The Wellness Concierge®: On-the-Road Fitness Strategies & Resources

ON-THE-ROAD FITNESS RESOURCES

By Marlene R. Fedin, The Wellness Concierge®

August 2003

Travel-Fitness & Exercise Articles • Portable/Packable Exercise Equipment

Locate Health Clubs, Fitness Centers,

Personal Trainers, Exercise Classes, and Pools

Yoga to Go • Other Resources for Fitness on the Fly • Books

TRAVEL-FITNESS & EXERCISE ARTICLES

From The Wellness Concierge® Archives:

► The Challenge to Change : Road-Warrior Travel-Health & Fitness Makeovers

Even the most demanding frequent flyer wouldn't expect an airplane to take off and fly right if it hadn't been fueled and properly serviced. Yet many of these same folks expect, nay, demand, top performance from another piece of well-designed equipment—their bodies—without giving them the proper "fuel" and care they require.

We pair two motivated makeover candidates with two top fitness experts and explore the healthy travel strategies that they—and you!—can follow to increase energy, improve stamina, and enhance your overall performance on and off the road.

► Establishing Healthy Habits on the Road

Do you think your demanding schedule makes it impossible for you to stay healthy and fit? Do you think stress, fatigue, poor health, and reduced fitness levels are the inevitable

byproducts of frequent travel?

If so, it's time to get real. How you feel on the road is more directly related to your daily lifestyle choices than to the challenges imposed by constant travel. Feel bad? The culprit is likely to be your unhealthy off-the-road habits that accompany you on the road.

Want to feel better? Commit to healthy living—consciously choose to eat well and exercise regularly and you'll have the ammunition you need to weather any itinerary.

► No-Excuse Shape-Up Strategies

Need help getting started or staying motivated to exercise on the go? Here’s expert advice and answers to your most-common fitness challenges. Fitness experts Deby Harper of PFSInsights and Fitnessco.com and Carol Dickman of Yoga Enterprises give solutions and strategies for the top fitness-to-go questions posed to The Wellness Concierge®.

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Fitness on the Go: If working out at a fitness center or health club is an integral part of your travel schedule, check out Business Traveler magazine’s "The Business of Fitness." Writer Bob Curley details domestic and International hotel and allied fitness centers and reviews various properties’ fitness amenities.

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Traveling Workout
Joanne Lichten, Ph.D. (AKA "Dr. Jo") focuses on fitness to go in this excerpt from her book, How to Stay Healthy & Fit on the Road.

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Channeling Fitness

Lifetime Online offers Working Out on the Road by Michele Meyer, which includes the “perfect” hotel room workout and, surprise, a “reminder” to watch early morning Lifetime programming that features fitness guru Denise Austin. (Some hotel TVs feature Fitness Channels with dedicated programming, but any TV with cable is likely to have a selection of exercise shows in the early morning hours.)

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When Exercise "Resistance" Pays Off
About.com's Annette Stucky details how using packable resistance bands/tubing can help you create an in-room workout to replace or augment your weight-training routine on the road.

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PORTABLE, PACKABLE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT

BodyTrends.Com is a well-designed on-line fitness retailer (you can shop by goal, type of product or custom categories and activity) for newbies to exercise professionals. It offers a wide assortment of equipment, including an array of individual resistance bands (for strength training), such as the popular Spri Xertube models, and special product packages for different fitness levels.

Helpful features: A resistance band comparison chart (one of many useful charts) that details product features and facilitates selection and an option to have your questions answered by a fitness expert.

Its Train While You Travel page lets you quickly zero in on packable options, including AquaBell dumbbells. With their water-inflatable (up to 32 pounds) chambers, you can get in some serious on-the-road weight training without adding any weight (24 ounces when deflated) to your bags.

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SimpleFitnessSolutions.com is another treasure trove of luggage-lite exercise equipment including the Stretch-Out Strap, which features multiple-position grips for deep and gradual stretching. The site includes detailed and helpful product selection FAQs and an extensive fitness articles library.

You can do several hundred exercises (to stretch, strengthen weak back, stomach muscles and other areas) on the Posture Ball—a sturdy, but light, inflatable polyvinyl ball (about three pounds deflated) that does double-duty as posture-enhancing seating. When you’re properly seated, it can help relieve pressure on the spine and aid circulation. If you suffer from chronic lower back pain (or are achy and stiff after flying) or frequently work in your room, it’s a healthful alternative to traditional seating and a fun way to work out. From: www.postureball.com, 480-443-9611; $35 to $50

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Circling for Fun: Want to have some fun and work your triceps, pecs, and upper body? Throw on these Pilates Body Circles (pictured left) from gaiam.com. Slide them on, keep your arms out and straight, and twirl. You can work various muscles by altering the hand positions. At a pound each (diameter is 12 inches), these foam and metal circles are a packable addition to your road-fitness workout. $30 plus S&H, includes video; 877-989-6321

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Get More From Your Workout: Whether you work out alone or with a trainer, in your hotel room or a gym, you can maximize your exercise routine with Solotrainer’s Fitness Training Cards.

The 50 plastic, illustrated index-size cards offer detailed instructions for exercises that are color coded by muscle group. You can choose from four pre-programmed routines and there are separate programs for men and women and three fitness levels. Ten cards detail home and travel workouts you can do with common objects. More info: 516-433-0737

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"FAN" YOURSELF FIT

If you've despaired of finding a truly useful portable workout guide, take heart. Benefit Health Media's compact Training Fan is the answer to a traveler's prayers—and the end to any excuses you've been using for avoiding road workouts.

The Training Fan's functional and unique design, which allows you to easily view single and multiple pages, reflects creator Andrea Barash's experience as a writer, graphic designer, and personal trainer.

The 96-"page" fan (a little over 8 inches long, 1½ inches wide, and an inch deep) segments exercises into color-coded muscle groups and includes 64 strength exercises, 20 stretches, and three workouts. There's a basic start-up section, warm-up and cool down moves, and detailed training tips.

Clear photos illustrate movements, making it easier to correctly execute the exercises. Graphic icons flag exercises that require no or minimal equipment or machines (weight-resistance and heavier gym equipment).

Training logs, blank pages for notes, motivational quotes, and short primers on each muscle group are found on the reverse side of the water-resistant, tear-proof pages. More info: toll-free 866-550-6666; www.trainingfan.com; $24.95. Bulk orders can be customized for corporate or individual gift-giving.

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LOCATE HEALTH CLUBS, FITNESS CENTERS,

PERSONAL TRAINERS, EXERCISE CLASSES, AND POOLS

According to traveling fitness buffs, finding a health club or fitness center that meets your standards and needs in unfamiliar territory can be a real challenge. And if you’re looking for a qualified personal trainer, it can get even more dicey.

Despite the availability of a number of online fitness directories and locators, your best bet may be the recommendation of a concierge or a local associate or friend. Barring that, you may want to ask your at-home gym/health club and your trainer to do some checking and vetting of local venues.

Some private health clubs may have reciprocal relationships with a club where you are traveling and you may be able to get low- or no-fee access. Other local venues may offer special guest passes for road warriors.

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Kyle Merker’s well-researched The Fitness Guide: Where to Work Out When You’re on the Road hasn’t been updated since its first printing in 1997. But even though the info on cost, hours, and equipment may not be timely, it remains a useful tool—particularly in parts of the country where little has changed.

It lists more properties than many online locators, which makes it a good starting point, especially for new travelers. The slim and easily carried book details hotel, health club and gym exercise facilities and fitness classes in 45 major U.S. cities.

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►ONLINE FITNESS CENTERS/HEALTH CLUB/TRAINER LOCATORS & DIRECTORIES: A number of online sites have attempted to catalog the vast numbers of fitness resources (health clubs, hotel fitness centers, personal trainers, etc.) around the U.S. and the globe. It’s a daunting task (especially for the generally non-commercial catalogers) so it’s no surprise that the output of those companies and individuals who have set up locators and directories all have limitations that affect their overall relevance.

The usefulness of each locator will vary based on your destination, interests, and needs. Listings are often narrow and limited and may be restricted based on paid sponsorship or other "arrangements." Some do a great job with detailing the many options in big cities while others list only one or two options in a marketplace where there are dozens of venues. Be prepared to make some phone calls to verify listings current accuracy and other info.

Your at-home health club, fitness center, or personal trainer may be a good source of local talent. At the very least, they can vet the names and venues you are interested in, before you leave.

■ The International Health, Racquet, and Sports Club Association's (IHRSA) healthclubs.com Web site features a club locator that lets you find member and non-member clubs in the U.S. and North America. You can search by club name, zip code, and street address and you can check off desired features from an extensive list--a huge timesaver that eliminates clubs lacking your desired amenities. IHRSA offers a Passport Program that allows members reciprocal access to participating clubs worldwide for discounted guest fees.

■ You can locate an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified fitness professional at the ACE Web site or by phone (800-825-3636, x654). You can search by type of certification and then by state, city, and zip code. Unfortunately, while you may come up with lots of names, you don't get an actual address (just the city and zip code), which already limits your ability to narrow your search. You'll also have to click on each listing for details such as specialties, certification specifics, and info on their type of "practice." It's time-consuming and in some cases, key info is omitted at the request of the individual trainers. If you're serious about booking time with a local trainer, have your at-home trainer call and vet from the list you generate.

■ The Destination Directory at FitForBusiness.com

If you're a serious workout enthusiast or anyone seeking well-run fitness centers and health clubs at your destination, this online company, which provides "services for the athletic business traveler," is a valuable resource for locating solid fitness properties.

CEO Ron Rosell, who is also a business traveler and fitness enthusiast, has culled over 300 listings of hotel fitness facilities and local fitness venues for U.S. and international cities.

The well-designed and easily navigated site is updated and upgraded regularly. Most important, listings are independently vetted (See selection criteria.) by Rosell and his staff and listings are neither paid for nor sponsored. Rosell is seriously committed to maintaining the evaluation standards and properties can be unlisted if they fail to maintain standards.

The listings include specifics on club amenities, hours, programs, types of equipment, and spa treatments. If you can’t access information for a desired location, you can e-mail the company with your request.

The company is developing ACHIEVE, a benefits membership program targeted to “athletic frequent travelers” that will offer service and rate discounts and free access to specific properties, including hotel-associated and airport fitness facilities. You can pre-register to use current participating venues.

■ Sweattime, an athletic club booking system, includes class times and details for selected venues. You can check group activities, locate a fellow player for say squash, racquetball, or tennis and book training sessions and make other fitness-related reservations.

■ The Fitness Connection Web site offers a list of locators that includes Fitness Zone's Gym locator, as well as resources for locating clubs in the U.K. and Canada.

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Everybody Into the Pool!: If laps or an aquatic workout are your passion, check out The Swimmers’ Guide Online. Its comprehensive (It’s updated regularly and includes over 11,000 entries for full-size, year-round pools in 105 countries.) database lets you easily locate a nearby swimming pool. The listings detail addresses, fees, access restrictions, hours, number/type of pools and even includes water temperatures and pool dimensions!

YOGA TO GO

Fortunately for those who are new to yoga, there’s a wealth of books, audio- and videotapes as well as CDs and DVDs that can ease you into regular practice. And note that while yoga is a relatively risk-free form of movement and stretching, it’s easy to get carried away in your initial efforts. So take it slow. Yoga is not a competition.

Take the time to correctly learn the postures and most important, don’t rush through them. If you’ve got a medical condition such as hypertension or glaucoma, make sure to check out counter-indications for them. Yoga Journal magazine’s site lets you search for poses based on certain conditions such as high blood pressure, a bad back, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc., as well as by anatomical focus and therapeutic applications.

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• Travel Amenities: JetBlue and Crunch Fitness’ new at-seat Yoga posture cards illustrate four postures you can easily do in your seat to unwind and relax.

►STUDIO, CLASS, AND TEACHER DIRECTORIES: Yoga Journal’s site offers one of the most comprehensive directories. You can search for teachers and studios by state but you can also search teachers by styles and specialties, a real bonus for those who are followers of a particular discipline.

Yogafinder.com also lets you search for instructors by city and type of yoga.

►BOOKS, CARDS, KITS, & POSTURE SHEETS: Novices and more experienced devotees of yoga agree that there's nothing that can replace a good instructor. But books, cards, and posture sheets can really launch your solo practice and keep you motivated and properly positioned.

Card-size decks of illustrated poses are a popular alternative to even the smallest and most concise yoga books. But you can minimize your take-alongs by printing out or photocopying favorite poses (some folks have been known to scan them onto their own custom CDs and add personal musical favorites--a great alternative to some of the overly New-Agey music selections on some CDs.)

• 101 Essential Tips: Yoga. DK Publishing's excellent posture photographs and clear, easy-to-follow instructions make this 72-page, slightly larger than a small paperback tome, the perfect travel take-along. Includes sections on meditation and poses for stress management, pregnancy, and seniors.

• Yoga for Busy People by Dawn Groves (New World Library) is a practical and easy-to-read jump starter for newbies.

• Yoga Cards: An Easy Way to Learn Yoga (Clark/McArthur/Clark) Described as the "ultimate portable workout deck," the 57 illustrated posture cards are coded to facilitate posture sets. Helpful features include instructions for getting into, holding, and releasing poses along with duration guidelines, pose benefits, and special programs for stress relief and pain release.

• Cyndi Lee's popular OM: Yoga in a Box kit (one of a series) includes two CDs, 68 two-sided flashcards, a yoga belt, instructional booklet, incense and holder, and a tea candle. The all-in-one kit is packed in a surprisingly small box that can easily fit in a briefcase or handbag.

►CDs/DVDs/AUDIO- AND VIDEOTAPES: If you're staying in a hotel that has a VCR, consider toting a videotape--your own or a retail version. (Check with the hotel; they may even offer a stash or secure rentals from local video stores.)

Working along with an onscreen guide is easier and you're more likely to follow a regular routine.

Some hotels offer TV with fitness programming that usually includes yoga instruction. And early morning cable--and even network--programming almost always features some type of yoga workout.

Some of the most popular yoga series are now available on CD and DVD as well as video so you can pop them into your laptop and move along. (Just be sure you place your laptop in a position where you don't have to contort your body to view the screen.)

Fans of the wildly popular Rodney Yee include Oprah, my 9-year-old nephew, and yoga lovers who range in age from their teens to their '90s. If the contemporary classic All-Day Yoga Workout--A.M., Stress Relief, and P.M. Yoga for Beginners--can get me moving on days when I swear I can't, imagine what it can do for you!

Once you've mastered the basics, you can move on to Yee's more strenuous Power Yoga the Complete Workout.

Other favorites worth checking out include: Lilias Folan's Discover Yoga (CD), Kripalu's Boxed DVD Set, and Yoga Journal's Yoga Basics DVD.

Need guidance? The 33-minute Bed Top Yoga audiotape guides you through a series of simple stretches and yoga postures while Seated Yoga combines warm-up stretches, breathing, and postures. Yoga Enterprises, 888-YES-YOGA (888-937-9642); $11.95 each, also available as videotapes

OTHER RESOURCES FOR FITNESS ON THE FLY

TAKE A HIKE! If you like walking or jogging along scenic routes, you can find a public path courtesy of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s trail/path locator at TrailLink.com. You can search for local trails by area or activity. The results include details on location, activities, and distance as well as info on wheelchair accessibility.

According to the site, "Rail-trails are multi-purpose, public paths that encourage outdoor recreation and promote fitness...and serve as historic and wildlife conservation corridors, linking isolated parks and creating greenways through developed areas."

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HAVE MAT, CD, WILL STRETCH: You don’t have to be a dancer or model to benefit from Pilates' strengthening and stretching exercises. Despite its current popularity, however, it isn’t easy to find qualified and certified instructors. (Just because someone calls a class "Pilates" doesn’t mean it—or the instructor—is the real thing!).

Devotees and those with some prior experience will welcome the chance to continue their exercises via The Portable Pilates, a CD and spiral-bound book set created by Alycea Ungaro, a certified Pilates instructor. The 45-minute mat class (taught at the popular Pilates Center of New York—Tribeca Bodyworks, which Ungaro founded) includes "Original music and creative sound effects [that] provide the student with the necessary cues, tempo and dynamic of each exercise."

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FITNESS EXCHANGE: Keeping up with the latest fitness tapes, CDs, and books can be expensive. Sure, you can always sell your old stuff on eBay. But what if you simply want to exchange your no-longer-relevant fitness detritus?

Free registration at VideoFitness.com, a community of exercise enthusiasts, gives you access to its Video Exchange service where you can trade fitness videos, books, and small equipment. Check out the feedback and reviews of fitness videos to save $$$ and get what you really need before buying more videos.

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PAIR UP: Want to avoid walking alone in unfamiliar territory or simply looking for a like-minded fitness pal? The American Volkssport Association's Web site can connect you with fellow walkers in some 350 member clubs in 50 states.

BOOKS

GOT FISCAL (AS WELL AS FITNESS) WOES? MAKE A PHYSICAL INVESTMENT: As if the stress and strain of travel wasn’t enough. Now you’re reeling from the market’s (and the airlines') financial downturn. With bodies and minds faltering from stress and anxiety, what better time to make a physical investment in yourself? Your ROI: a healthier, stress-resistant, more resilient, and energetic self.

If you’re turned off by traditional fitness and exercise books and regimens, consider Jim Karas’ The Business Plan for the Body. Take-charge types who seek no-nonsense, results-oriented guidance to a healthier life will find Karas’ bottom-line approach to fitness a welcome respite from gimmicky and over-hyped fitness routines.

The Wharton-trained Karas uses business lingo and a business-plan approach to motivate even the most anti-fitness types into taking action. If you're serious about getting healthy and fit, Karas is an excellent guide. Read an excerpt at ABCNews.com.◄

NOTE: Every effort is made to provide current, working links. However, given the nature of the Web and the frequency of change on individual sites, some links may not be available. If you can't find a noted resource, please e-mail The Wellness Concierge® and I'll provide you with updated information, where available.

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