Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Fitness on the Fly

This post was written at a few different times :)
Tuesday--
Good Morning! Bright and early here at the airport in Rochester-- 4:15 AM to be exact.

Thanks to 12 different alarms, I got up and made it here in time! I've told you before I am not good in the morning, so this is huge for me :)

I mentioned recently that I would be going out of town for work this week, to a very small town in the middle of Iowa (why company headquarters is there....beyond me).

This is my first 'business trip' so I am excited-- but knew that I needed to plan ahead to make sure I stay on track with my training while I am gone. Here's a few things I did to help prepare myself best as possible.

1. Choose a hotel with a gym/pool. I didn't get to choose mine, but I got lucky in the fact that mine has a fitness center and a pool. I called ahead to find out what equipment they have so that I could be prepared. They have a treadmill and an elliptical and that is about it. So I knew I was going to have to find someway to bike this week, and get some strength training in on my own.



2. Scope out the area. Thanks to the ever powerful Google- I was able to find that the town I am going to be in has TONS of trails and recreational parks that I can run in. I printed maps and brought them with me, and will check with hotel to see which ones are best (safest!).



3. If your hotel doesn't have a gym- find one! Seeing as mine does, but not a bike (I'd prefer not to go 4 days  without biking while being less than 5 weeks out from 70.3) I searched for gyms online. If you are traveling to a large city, finding a spin studio or fitness classes shouldn't be hard but small towns you might have to dig more. I was lucky enough to find a local recreation center that has spin classes ($5 each for non-members...score!!).

4. Ask locals! I didn't have much success with this yet, but when I get into town it may be easier. Scope out a local running group, or ask social media sites for those in the area to give recommendations. Also asking those at the hotel for any recommendations.

5. Be prepared for anything, and bring your own gym. I know packing light is important but so it being prepared- therefore I made sure to pack things to run, bike, swim, and do general workouts in. I brought my own resistance band, and a few of my yoga DVD's so that way I can do those in the room. I planned some body-weight workouts in advance so I know that I don't have an excuse not to do them.

6. Pack healthy/travel smart! In my carry on you will find green tea bags, Lara bars, EnergyBits, Power Crunch protein energy bars, Cocoa Via Packets and other little healthy snacks to keep me from hitting the vending machines in the airport. I am also wearing my Zensah compression calf sleeves under my jeans, my legs will thank me for this later!



7. Plan ahead for healthy eating! I have healthy snacks packed for the week that I can keep in my purse. I also scoped out where a grocery store is near my hotel so that I can get some fresh fruits and yogurts to keep in my hotel room as well once I get there. The hotel provides continental breakfast so I know I can count on juice, bagels, and fruit to stay healthy in the morning. I have NO idea what the company will provide for lunches, so I plan on packing some things in my bag each day so I have healthier alternatives if necessary. I also printed a list of local restaurants and their menus so that I know what my best options are for finding a yummy meal.

Layover in Chicago-- 6 AM-8 AM (local time)
I fully admit to having a "blonde" moment and being confused when flight attendant said local time was 6 AM, forgetting that I had gone back in time an hour. I hadn't planned on this, but minor details I suppose.
Happy to have caffeine in me....Chicago airport had at least 7 different Starbucks that I passed between my terminals...

Here's a fun fact: I'll be flying in a puddle jumped from Chicago to IA! I've never flown in such a small plane before so this will be an adventure!

Landed in IA: time for rental car and journey through IA to hotel! [9:30 AM local time]
At least my rental is something cute to bee-bop in...sun roof and all!
Drive from Airport to hotel was easy, all highway. Blue skies for miles and miles and no city skylines to be seen. 

I did have a good day of traveling, but ready for the rest of the week to get started! 


What are your travel tips?
My mom travels.... ALL.the.time. I don't know how she manages it like she does, I give her so much credit! 

Does your city have any places that visitors MUST go to?



12 comments:

  1. I guess in Virginia Beach you have to go to the beach...or that is what I hear at least...LOL.

    When I read about packing bars I thought it said "Laura bars" and I thought you were making your own bars ha ha. Anyways, did your protein powder make it through?

    I'm glad you found somewhere to be able to bike and 5 dollars is so cheap. Just think of it as a cover charge to a college party...LOL...anyways, have a great (and productive) trip there. :-)

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  2. 5 dollar spin classes! AMAZING. and that's so awesome that you went out of your way to find a place to do so. Smart lady! I love working out when I go away and on vacations too..which people think is cray cray but I find it enjoyable.

    I live 5 miles from Gettysburg and it is CRAZY in the summer time. so many tourists. this year is the 150th anniversary and we supposedly have an influx of 500,000 people coming. YIKES

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  3. Holy heck, my Grandmother is from Jefferson County. I'm about 100 miles north and east of you. Enjoy your stay in sunny/stormy Iowa. It's awesome that you're finding ways to keep busy.

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  4. I always Google where I'm going to find the nearest trail/path/or running spot. So many great places to run out there in the world. As for my city--I live in NYC! If you ask 10 different people, you'll get 10 different answers about the must-see spots. But my #1 pick is Central Park. Any runner who visits NYC HAS to make time for a run there!

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  5. Wow. You ARE prepared. Will you be wife or mommy? Jeez.
    Back when I had a REAL job and travel associated with that job, I was equally freaked out about the lack of biking. But I do enjoy being a gym rat and checking out local gyms and trails...but what I *most* enjoy is checking out random pools. Mostly because they are usually completely empty! But I learned the hard way to do serious research...I once found myself knee deep (and no deeper) in a 10 foot square pool with 10 children. And...it was raining, so no running...and I had no car, so only room service at my disposal...and...this is why I'm not a vegetarian!
    $5 spin class is a TOTAL score. Take two in a row for me ;)

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  6. Love this post - I have to travel somewhat frequently for work, and planning ahead is definitely a necessity. You're lucky to have so many trails nearby! A lot of times I end up stuck on a treadmill, which isn't the worst, but most hotel gyms are, well ... kinda sad. Also I love the tip on looking for nearby gyms to check out a class or grab a day pass! I never thought of that before.

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  7. They have a treadmill and an Alex Stevens elliptical and that is about it. So I knew I was going to have to find someway to bike this week, and get some strength training in on my own.

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  8. Hi Laura, I can really relate to your post. You've stated that "If your hotel doesn't have a gym- find one!" Whenever I travel and stay in a hotel, I always make sure that the hotel Ill be staying at has a gym. It has become my habit to exercise everyday and I can't stand a day without going to the gym.

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  10. most hotel gyms are, well ... kinda sad. Also I love the tip on looking for nearby gyms to check out a class or grab a day pass! I never thought of that before - legal steroids that really work

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  11. Me too, I always opt a hotel with a gym. I love sweating everywhere so that I can still maintain my workout even if I'm out of town for business. Thank you for sharing some ideas for my next trip.

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