By Rory Glynn
SmartHealthToday
Tom Allman of Cincinnati runs, bikes and plays tennis. He also travels regularly for his job, which can make running, biking and tennis, and any other workouts, a challenge.
“When I travel, it’s vital to me to get some exercise or I don’t feel right the entire trip,” he said. “Most of my trips are one or two nights, so they are largely spent inside a plane, a hotel and my client’s office.
“If I am going to a city I am really familiar with, then I may try to incorporate my exercise based on what is local – like climbing Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale. Otherwise I try to keep it simple, or it won’t happen.”
Allman said he adheres to two rules on the road.
“The first is walk the airports: Don’t take the trams, walk up the escalators if your luggage allows. That’s easy and obvious,” he said.
The second rule: Work out at the first opportunity.
“My workout of choice when I travel is running – and the rule is to do it the second I have a chance,” Allman said. “If I put it off, it won’t happen. I don’t worry about the quality of the run, how far I will go, or how good I feel. I just get out there.”
To keep things simple, Allman doesn’t map out routes or obsess about pace when squeezing in a run on the road.
“If I’m arriving the night before a meeting, as soon as I get to the hotel, I walk back out the front door, pick a direction and run for 30 minutes,” he said. “Same is true after my meetings are done; if I’m going back to the hotel, run immediately. If I put it off, I will find myself knee-deep in a steak, and the workout is lost.”
If your job takes you to cold-weather cities in these winter months, or if you just don’t like running, you still have options.
These days, most major hotel chains offer on-site fitness centers, indoor pools or both, and others have arrangements with health clubs. It’s never a bad idea to visit the hotel website or place a call before you travel to make sure the equipment and hours work for you.
If a long day limits your options, consider a quick workout in your hotel. You can do body-weight training (push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, planks) in your room, for example, or pack a jump rope or resistance bands. If you like yoga, pack your mat and find a workout online. Or even walk the hotel halls and stairs.
Remember to pack accordingly: Preferred workout wear, shoes, swimwear if desired, and accessories if your room becomes your gym.
Don’t worry if your workout isn’t the caliber of one you’d do at home. There’s value in just getting some activity in.
“The key is treating it as a true rule,” Allman said. “I am not allowed to opt out. To enforce it, I think of how I feel if I don’t follow the rule – like crap – compared to how I feel if I do follow the rule – not like crap.”
SmartHealthToday is a service of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.