Business travelers are always thinking about workout tips they can adopt when they are away from home. That’s because the days are long, and frequently filled with sitting, eating and less sleep than normal. But as we take a closer look at business travel, we can also find opportunities to incorporate exercise tips and feel less guilty.
The easiest way is to select business travel hotels that offer fitness centers – and then actually use them. And rather than thinking about it as another task in an already long list of obligations when on the road, perhaps it’s better to think of it as doing a limited number of exercises – five to seven – and then doing one or two repetitions and completing the obligation.
Another way is to spend free time exploring the city where you’re at, or using lunch time and other break periods to walk around the outside of the convention center or hotel’s neighborhood.
Lisa Hamlin, director of international and media relations for the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), Sherman Oaks, CA, USA, offers the following examples of what business travelers should consider when on the road:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Bicep Curls (arms)
- Tricep Kicks (arms)
- Push-ups (multi-muscle)
- Chest Press (chest)
- Chest Flys (chest)
- Front Raise (shoulders)
- Lateral Raise (shoulders)
- Reverse Flys (back)
- Standing Rows (back)
- Crunches (abdominal muscles)
- Opposite Arm and Leg Lift in hands and knees position (back)
- Squats (lower body muscles)
- Lunges (lower body muscles)
- Yoga Poses
- Pilates-Based Exercises
The following three part series provides hotel room exercises that business travelers can consider. These fitness tips take advantage of everything available in the guest room, from the floor, to the couch, chair, bed, phone books – even your carry on luggage. Five sets of exercises are suggested for each area of the body, performed in two sets, should take 20 minutes and satisfy fitness requirements while one the road.
These videos may inspire some business travelers to keep up with fitness, and it may encourage others to simply find the hotel fitness center for its machines. Of course, anyone considering an exercise program should always consider their health and safety, so consult a physician before starting any exercise program.
Fitness center at the Chicago Hilton (courtesy).
