Activity to Go: On the Road Again? Here’s How to Keep Up With Your Activity Quota

Written by Dietitians at Diabetes Control for Life

You’ve worked hard to create a physical activity plan that incorporates aerobics, strengthening, flexibility, and balance. And you’ve been so careful about getting 30 to 40 minutes of some kind of activity each day.

Now you’re going to Cancun. You’re excited — of course! — but you’re also nervous about whether your beach time will interfere with your physical activity routine. You’ve heard that you can lose the health benefits of physical activity twice as fast as it took you to build them. That’s true. And it’s also true that it’s much easier to maintain your level of fitness than to regain it. But you can have fun in the sun and still not miss out on your physical activity.

This Active Living article gives you some tips on staying physically active even when you’re on the go.

• It tells you how to stay healthy and comfortable when you’re flying.
• It helps you plan for physical activity when you’re traveling.

In the Air

You may have heard that long air flights increase travelers’ risk for DVT — deep vein thrombosis (blood clots). This happens when a blood clot develops in a leg, travels to the lungs, and causes serious breathing difficulties.

But you have an edge. Your aerobic activities have helped increase the amount of oxygen your blood carries, and that is a good thing. All the brisk walking you do has probably improved your circulation and reduced your risk of blood clotting.

Still, it’s a good idea to try some on-board activities to improve your blood circulation and make you more comfortable:

• Walk as much as possible in the airport before your flight.
• Contract your glutes (the muscles you sit on) and abdominal muscles from time to time. This will stimulate your circulation.
• If you have room, stretch your arms and lift them up and down.
• Open and clench your fists.
• Rotate your wrists and ankles in large circles, extending them fully. This feels great.
• Get up and walk around when the seat belt sign is turned off.

On the Ground

Even in Cancun, your hotel may have a fitness center. If your hotel doesn’t, the concierge probably can arrange for you to use nearby facilities.

You don’t have to use health facilities when you travel. Just be sure to take your walking shoes and walk to your destinations rather than drive. You’ll see a lot more and experience the place you’re visiting more completely if you walk. Walking on the beach, incidentally, gives you a great workout. Throw a swimsuit in your luggage and try out the pool. If you don’t know how to swim, join in the water aerobics class if there is one, or walk in the pool around the perimeter — walking against the resistance of the water can be quite a workout. Protect your feet with beach shoes on the beach and at the pool.

Think about making your routine portable. Don’t forget to pack your stretch bands. They don’t take much room in your suitcase. Using weights? You can buy portable ones that are easy to pack; you fill them with water in your hotel room. In the privacy of your room, you can also do crunches, squats, and push-ups.

So enjoy Cancun — or wherever you’re headed — and don’t let traveling get in the way of your physical activity program. You’ll feel great, enjoy yourself, and have no regrets when you get home if you keep up your physical activities on the go.

Here’s a checklist for your next trip:

• Plan time for some sort of physical activity each day.
• Pack your walking shoes and socks or beach shoes.
• Call ahead to your hotel and find out whether they have a fitness center. If they do, ask about what equipment and facilities it has and what the hours are. If it has a pool, you may want to pack a swimsuit. This information helps you plan ahead.
• Use the Internet to see what attractions are close to your hotel and plan to check them out on foot.
• If your routine includes portable equipment such as stretch bands, be sure to throw them into your suitcase, too.
• Take comfortable physical activity clothes.
• Don’t forget to take your blood sugar monitor.

Summary

• Don’t let travel put a glitch in your physical activity program. It will take you twice as long to regain your health benefits as it did to achieve them in the first place.
• When you fly, take measures to improve your comfort and blood circulation. Contract your glutes and abdominal muscles, stretch your arms, rotate your wrists and ankles, and walk around when the seat belt sign is off.
• Walk around the airport as much as you can before your flight. This will probably help you calm the vacation-anticipation jitters, as well.
• Do some homework. Call your hotel and find out whether they have fitness facilities, and if so, what kind. Check the Internet to see what attractions are within walking distance. Work some fitness time into each day. Take your walking shoes and comfortable clothes.