On The Road Again

I love to travel. The thought of getting on a plane and experience a new environment, its people and places is something I dream about everyday. Through my years of experience, I have discover travel is not always conducive to exercise and healthy eating habits. Whether it is for business or pleasure, the entire routine of regularly scheduled workouts and meal plans goes right the hotel window.

This does not have to be the case. With some simple preplanning you can achieve your fitness goals and be on the road regularly. Here are some ideas to keep you moving on the go:

1. Book your hotel with a fitness purpose. If you enjoy walking or running, book your hotel in a location that allows you to combine the beauty of the surrounding environment with a morning jog. A local park, trail or waterfront may make your walk much more inviting than say overlooking the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

2. Check out the hotel's fitness facility on line before you go. Is there a gym? Will you need to get to another location? If you know this information in advance, you can schedule workout times accordingly and not miss a workout.

3. Pack small equipment. If the location you are traveling to is not going to accommodate your workout, there are simple programs for the road. I love resistance bands. They are light weight, portable, and infinitely versatile. They can be used in the smallest of hotel rooms or taken with you on your morning run for a little strength training. Plan a workout before you leave so you can compliment the work you are doing at home. This could even be the variety your body needs for breaking through pesky plateaus.

4. Take a yoga or Pilates video for your laptop. If you do not have your workout memorized, your laptop can keep you focused on a quality workout. Most hotel rooms have enough space available to complete your routine.

5. Walking. Walking to your meetings or to take in the sights is an effective way to burn calories and experience your environment.

6. Take the stairs. I did this last year while I was attending a fitness conference in my hotel. 400 people would break at the same time, so instead of waiting for the elevator, I took the stairs to the 4th floor several times everyday. It was a wonderful way to burn some calories and balance out being in a lecture chair for 3 days.

7. Nutrition is always more difficult on the road. There are two tricks I always rely on when I travel. One, I take lots of handy, healthy snacks to ensure sure I never get hungry and make poor decisions. The second thing I do is I allow myself treats so I don't feel deprived, but I keep my nutrition healthy 90% of the time and don't negate all the hard work completed before the vacation.