Busy-Fitness

The One-Minute Exercises Book of Denise Austin contains quick exercises. While quick food is junk food, quick exercise is not junk exercise and therefore must be scoffed at. If you can afford to squeeze in only five minutes at certain times of the day, this book is a boon.

Not only does it contain one-minute exercises, it takes into account that you’d want to increase your workout duration eventually, so it includes 5-minute and 10-minute exercises.

The book was published more than 10 years ago, but you still see Denise Austin featured on www.msn.com, so she must tap into some of her older exercise programs. Workout programs never get outmoded or go stale.

They’re effective today as they were a decade ago. The book is published by Vintage Books (Random House) and the ISBN number is 0-394-74633-3.


Researcher and fitness expert Suzanne Schlosberg, who wrote a fitness manual for individuals on the go, did a survey of hotels and airports where the busy traveler can do an abbreviated or full blown workout while they’re traveling and waiting for their connecting flights. Here is some information from her work (her book is highly recommended!).


Fitness-Friendly Hotels


Suzanne Schlosberg performed some helpful due diligence to help the busy traveler by providing the names of major hotels with gym facilities (US only). An extract from that list:

 Four Seasons – 95% of their hotels have pools. All of their fitness centers have cardio and weight machines;

 Ritz Carlton – 80% of their hotels have pools

 Sheraton Hotels and Resorts – pool facility in 95% of their hotels
 Westin Hotels and Resorts – all of their hotels have pools.


Fitness-Friendly Airports



Schlossberg does not stop with hotel lists!

She also provides a list of airports with massage facilities – you must have seen those massage chairs in strategic locations of large, international airports: Here’s a sampling:

 Chicago: O’Hare International Airport – A Massage Inc, level 6, main terminal west (near post office); open 7:30 am to 9:30 pm

 Boston: Logan International Airport – A Relaxed Attitude – terminal B, American Airlines Side, upper level (hours vary);

 Seattle: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport – Massage Bar Inc – Concourse C, beyond security checkpoint, Gates N-16 and N-1

As for fitness centers in airports and near airports, pages 36-38 of Schlosberg’s book, The Ultimate Workout Guide for the Road (ISBN number 0-618-11592-7) contains a detailed listing of these fitness centers – to help you do your workout on your next airport layover.

Plus workout programs that Schlosberg labels “The Time to Kill Workout”, “The Timesaver Workout”, “The Bare-Minimum Workout” all designed for the busybody!


Websites of Interest


Visit the American Council on Exercise web site – www.acefitness.com or call their toll free number, 1-800-825-3636. They provide resources for fitness products and services and a list of certified trainers.

Also visit: http://does.ors.od.nih.gov/fitness/. They serve the NIH community (National Institutes of Health) and offer classes on yoga, yoga and aerobics.

Lastly, drop by the Mayo Clinic web site: www.mayoclinic.com. Scroll down the page and under the sub-heading “Live Well”, click on “fitness.”


Conclusion

＋ don’t do too much at once; start slow, and build a foundation of fitness

＋ Exercise for more than cosmetic appeal; your inner-body needs to be fit, too (especially as you age!)

＋ plan ahead and stay in hotels that offer you fitness equipment

＋ carry essential fitness tools with you as you travel

＋ Eat healthy and properly so that you don’t “hit the wall” as you become fit!

＋ Keep a record of your successes (through a journal or log)

＋ Exercise with friends or other people who share a common fitness interest with you (and make NEW friends in the process!)

＋ Manage your time effectively so that you can incorporate a fitness program – large or small – into your daily routine.
Now that you’ve obtained the information you need, the next step is up to you. Consult the resources recommended in this ebook, including the websites, and build an exercise program into your life.

What will your rewards be for your efforts? Statistically, you’ll:

 look better
 feel better
 have a higher quality of life

And, in case it matters to you..

 You’ll be the ENVY of all of your busy friends and relatives who want to know how someone as busy as YOU has become so FIT!

If you’re busy but want to integrate exercise into your daily routine, carrying the treadmill around would give you a serious back injury. We’re referring to portable tools that you can take with you to the office, keep in the trunk of your car, or pack into your suitcase:

 elastic bands
 light dumb bells
 jump rope
 inflatable Swiss balls (the small ones)
 an exercise video or DVD that you can play in between meetings
 Yoga mat.
 Meditation or relaxation music tapes handy.
 Exercise tubes with handles (to increase muscle strength) and bow tie exerciser (increases upper body strength).



More Portable Exercise Tools!


The choices in other portable exercise tools are impressive:

 The Ankle Tough Rehab System is a set of straps made of heavy-duty elastic, and are cut and stitched to make 2 straps that fit over shoes or bare feet. Set comes with 4 different resistance straps for light, medium, strong and tough resistance levels. Comes also with exercise manual.

 Flex Bars - a portable exercise gadget that is lightweight. The bars improve grip strength and upper body strength, and allow oscillation movements for neuromuscular and balance training.

 Weighted Vest – a gadget to help you add resistance to your workout. Vest is weight-adjustable with each weight packet weighing approximately 0.75 lbs, and its one size fits all feature makes it deal for both men and women. Steel shot packets conform to the body, and weight adjustments range from 0.75 lbs. to 20 lbs.


IMPORTANT NOTE: Buyer Beware!


There are some exercise aids that have been specifically marketed to walkers – things like weighted shoes to add resistance while jogging or brisk-walking. Before you dole out your cash to buy exercise accessories, speak to a fitness trainer or orthopedist first. Some products can be just commercial hype. This article on www.walking.about.com can shed some light on the subject.

If you’re going cross-country driving and the trip will take about 12-15 hours, schedule hourly stops so you can perform some stretching exercises, or go for a 15-minute walk in the neighborhood. Exercising will energize you, diminishing your need for frequent cups of coffee and relieve eye strain.


Hotels


Back to the hotel scene: some nice hotels have spa facilities that you can enjoy while on a business trip. Reward yourself with a facial or a massage AFTER a session on the treadmill or 10 laps in the pool. This is a great way to unwind for the evening, and an added bonus for the individual on the go.

The old saying, “You have to enjoy your exercise, otherwise you’ll give up in no time” has never been truer.

Here’s a tip. If you can’t incorporate a tennis game or a trip to the gym, how about signing up for dance classes (e.g. ballet, jazz, tap, belly dancing). If you’ve always loved dancing as a child, wouldn’t this be a great way to fit exercise into a busy schedule?

If you don’t particularly look forward to being with the gym crowd, a dance class will help you stick to the program.

A good motivator – or exercise aid – is to invest in good dance music tapes. Or listen to selected dance tunes on your iPod while traveling, so when you get to your hotel room, you’re pumped up and ready to shake that booty!


Using a Pedometer


This is a beeper-sized device that you clip to your waistband. It measures walking and running distance in steps and miles. Some models are more sophisticated and equipped with measuring features for pace, total exercise time and calories burned.

A pedometer could motivate you to walk during airport or train layovers because you’ll know how much ground you’ve covered and will encourage you to aim for a longer distance on your next trip. Joe Decker says he tested 6 models for accuracy and 4 out of the 6 were accurate. He recommends two specifically: Bodytronics Q25 Electronic Pedometer and the Part Ultrak 275 Electronic Calorie Pedometer.
Always Carry…

Always have the following items with you as you travel:

• comfortable shoes
• padlock
• foldable, light gym bag
• quick dry clothing

Keep these in your suitcase at all times so you don’t waste time looking for them and re-packing them. A busy individual like you need not be unencumbered by exercise paraphernalia that you’re hunting for just before taking a flight!


Keep a Record!


A workout log would be nice – just to monitor your progress. When you become pleased with yourself, liking yourself for the small efforts you’ve invested into improving your physical self, you may want to get into a full-fledged workout program with a trainer.

Show him/her your workout log so he knows exactly how fit you are.

Eating Fit!


Let’s not forget your fuel! Don’t run low on gas; otherwise your body cannot achieve optimum fitness performance.

Nuts, sesame snacks, protein bars, low-fat muffins, a generous helping of dried and fresh fruit, baby carrots, cereal flakes, oatmeal bars should keep you on the go while exercising.

If you’re pressed for time to sit down for a proper meal, these portable foods will tide you over, in a healthy and nutritious way.

Hopping in and out of planes is exercise enough, you say. But that’s not the kind of exercise that will condition your heart, make your reflexes and joints more fluid, keep the sugar levels or keep you from swinging from one mood to another!

Nor is it the kind of exercise that will make you euphoric after a good cardiovascular session. You need to counteract the effects of jet lag, artificial air in pressurized aircraft cabins and sky fatigue. Suzanne Schlosberg says,

“Sometimes your travels help you recognize how humdrum your workout routine has become. At home, it’s easy to fall into a rut – to use the same weight machines in the same order, week after week, month after month, simply out of habit. But a trip may take the routine out of your routine. You may have no choice but to try new strength exercises or jog in the pool instead of swim laps. And you might find these new pursuits so enjoyable that you add them to your fitness repertoire at home.”

Common Obstacles


What are some of the reasons why travelers do not incorporate exercise while they’re on the road?

 They’re stressed or too tired
 They don’t feel comfortable about working out in unfamiliar surroundings
 They don’t have access to a hotel gym

But if they made just a tiny effort to change this thinking, they’d be on the road to fitness sooner.

Engaging in exercise allows you to get out of that bubble of meetings, seminars and tours.


Walk when on the Road


When traveling, have a pair of good walking shoes (trainers preferably) so that you won’t feel so daunted about getting from one side of the airport to another.

Having the right pair of walking shoes will encourage you to walk up the stairs instead of take the escalator, to walk instead of taking the conveyor belt, and to transfer from one concourse to another on foot instead of taking the shuttle service.

You may not know it, but walking these long distances with your luggage in tow serves as a combination/weight lifting exercise!


Fitness while Flying


Once settled comfortably on the plane, make sure you time your stretching and walking periods. If it’s just an hour’s flight, walk around the plane once and do your stretching at the back of the plane; if it’s a three hour to five hour flight (east to west in the North American continent), try to get up from your seat and walk around at least once every hour, doing leg extensions and trunk/neck movements.

If you’re crossing the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, those killer flights need not kill you. Increase the frequency of your stretches and walking.

Airlines such as Japan Air Lines show videos of how travelers can incorporate flexibility movements while seated or standing. Take full advantage of these videos. The exercises may help you ward off fatigue and jet lag.

A note about DVT


In the last five years, there have been reports about flight passengers, especially in economy class, suffering from DVT – deep vein thrombosis.

The link between confining airplane seats and deaths from DVT (formation of deadly blood clots) has been established by the United Nations World Health Organization. It has nothing to do with gender, risk factors or genetics. Everyone is at risk in economy class! This should constitute compelling reason to integrate exercise while high in the sky.

To make exercise possible while traveling, schedule your flights so that when you get to your destination, you don’t rush through dinner and then go to sleep.

Try to arrive during the late afternoon/early evening, to give you time to shake off the fatigue from the trip, and have at least an hour to do exercises either in your hotel room or in the hotel gym.

Important “to do” things when traveling


 Be fully rested before a trip – have the usual “to pack” items ready well in advance so you’re not scampering for them at the last minute, depleting your energy levels.

 Time your sleep correctly – as soon as you board, get the local time of your destination and set your watch accordingly. If it’s already night time in your destination, wear blindfolds and ask for a pillow and try to catch a few winks.

 Drink plenty of water – wine and cocktails will only dehydrate you further; note that humidity levels inside aircraft is below 10%, so water is your best bet.

If your job requires you to travel at least four times a month, ask your company’s travel department to book you in hotels with gyms or a swimming pool.

Make time out of your travel schedule to insert a workout into your grinding schedule.

Here’s a friendly suggestion: get up earlier in the morning and before or after breakfast, head over to the gym and do a brisk walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes, or do the rowing machine (great for the core muscles, back problem reliever) for 10 minutes.
This session is just to wake you up from your travel stupor. See if you can walk to your business appointment instead of taking a cab (that’s another 10 minutes).

At night before going to bed, go to the hotel gym again and lift weights for 10 minutes, to complete your workout for the day. This way you did your cardio and resistance training, two essential components of a fitness program.

Now, tell us, doesn’t a 10-20 minute session sound less intimidating than clocking 1.5 hours in the gym?


Working out with Friends


Another friendly suggestion: if you’re traveling in a group, ask a colleague if he or she would do a game of squash or tennis with you. The concierge can give you local addresses of sports or recreational centers in the vicinity.



When there’s no Gym!



If the hotel gym is crowded or “temporarily closed for maintenance,” you can still exercise – in the comfort of your room.

Here are some exercises that you can perform:

 Turn on the TV or sound system and jog in place; or look up the TV guide and see if some old Jane Fonda or Denise Austin shows are on. Get on with the beat

 Jog in place or jump rope (great cardiovascular workout)

 Conduct floor exercises (described below)



 Floor exercise 1: the Cobra (or back extension). Lying on your stomach as though getting ready for push-ups, keep your hands on your side with palms facing down and fingers pointed forward. With your hands, push to lift your torso off the floor (ensure you’re lifting head, shoulders and chest only).

Keep pelvis on the floor and your head looking ahead. Hold and then release. Repeat 3 times. You should feel your spine lengthen. Joe Decker recommends not just pressing back with your hands, but also pushing your upper body up and forward.

Do not tilt your head back to look at the ceiling (many people make this mistake). This puts a strain on your neck.


 Floor exercise 2: Crunch (for lower abdominals). The lower abdominals are the weakest muscles in your torso because they are rarely worked, and they’re the first to sag after childbirth and after menopause.

This exercise will help:

Lying flat on your back with your knees bent, cross your arms over your chest. Squeeze your buttocks, tighten your abdomen and push your lower back into the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds, breathing normally. Relax, and then release. Repeat as often as you can, without overworking yourself.

 Floor exercise 3: Hurdler’s Stretch. Bend the knee towards the front, and then tuck your lower leg in toward the opposite thigh. Stretch gently toward the straight leg. Do not bounce. This movement is like the ballet movement when an arm goes above the head gracefully, which stretches the sides of the trunk to increase flexibility.

If you pick up any exercise book, there will be a rich inventory of exercises you can perform while on the go. Pack this in your bag so you can refer to it for correct form and posture.

Yoga


Yoga on the train? Yes! A news report was published in the Montreal Gazette recently saying how many overstressed Germans still hide behind their papers rather than exercise. We’re sure Americans and Canadians are no less guilty.

So these commuters are being taught yoga and relaxation techniques on their way to and from work. Instructors are now in what the German government calls “wellness trains” in southern Germany. This was an initiative taken by Deutsche Bahn – Germany’s state-owned railway. The organization decided to offer relaxation and yoga techniques to calm an anxious work force.