Travel workout: Fitness tips for business travelers

If your job keeps you on the road, you know how challenging it can be to maintain your fitness program. Hours of travel and back-to-back meetings may leave little room in your schedule for a travel workout — but exercise isn't a lost cause. A little dedication and planning can help you stay in shape when you're traveling. Consider these simple travel-workout tips.

Pack for fitness

Before your trip, contact the hotel and ask about on-site or nearby fitness facilities — then pack accordingly. Your travel-workout essentials may include:

• Athletic shoes
• Exercise clothing
• Swimsuit
• Jump-rope
• Resistance tubing
• Tennis racket
• Music and headphones
• Exercise video or DVD
• Weightlifting gloves

For a different type of travel workout, you might ask the hotel staff about renting in-line skates or a bicycle.

Start right away

Wear your walking shoes when you travel. If you're traveling by train, walk through the cars occasionally. Walk outdoors when the train stops to let passengers on and off. If you're driving, take frequent breaks to get out and stretch. Even a short walk around a rest area can boost your mood and energy level.

Check out the facilities

When you arrive at your destination, check out the fitness facilities at your hotel or a nearby health club — then schedule time for a travel workout. If the options seem limited, get creative:

• Check out local parks and trails. Ask the hotel staff about safe routes for walking or running.
• Use the halls. Walk up and down the hotel halls. Better yet, climb the stairs between hallway laps.
• Get wet. Swim laps in the hotel pool.
• Skip rope. Use a jump-rope in the hotel's fitness room or at the edge of the parking area.
• Do jumping jacks. Try a few sets right in your room.
• March in place. Pump your arms to increase your calorie-burning power.
• Try aerobics. Follow an aerobics program on TV or online, or play an exercise video or DVD from home.
• Use resistance tubing. These stretchy tubes offer weight-like resistance when you pull on them. You can use resistance tubing in your travel workout to build strength in nearly any muscle group.
• Take advantage of your own body weight. Try push-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.

Stick to your routine

If you're used to early morning, noon or evening workouts, try to exercise at the same time when you travel. Maintaining your normal routine may help you adjust to time changes and the stress of business travel.

If jet lag or extreme schedule changes leave you exhausted, make your travel workout shorter or lighter than usual. It's OK to take it easy once in a while, but remember the energizing effect of regular exercise — which may be just what you need to get down to business.

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