FITNESS IDEAS WHEN YOU TRAVEL...

Fitness Ideas When You Travel
By Michael W. (Mick) Stewart CFT BST
www.mikestewartfitness.com

I've been asked several times (by many of you) what's the best way to work out when I am on a business trip or extended vacation. My first answer has always been: FIND THE HOTEL GYM. If your staying at a 3, 4 or 5 star, they have them; its a matter of following the little signs down at the end of the hallway. The 5-star's will even have a personal trainer on staff for free. Don't ever tell me you returned from a business trip and didn't make use of the hotel gym! It's free!

But ... if you stay in a hotel/motel, Bed and Breakfast, in the wilderness or someone's house and there is no gym (or local access to one), here are some ideas:

1. PUSH UPS. There are a million variations of push ups, but they remain the ultimate "stand by" for road trips, extended vacations or business trips. You can do them in your hotel room or a friends house, at a B&B or anywhere. You can do standard pushups (feet together, feet apart, hands close together, hands far apart), wall push ups (leaning against a wall with hands close together or far apart) or Ranger push ups (feet on bed and hands on floor, decline). Do at least 100 a day in groups of ten or twenty. You can also purchase push up bars and stick those in your suitcase or splurge and buy Perfect Pushups (rotating pushup handles) if you have money to burn. Or if you have several chairs in the room - pull two together (facing each other) and with your legs off the bed and hands bracing each chair - do 10 reps for 10 sets.

2. PULL UPS. Go to Academy and for $10 purchase an extendable pull up bar which will fit in your suitcase. You can do pullups anywhere there is a doorway. Just make sure your not doing pullups when housecleaning comes in.

3. ANKLE WEIGHTS. If your on an extended business trip and you'll be sight seeing, pack a set of 5-10 lb. ankle weights. However, wear long pants with cuffs that cover them (especially if your overseas), otherwise foreigners will think your weird ("blimey, there goes those bloody American tourists again!")

4. SQUATS. The exercise most of you have come to hate. However, its a main stay for fitness in the hotel room. There are the five variations: Marine Corps, "Y" Squat, Prisoner, hands-on-hips and arms folded. Do 100 in sets of 10-20 in the morning.

5. CRUNCHES. Crunches can be done anywhere at anytime and you can never do too many, just make sure that when you do them you LIMIT the range of motion, otherwise you'll get back spasms!

6. RUBBER BANDS. You can find fitness bands at Academy or any sports store between $5 and $10. There are a good dozen exercises you can do from bicep curls, presses and if you put the attachable edge inside a doorstop, a standing bench press.

7. RUNNING IN PLACE. IN 1944-45, General George Patton remained in top physical condition by running in place in his tent and aboard ship prior to invasion. It was the only time he could find alone to work out. How do I know? I read his memoirs! His staff would usually catch him in his quarters (before his army would land), sweating from head to toe, while running in place. If its good enough for old Blood and Guts, its good enough for you. Stretch for five minutes and then take off. Remember to start out by marching in place and then gradually build up to a run. You can run in place in stages of 45 seconds for ten (10) sets.

8. DIPS. These can be done off the edge of your bed, or pull together two chairs from the hotel living room. Dips work the triceps (primary), deltoids (secondary) and lats (tertiary).

9. NUTRITION. REMEMBER: When your on the road - use it as an excuse to EAT GOOD and take a carb blocker or appetite suppressant if your doing touristy things (walking all over hell and back) and you want to lose weight. The great thing about sight seeing on vacation is that its a superb time to lose weight! My old trainer told me years ago, "...the only good thing about appetite suppressants [ like Hydroxcut and Jet Fuel ] is that they do wonders during road trips." He used to give these to his bodybuilders prior to competition, especially the ones that had a tendancy to overeat and pack on bodyfat. The key to nutrition on the road is the same as at home: three standard squares a day that are NUTRITIONALLY edible, with good snacks. Don't overeat while your out of town. You'll only have to work harder when you return home.

10. EXERCISE. Don't go back to your hotel room and watch t.v. You already do this at home! Make use of that free gym, the swimming pool, treadmill and other amenities (if offered). Walk around. Go sight-seeing. To hell with the tram or bus, take off on a day hike in the city and don't return until you've done five miles. And don't tell me you didnt work out when you get back from vacation!!