You are here: Home > About Us > Staff Articles
How to "Stay Structured" on a Fitness Regimen While Traveling
Peggy Norwood, M.A. is exercise director of Structure House, a weight loss facility in Durham, N.C., where she specializes in cardiac rehabilitation, exercise and aquatic fitness and personal training.
Below she offers tips on how to "Stay Structured" when traveling.
1) Plan Ahead: When you select your lodging, consider what exercise facilities are available. Take an online virtual tour of the hotel and its fitness facility prior to booking your room, so you know what is available in advance. If they do not have a facility, they may be affiliated with a local gym where you can get a one-day pass for a small fee.
2) Investigate the Area: If your exercise program includes a running component, you should be aware of restrictions that could exist in some urban areas. Ask hotel personnel for suggestions for safe running routes or a local school with a track available to the public, or find a local running club so that you can meet people of similar interests and lessen your worry about getting lost.
3) Pack a jump rope and exercise bands: Consider packing a jump rope and exercise bands in your suitcase. These lightweight bands are great for strength training and travel easily.
4) Explore! Ask the concierge of your hotel to recommend local natural areas so you can discover the beauty of the area and get a great hike in at the same time.
5) Plan your trip schedule in advance and make an appointment with yourself to exercise. Business trips are fraught with hectic schedules, meetings and lunches that leave little extra time for the business traveler. Plan a specific time each day or every other day, to do your strengthening and cardiovascular routines (a good plan is to alternate days between the two). Remember that the 20 to 60 minutes you spend working out each day is for you, and try to stay on schedule.
6) Take a Break: Think of the benefits to maintaining your program while on a business trip! Exercise is known to be a stress reliever. Taking a break to exercise may even help you concentrate better and have the energy and focus to be more productive later. If a meeting is a must, then take attendees out for a walk or other form of exercise. This may provide a more informal setting to discuss matters while allowing you to maintain your exercise schedule.
7) Focus on Maintenance: Because travel can be so disruptive to your normal schedule, this is NOT the best time to work on increasing your fitness level. Instead, the goal should be maintenance of your current fitness level. With the willingness to modify your exercise program, a little advance planning will allow exercise time into the schedule of a business trip.
8) Use your room. Bring your laptop and play exercise DVDs. Or take this time to focus on flexibility, an often-neglected part of a fitness regimen. You can stretch and watch your favorite television shows as you wind down from a hectic day.
9) Take the Stairs: Staying in a city? The stairs up to your 21st floor hotel room make a great cardio workout.
10) Research clubs: If your fitness club is a national chain, then find out where their clubs are located in the city you are traveling. Clubs that belong to IRHSA, International Health, Racquet and Sports club Association have a "reciprocity" agreement with other IHRSA affiliates translating into either a free or inexpensive day pass to utilize the facility. Get this information from your own club before you travel.
More Articles
| All Rights Reserved | Policies, Privacy & Health Information Practices