulders and arms off the floor by contracting your stomach muscles whilst raising one leg.
3. Make sure that your eyes stay focused straight up as you aim to touch the toes with both hands. Slowly lower then repeat but this time raising the opposite leg

Aim: 30 v-sits, repeat three times
Why: Combining this exercise with the burpee will ensure that your abdominal area becomes defined, as this movement works most of the abdominal wall.

15 Minute Workout
To make sure you have toned upper body in time for all the Christmas parties, spend some additional time focusing on your arms and chest. The press up from plank position is a great way to exercise and work your upper arms and strengthen the pectorals. This move also demands good core strength.

The Press Up to Plank
1. Lying horizontal and face down, place your hands under your shoulders with your palms on the ground. Curl your toes upward so that the balls of your feet touch the ground.
2. Raise yourself using your arms, supporting your weight by your hands and the balls of your feet. This is your 'start' position. Bending your elbows, lower your body towards the ground as you breathe in. Your neck and head, and back should remain perfectly straight throughout the movement
3. When your elbows reach a 90 degree angle, push away from the ground as you breath out and return to the start position
4. If you cannot manage a full range of movement, then maintain a flat back and drop onto your knees for your 'start' position. Then continue the exercise on your knees, but remember that straight back.

Aim: 20 press-ups to plank, repeat three times
Why: Adding press-ups to plank to your workout will define your arms but the exercise also requires the trunk muscles to remain in a fixed position working additional abdominal muscles.

Mathew's top tips
1. Eat complex carbohydrates such as porridge or whole grain cereal at breakfast to keep your energy stored for longer.
2. Use a smaller plate to moderate portion sizes.
3. Buy exotic or dried fruits to snack on or eat a combination of seeds & nuts.
4. Take the skin off chicken & turkey after cooking (it can add up to an extra 10% of fat).
5. Cut down on your alcohol intake. Recommended intakes are 14 units for women and 21 units for men. (a unit is ½ pint of lager, a single spirit measure or a 125ml glass of wine).