Vacation exercise tips
Smart vacationers looking to chalk up healthy miles this season research hotel options-months before finalizing their accommodations.
“Vacationers, especially when they’re driving, are coming in and making sure the hotels they are staying at either have an indoor or outdoor swimming pool or some sort of fitness center,” noted Shaun Seufert, public affairs assistant for the American Automobile Association of Western New York. “People are not wanting to break their fitness routines.”
Here are a few hints to ensure your workouts don’t take a vacation when you do:
• Treadmills have become a popular fixture in many hotel fitness centers, but with 100 to 2,000 people staying in a given property every night, and only a handful of treadmills available to accommodate them, chances are slim you’ll find a vacant machine.
Welcome “In Room Fitness,” an online service that reserves a treadmill for you to use in your room (inroomfitness.com/hotel-finder. php). Participating hotels include: Hilton, Omni and Hotel Monaco. Fees range from $10 to $25 per day.
• VersaStick is a 3-pound portable fitness package that fits into a carry-on bag (The Transportation Security Administration approved VersaStick as a carry-on). Just snap the bar together, attach one of the resistance bands and prepare for a 30-minute cardio workout. The package also includes an instructional DVD with routines targeting core, free-standing or cardio resistance, and quick workout options. ( www.versastick.com ) $79.95. • BODiBEAT by Yamaha is an MP3 player that selects and plays songs to match the pace of your workout. The unit’s software automatically categorizes each downloaded song by beats per minute, so the tempo of the user controls the songs played.
Better yet? BODiBEAT also comes with a heart monitor that clips to your ear ( www.bodibeat.com ) $299.99. • Online technology helps travelers stay fit and healthy. At www.healthytravelnetwork.com , programs are available for download that will not only help track calories burned but provide caloric breakdowns for 5,000 food items. Also available are fitness pod-casts — many are free — that offer great reminders about portion control when eating out and making the most of a workout while traveling. — Jane Kwiatkowski
