How to Stay Active While Traveling

Don't let vacations or Business travel sideline your exercise routine. Physical activity is a great way to relieve stress and adjust to a new time zone when you're traveling. Here's how to get the most out of it:

Find fitness-friendly accommodations. Call ahead to make sure your hotel or motel has a good fitness facility — or at least a place where you'll feel safe and comfortable going for a walk.

Take advantage of the local attractions. Many places offer their own unique exercise opportunities — trails through beautiful parks or forests, beach walks, boat rides on the lake, bike rides out of town. Check the travel section of your bookstore or look on-line for information before you travel.

Be sure to pack what you'll need. Walking shoes, gym shorts, a T-shirt, resistance bands — make a checklist of all the things you'll need while you're away and make sure to pack it all.

Use every opportunity. Too busy to set aside a block of time for activity? Look for every opportunity you can to be active. Book a room on the third floor and take the stairs. Walk whenever you can — between meetings, while you're waiting at the airport, on your way from here to there.

Be realistic. If you're on a hectic Business trip, don't add to the stress by trying to do too much. Tallying up just 15 minutes of brisk walking, along with climbing a few flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator, should hold you until you get Home again — and back to your regular routine.