Travel Made Easier: Exercising on the Road

I was inspired to write this week’s column when I found myself doing abdominal crunches on a hotel room floor. Yes, I exercise while on vacation. Since I like to be active on a daily basis, a vacation should be no different—but it is different. Long hours spent sightseeing, lounging, and sampling the local cuisine inevitably disrupt your routine. Throw in kids and a cramped hotel room and you may need a vacation from your vacation when you get home. It’s a challenge to be motivated to exercise when you’re out of your element. But being active while on vacation will help you stay energized while on the road and better prepared to resume your fitness routine upon your return.

Here are a few tips to help you exercise while on vacation:

• Research your location in advance: If you’ll be staying in a hotel, ask the staff a few key questions: Does the hotel have a gym? Does the room have a DVD player? Are there adjacent walking trails? How about bikes to rent or borrow? Is there a swimming pool with specific hours for adult swim?
• Pack accordingly:  Make room in your luggage for athletic shoes and workout wear. You may also want to bring along your MP3 player, favorite protein bars, and a fitness DVD. When you arrive at your location, pull those things out of your luggage and put them on the dresser. If they stay covered at the bottom of your suitcase, you’ll probably forget they’re there. I always pack a medium strength resistance band when I travel. It barely takes up any space, and I can use it anywhere.
• Try an exercise DVD:  If you’re the type who likes to exercise in a fitness class rather then in the outdoors, bring a fitness class with you in the form of a DVD. Many hotels will supply a DVD player if requested. Check your hotel TV menu as well. I recently stayed in a hotel where the television menu offered complimentary 20-minute workouts along with other pay-per-view movie choices. I was thrilled to do cardio kickboxing while my son slept off his day at the beach in the roll-away bed nearby.
• Exercise as a family, but also schedule time for yourself: Readers of this column know I’m a big advocate for exercising as a family. But the last thing you want to do is turn your family vacation into boot camp. Instead, aim for leisure family activities like swimming, biking, and hiking. Get your real workout in before your kids wake up if you’re an early bird, or after their bedtime if you’re a night owl.

And finally, if you find yourself cooped up in your hotel room due to inclement weather or a sleeping child, try my hotel room workout. It’s sure to make you feel better about yourself than raiding the mini bar.

Kristen’s Hotel Room Workout:
You’ll need a medium strength resistance band and a chair. Use the hotel TV digital music channel or your MP3 player for musical inspiration. This workout can also be done without music while you’re watching TV.

Warm-up (5 minutes)
Get your blood flowing by warming up the major muscle groups. Example: Do arm circles with plies, march in place, step/touch, and shallow side lunges.

Cardio (10 - 20 minutes, depending on your time and energy level)
Pick up the pace with calisthenics or dance moves. Example: Alternate between jumping jacks, knee lifts, hamstring curls, and grapevines. Add arm movements to elevate your heart rate.

Strength training (10 minutes)
Lower body: Work the abductor muscles (outer thighs) by doing step/touch with the resistance band. Continue with squats and calf raises.
Upper body: Use the band for bicep curls and deltoid raises. Do tricep dips from the edge of a chair, and modified push-ups from a counter top.

Finish by placing a hotel bath towel on the floor to do abdominal crunches and a cool-down stretch.

Your workout shouldn’t be the focal point of your vacation. But taking twenty minutes for a brisk walk, a swim, or an improvised hotel room workout will help refuel your energy and reduce your stress. An umbrella drink by the pool works well too.