Insider Tips for a Healthy Vacation

Travel - even vacations - can wreak havoc on your usually healthy daily regimen (and I speak from personal experience, having been on vacation last week). Once you are out of your usual routine, it can be easy to go whole hog at dinner and to skip your usual workouts. But even business travelers who are extremely pressed for time can squeeze in some exercise by following these tips:

• Get to the gym whenever you can. Most hotels now have some sort of workout space - make sure yours does (with extended hours if possible) when you make your reservation.
• Walk whenever you can, whether it is part of your sightseeing or a means of transport from one appointment to the next. If you are near the shore, walking on a sandy beach has special benefits for your legs and feet.
• The hotel's stairway can be a great place to work up a sweat! Race up as fast as you can (taking the steps 2 or 3 at a time) then use a recovery pace on the way down. Repeat or do as many floors as you can. You might alternate with sprints in which you take every step.
• If all else fails, here are some basic exercises you can do in your hotel room (or really, anywhere):
  - jump rope (bring one with you since it doesn't take up much room in a suitcase)
  - push-ups (always considered the ultimate fitness test so do as many as you can)
  - crunches and reverse crunches (lie on back, bring knees to chest)
  - windshield wipers (lie on back, raise legs straight up, then lower to floor on one side and raise up to center and the over to the other side)
  - forward and side lunges (do them down the hallways if you're brave and want the space)