Running to the airport, sprinting from meeting to meeting, and hitting the sack after a long day might sound like you get enough exercise while traveling on business, but it’s important to get more exercise than this while you are on the road. Keeping to a regular fitness routine can actually help you to reduce your chances of illness and prevent stress while on your trip and the Web has made this even easier to do.

 

Download

 

Forget carting around a CD player and a bunch of CDs—today, it’s all about the handheld music devices and now you can team your music with a custom exercise program.

Podfitness (http://www.podfitness.com/) is an audio exercise library where you can download custom workouts to your iPod, Nano, Treo or other image-ready handheld devices according to your exercise goals. Download a new session everyday and Podfitness mixes it with your fave music; $19.95 per month for unlimited customized training sessions. Another alternative is PumpOne (http://www.pumpone.com/) where program categories include: Strength, Weight Loss, Endurance, Flexibility, Heart Health and even a Travelers Workout! Pilates and Yoga routines are also available.   

 

You can also try the Progio Training Companion, the first mobile device that combines a digital personal trainer with a built-in Polar heart rate receiver and a digital music player; $299 and $399 depending on model. Additional workout programs available. 

 

Chat

 

Need more one-on-one contact? Try Trimtalk (http://www.trimtalk.com/) which offers live-remote, expert-based weight-loss coaching and emotional support services. Also check out these sites:

Dietdetective (http://www.dietdetective.com/): Knowing where you can work out and eat is extremely important and diet detective.com offers subscription-based online weight loss and nutrition and exercise and fitness programs. The programs examine a member’s fitness interests and aspirations, eating habits and nutritional goals to customize an individual exercise regimen. Log on to the site and have a personalized fitness and diet program right there for you on the road. They offer one-, three-, six-, and 12-month memberships from $2.29 a week to $4.99 per week.

Tonypilates (http://www.tonypilates.com/): Is Pilates your thing? This site lets you stay in contact with a Pilates expert while you’re on the road, communicating with her and getting a personalized Pilates course via online videos to exercise. 

 

MyFitnessTrainer (http://www.myfitnesstrainer.com/) is an online fitness portal where you can download videos that are personalized to your needs. MyFitnessTrainer.com is hosting a three-month Fit American Contest starting New Year’s Day, all participants win a free membership to the site for the duration of the contest. Prizes are valued at $40K and include Bowflex home gyms, treadclimbers, dumbbell sets, one-year gym memberships and more. Visit http://www.fitamericacontest.com/.

Visit America Online at www.aol.com/americatakesitoff to find a collection of online streaming workout videos from top fitness trainers, or try their Beach Ready Boot Camp from America Online (www.aol.com/fitness). You do not need to be an AOL member to see these workouts.

 

Hotel Check-In

 

Visit your hotel’s Web site before traveling to see what they are doing to keep guests healthy.

 

According to Tom Weede, author of The Entrepreneur Diet (Entrepreneur Press 2007), in 2003 Westin Hotels and Resorts conducted a survey of 300 business travelers and found that more than half said they had opted not to work out in a hotel fitness room because of its poor condition.

 

Weede explains in his book that “Westin responded by teaming with Reebok to redesign its hotel fitness facilities to include weight machines, free weights and high-quality cardio equipment with individual viewing screens for entertainment. A number of guestrooms have been outfitted with workout equipment including Pilates DVDs.” Check out http://www.starwoodhotels.com/ for more information.

 

However, according to Jim Kaese, founder of http://www.athleticmindedtraveler.com/, there is more work to do in this area. “Westin started the trend and, not wanting to be left behind, many are following,” Kaese says. “However, there is still a way to go.”    

 

Weede recommends travelers visit http://www.fitforbusiness.com/, a Web site with an extensive database of business-friendly hotels and, for a comprehensive list of more than 80 gyms in airports or within a short cab ride, http://www.airportgyms.com/ (most of the gyms charge a daily fee of around $5 to $15).

 

Notes: Other healthy hotel happenings…Embassy Suites Hotels is scheduled to debut Business Balance in early 2007. This program will include Paulette Mitchell’s “What to Eat at 25,000 Feet” nutrition tips, Break-Facts by Mitchell offering tips on how to empower the day through nutrition and exercise, and Bod-casts workouts. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (http://www.fairmont.com/) now delivers Adidas workout apparel, footwear and accessories direct to guests for use in the room, gym or outside. Available through Fairmont President’s Club, the company’s comp guest recognition program. Loews Hotels announced they will be banning trans fats at all of their restaurants. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has StayFit@Hyatt 24/7 gyms. Guests access the gyms 24/7, so no matter what time you arrive at the hotel you can work out. This program also includes in-room, on-demand yoga videos and GPS forerunner armbands that help runners and walkers easily monitor their heart rates, courses and distances as well as provide easy navigation back to the hotel, for those who are directionally challenged. The Kimpton Hotels has their “Om Away From Home” and “Yoga Basket” programs—guests are able to request a yoga basket for use during their stay—a mat, strap and block. Or turn on the tube and watch the Yoga Channel. Hotel Crescent Court, a Rosewood Hotel in Dallas, Texas, started a Staying on Track program, which will coordinate with you and your own personal trainer prior to arrival to ensure you don’t miss a beat in the hotel’s gym. The trainer will also create a meal program prepared by the Café, a power breakfast, choice of massage and prepared lunch for $245 per night.

 

And speaking of TV, Push.TV is the at-home personal training system—think Netflix for exercise—where you can order exercise DVDs before you head out on your trip. For $25 a month you’ll receive two strength and one cardiovascular DVDs. As you increase your workouts, new DVDs are available. 

 

Deal or No Deal?

 

Exercise doesn’t have to stop when you don’t have a laptop. Toss Sane Fitness’ (http://www.sanefit.com/) QuickStart Deck into your suitcase, which is essentially a fitness trainer in a box. The deck is a six-week full-body exercise program laid out on a deck of cards with descriptions and illustrations; $24.95.