10 Tips for Fitness Travel

When you travel for business or fun you want to keep your exercise going.  Yes, so you don't lose the fitness you've gained in your everyday workouts, but also to stay alert for the meetings and happenings around you.

1.  Find out about the hotel's fitness center.  In a recent trip to Indianapolis, the Sheraton's fitness center was amazing.  The picture below is half of their fitness room.  If the exercise room is not so nice then ...

2.  Bring your stretching mat and resistance bands.  Here's a nice option for a foldable mat for your suitcase.

3.  Before the trip use online searches for walking routes around your hotel or...

4.  Ask the hotel staff and locals for walking routes they recommend.  That's how I found out about places around the canal in Indianapolis.

5.  Check the city's calendar of events.  Oops, I didn't do this before visiting Indy.  There were a couple of races and an Out of the Darkness Awareness walk I could have joined in, if I'd known.

6.  Walk a restaurant tour downtown.  Seriously.  Walk 10-15 minutes to find a restaurant for an appetizer.  Enjoy.  Then walk 10-15 minutes to find another restaurant for an entree.  Savor.  Then walk 10-15 minutes to a cafe for dessert and coffee.  Circle back to your hotel.  A very tasty three-four miles.

7.  Learn what unusual sport can be done in the city.  In Indy?  If I go back, I'll plan to paddleboard on the canal.

8.  Of course zoos and museums are great for physical activity, though power-walking through a museum might cause some disturbance.

9.  For a more intense leg workout, climb monuments.  In Indy I walked the Soldiers and Sailors Monument twice (two different days, of course).  It is almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

10.  Just stretch.  If your trip is short, perhaps two to three days, simply enjoy some stretch breaks to keep up your energy and come home rested and ready to push a little in your home routine.

Happy travels!