Don't Let Travel Trip Up Your Fitness Plan

Today's Guest Post is from Mike Manning; To find more of his work go HERE.

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Don't Let Travel Trip Up Your Fitness Plan

Staying fit while traveling can be a challenge, when all you want to do is flop on the hotel bed after a busy day.  But including exercise in your travel plans can actually have a lot of benefits.

Traveling generally involves some stress, whether it's new situations, timetables, or hits to the wallet.  Exercise can alleviate a lot of the problems that come from stress.  Exercise promotes good circulation, which helps with mood, metabolism and sleep patterns.  It can also prevent fatigue and increase mental clarity.

Before booking a room, it's good to do some research.  Ask if the hotel has a gym, and what machines it has.  You can also ask if there are walking trails in the area, and if there are facilities for tennis, basketball, or renting bikes nearby.  A great way to exercise is swimming.  Find out if there's an indoor or outdoor pool at the hotel.

Rather than waiting until you arrive at the hotel to find out what it has to offer, do some research ahead of time so that you know exactly what you can expect. On my most recent trip, I found a travel review site that listed the top hotels in San Francisco. I was able to read about each hotel and choose one that had a 24-hour fitness facility. It made things much easier for me.

Nowadays, with so many people interested in fitness, hotels are offering more than the basic gym.  Many are providing fitness and yoga classes.  Even airports are promoting a healthy lifestyle.  San Francisco International has a yoga/Zen room and Minneapolis-St. Paul International features walking paths.

You can bring your own exercise equipment on your trip, too.  A jump rope and a resistance band don't weigh much and don't take up much room.  You can also bring a heart monitor if you want.  If you can't fit your regular exercise shoes into your suitcase, you can get a pair of lightweight travel sneakers.  They'll be fine for a walk or a run.

Don't forget the healthy food while you're traveling.  Forbes writer Jennifer Cohen suggests bringing oatmeal packets and using the hot water from the coffee maker to fix them. Also, avoid the pastries and go for yogurt instead Exercising on a trip can take some extra planning, but the benefits in better health and more energy are worth it.  You may even come back feeling better than when you left.

May 13, 2013

-----Author's Note----

The following and all proceeding entries have an air of melancholy and defeatist. They are full of excuses, and were written by a depressed me. More recently I've taken control of my mood and I CHOOSE to be positive from now on. I will leave the previous entries published so that I can remember where I came from and where I don't want to go again. (There were some good days, but not many.) 

I really like it when others catch onto my crunchy habits. It makes me feel like I'm contributing positively to their health and wellbeing. Even if that person is only Puese. Recently he was complaining about his face breaking out and all the stress of his new job. He kept asking if I had face wash to wash his face, I offered him my oil each time, yet he opted to scrounge around the bathroom for face wash. He did find some and used it for a few days. But then he realized that his face wasn't actually getting better. So I was able to talk him into trying my oil cleanse method. Of course he told me it sounded ludicrous, and that you're supposed to do everything in your power to keep oil away from your face. Since I'm no expert my only argument could be "look at my face. I use oils to wash it." I finally convinced him, taught him how to do it, and he was hooked. He actually went to the store the other day to pick up the ingredients to make his own. It's funny, sometimes he'll say things like "it's time to oil my face again" or something similar. I agree, it does sound like a strange thing to do. Especially when All we hear about is how bad oil is for your skin. YAY!! My first crunchy convert. :)

Oil cleanse method: mix 1 part castor oil with 2-4 parts olive oil (ratios differ depending on your natural skin dryness). Massage on face (this is excellent at removing makeup as well). Get a washcloth wet with hot water and lay over your face (you can either let the heat steam your face or just wipe it off. It's more luxurious to let it steam your face). Repeat the hot wash cloth step until the oils off your face. Pat dry (or not). I find that if it leaves my skin too dry, depending on the weather, I can take a dab of the oil and massage it into the dry areas of my face. Just be sure not to use too much if you choose to do that. Granted; this is just what I do, if you still need more information on the oil cleanse method, I recommend googling it. That's how I was convinced.