How to Stay Toned While Traveling Labor Day , According to Certified Fitness Trainer Denise Chakoian

Summer travel is in full swing, and between the airport lines, delayed flights, and packed itineraries, keeping up a fitness routine often falls to the bottom of the list. Whether you’re staying in a hotel, crashing at a friend’s house, or renting a weekend Airbnb, the idea of staying in shape on the road can feel unrealistic.

But according to seasoned certified fitness trainer, Denise Chakoian founder of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree in Rhode Island, it doesn’t have to. With 30 years of experience training clients of all levels, Chakoian believes the key to staying consistent is keeping it simple, smart, and doable in any space. “Most people overthink it,” she says. “You don’t need a full gym. You need a floor, a chair, maybe a towel, and the willingness to move with intention.”

Episode 162: Interview With Denise Chakoian Owner of The Core Studio

For nearly three decades, Denise Chakoian has been a fixture in Rhode Island’s fitness scene—first as a competitive dancer, then as an instructor, and ultimately as the founder of CORE Cycle and Fitness LaGree, the first studio in the state to introduce the high-intensity, low-impact Lagree Method. Her journey blends business savvy, personal resilience, and a deep commitment to helping others thrive.

If You Want To Lose Weight and Only Have 10 Minutes, Here’s What Trainers Say You Should Do

Denise Chakoian, CPT and founder of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree, prefers a high-intensity workout for 10 minutes that’s a mix of cardio and weights. She says to start with one minute of running/sprinting outdoors or on a treadmill, followed by a 1-minute strength exercise using your body weight or weights (depending on what you have), then continue this 1.1 workout of high-intensity cardio and a full-body strength exercise.

This Trainer-Approved Arm Workout Requires No Weights (And No Push-Ups)

The upper body contains dozens—yes, dozens!—of muscles. But when we talk about upper body workouts, we’re usually talking about major muscle groups like the anterior deltoid (the front of the shoulder), the posterior deltoid (the back of the shoulder), the major and minor pectoral muscles, the biceps, the triceps, the lats and the rhomboids, says Denise Chakoian, a certified personal trainer and the founder of CORE fitness studio in Providence, Rhode Island. “Around these big muscles, we have small accessory muscles that work in tandem with the big ones.”