Guide to On-the-Road Fitness

Don’t delete exercise just because you’re on a business trip

By Betty W. Stark, Business travel consultant and columnist, Stark Consulting

1. Airports are starting to get it; look for onsite and close-by fitness facilities.
2. Check into exercise options at your destination before you leave home.
3. Peruse your hotel Web site for fitness centers, pools and nearby jogging paths.
4. Team up to exercise with other like-minded travelers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for fitness options at airports

The folks who operate airports are beginning to understand that their sprawling facilities should be more than just passenger holding pens. Some have fitness centers or gyms onsite or nearby where you can work off your flight-delay frustrations. Others offer mini-massage services and even oxygen bars where you can plump up your brain cells before boarding your next flight.

I recommend: Look for full-service clubs at or near airports under the 24 Hour Fitness banner in central and western U.S. states plus Florida. Check out Travel to Wellness for a list of airport fitness and spa facilities. At the Airport Gyms Web site, search a comprehensive list of exercise facilities at or very near airports

Check out fitness clubs at your favorite hotels

When you’ve checked into your hotel room at the end of an exhausting day, it’s often a lot easier to answer e-mails or tune in to a mindless movie than to seek out the fitness center. But hotels are getting into the game by providing enhanced workout facilities and partnering with fitness experts to design programs that are actually fun.

I recommend: Look into the WestinWORKOUT programs developed in a partnership with Reebok at Starwood and Westin properties. Review exercise options in many cities at this Web site.

Look into the hotel’s in-room exercise options

OK so maybe you don’t want to slog off to a hotel fitness center after you’ve checked in to your room. There are in-room exercise alternatives that get the job done nicely.

I recommend: Have a treadmill delivered right to your hotel room. Check out the “Great Health---Fit for You” in-room exercise program at Marriott Hotels and Resorts, JW Marriott and Renaissance Hotels. The Fitness Suite has partnered with the LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation to bring you in-room exercise videos and exercise equipment at participating properties.

Bring the gear with you

Effective exercise equipment doesn’t have to be the size of a refrigerator with more chrome than a ’56 Chevy. It can be something simple that fits in your luggage.

I recommend: Check out the portable exercise equipment at the Healthy Travel Network.

Take it to the great outdoors

If you prefer to do your exercising outdoors, no problem!

I recommend: Visit this website to locate and map out running routes by zip code, find a running partner, view pictures of routes and chat with other runners who are familiar with the city you’ll be visiting. Curious about how many calories you’re burning? Check it out here.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ditch the “If it’s not convenient it’s not going to happen” mentality. Resolve to stick with an on-the-road exercise routine, no matter what.
• •  Try to exercise first thing in the day rather than at day’s end when you’re tired and less motivated.
• •  If you have a gym membership at home or belong to the local YMCA, check into affiliate programs in other cities.
• •  Some hotel groups (Marriott, for example) offer an in-room exercise kit that you can purchase if you want to take it with you.
• •  Unhealthy travelers can add a burden to the cost of your company health insurance program. Consider instituting a wellness/exercise program for all staff.