FitSugar

Book Review: TravelFit London

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Vacations and honeymoons are a great time to sit back and relax, but that does not mean you have to let all your healthy efforts go to waste. If you and your new spouse are heading to London for your honeymoon then you'll definitely want to bring along TravelFit London ($15).

This handy, little travel guidebook gives you the ins and outs on how to keep off holiday weight gain in a city that treasures its fish 'n' chips. From finding bike tours to health clubs that offer day passes, to health-food stores, to walking tours, you'll be sure to keep up with your health while still be able to take in the sights. I love that it's small enough to fit in your purse so you can take it on all your outings. After all, Ben may be big, but you don't have to be.

If the City of Lights is your destination, be sure to check out TravelFit Paris.

Sightseeing + Running = City Running Tours

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:15:00 -0700

I am all about multi-tasking and amazed at the new strategies folks create to combine fitness with other activities. When I first learned about running tours in Rome, I was so excited by the concept that I almost bought a ticket to Italy. Thanks to City Running Tours I can stay stateside and jog to see the sights of New York, Chicago and D.C., with Austin and Denver coming soon.

This concept is great for the business traveler bored with the hotel treadmill, the vacationer in training for an upcoming race, or the recreational runner who wants to explore the sights and exercise at the same time. City Running Tours offers set tours, as well as customized runs to accommodate any athletic ability, style, training regimen or specific landmarks. Pricing is $50 per person for the first 6 miles and $4 per person for each mile after that. In the Big Apple prices are a little higher - $60 per person for the first six miles and $6 per person for each additional mile.

Buy your tickets online and hit the streets, see new sights, and get your heart rate up all at the same time.

travelTrainer: Gym in a Bag for Travel or Home

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 14:00:00 -0800

Whether you are traveling a bunch and need some fitness grear or simply want a home gym that fits into a bag, Advantage Fitness Products Travel Trainer might just be for you.

It contains:

TravSudio™ Ultra-ball: Professional grade fitness ball
RapidAire™ Pump Inflates Ultra-ball in approximately 3 minutes
ProTrain Band System: Proprietary anti-snap resistance band system with detachable handles
VersaMat™: Soft textured multi-use exercise mat-ideal for yoga or Pilates
travelTrain™ Carry Case: Quick dry mesh case with shoulder strap and accessory pouch
Interactive TravStudio™ CD: Innovative CD-Rom with over 50 beginning to advanced

The part that closes the deal for me is the pump for the ball. How cool that it inflates the ball in 3 minutes. This means you can keep the deflated ball in the closet of your small studio apartment, pump it up for a workout, then deflate it and store the ball until your next workout in three days. Am I being optimistic? I do think that would be a great home workout schedule - every three days.

If you are traveling the travelTrainer would also be great especially since it comes with its own carrying case.

Buy your travelTRAINER™ Personal Fitness Studio from from Advantage Fitness Products directly.

Don't Let Traveling Get You in a Bind

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:30:31 -0800

The stress of traveling and being away from home can really mess with your bathroom schedule. Changing times zones, eating foods you're not used to, and skipping out on exercise doesn't help either. To prevent tummy issues, here are some tips on how to stay regular when traveling.

Drink water whenever you can as your choice of beverage. Not only will it keep you hydrated, but it'll also keep things moving.
When traveling, bring your own snacks that are high in fiber. Nibble on carrot sticks, apples (with the peel), trail mix with dried fruit and nuts, granola bars, and high fiber cereal. Having healthy snacks on hand will prevent you from eating processed foods that can tie the digestive system in knots.

For more helpful tips keep reading.

Fit Travel Tip: Plan for the Weather

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Good intentions of exercising while traveling can lead to less than positive results if you don't keep an eye on the weather changes.

During a recent trip to Florida, I brought all my workout gear with the high hopes of doing workouts on the beach during my vacation. On the first day I went out, I was exhausted and dripping with sweat within minutes and had to stop. The Florida heat and sun were too much for my San Francisco blood to handle; I hadn't even considered the heat as a potential problem. So instead of doing the three mile jogs on the beach I had intended, I opted for one hour walks with a lot of water and frequent breaks. If you're heading for a vacation this Fall and Winter and plan on exercising, be sure to plan for a different climate than what you're used to. Be it too hot, or too cold, conditions may require you to alter your existing workout. And always listen to your body, if you feel fatigued or short of breath at any point, slow down and reassess your workout.

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The Fit Traveler

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:30:00 -0800

I've said it before and I'll say it again, staying fit while on the road is tough.

Fit For Travelers ($14.00) by Eide is a great tool for anyone on the go. The book includes a free stretch, exercise band with a guide explaining and illustrating 20 exercises. Great, but the band is one more thing to carry, right? Well, the book has a hard case binding with a pocket for storing the band. The program delivers a decent full-body workout, including upper body, lower body and targets areas like the thighs and abs. Diet tips help round out this program along with the lay-flat design of the book. Try it out, it may be just what you need to keep motivated on the road. Buy The Fit Traveler on Amazon.com.

Fit Traveler: Hilton Garden Inn's Stay Fit Kit

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:30:00 -0700

Staying fit while traveling is important in keeping up your routine and staying with your exercise momentum. Luckily some hotels are making it easier than ever to workout while on the road.

The Hilton Garden Inn has created the Stay Fit Kit, which allows you to workout in the privacy of your guest room or in the fitness center. It offers an isometric and core body workout by accommodating three (3) areas of training: Yoga, Pilates, and Core. This kit includes: a Pilates band, a Yoga mat, strap and bricks, an 8 lb abs ball, 3 lb hand weights and a resistance rope.

The Stay Fit Kits are currently available for complimentary check-out at the front desk at every Hilton Garden Inn. Each Stay Fit Kit includes instruction cards that detail exercises for each piece of equipment. However, if you're not into self instruction, there is also in-room 25-30 minute fitness programming (available for purchase) to go along with the kit.

No more excuses, working out is truly getting easier than ever, anywhere.

ExerciseTV: Post Flight Stretches

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Travel much? Try these easy stretches for when you get off the plane. They will help revitalize your travel weary body by opening up your chest and shoulders. Since the busiest travel day of the year is approaching I wanted to share this video I found over on ExerciseTV. They were generous enough to share this video with me and to sponsor this post.

You should definitely check out the extensive video library at ExerciseTV. There is no reason to ever be bored with your workout again!

Happy traveling!

Powerhouse Hit the Deck Workout System

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:17 -0800

Powerhouse Hit the Deck ($20) is a new workout system that you can do "anywhere, anytime, with no fitness equipment needed." It's made up of 35 color-coded cards and an interval timer. Each card has a strength/cardio exercise on it, and its color denotes the exercise's level of difficulty. The levels are broken down in a cute way - no sweat (easy), I'm glistening (medium), and sweating buckets (hard) - and there are five warmup/cooldown cards too.

Using the Powerhouse deck is pretty simple:

Set the interval timer to how long you want to do an individual exercise - I set mine to 30-second intervals.
Always start each workout by drawing the yellow cards; these are the warmup exercises.
Read over the first card, hit the timer, and do as many repetitions of the exercise on the card as possible until the timer beeps.
Stop the timer, draw the next card and repeat.
After getting through the warmup exercises, draw from the rest of the deck and continue the process for as long as you like.

To see what I thought of the system, read more.

I liked the Powerhouse deck and thought it was a great cross-training workout. There are all sorts of variations you can do to change it up: go totally random and draw cards regardless of difficulty, keep your workout limited to one difficulty level, or build on difficulty as the workout progresses. You can also decide how much time you want to spend on your workout by pulling a certain number of cards before you begin. I liked shuffling the cards I pulled before starting so that my workout would always be a complete surprise.

The pace of the workout is a lot like the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD, but the drawback is you don't have Jillian's motivation or anyone there to explain proper form. Given that it's just you and a deck of cards, you really have to rely on yourself for motivation. Also, you have to make sure you're following the cards as closely as possible so you don't injure yourself.

Though I wouldn't use the deck in place of my gym or even a workout DVD, this is a great set to have for traveling or if you need a quick way to relieve some stress.

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Travel Tips: 3 Car Exercises For Road Tripping

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 -0800

For the most popular travel holiday of the year, Thanksgiving finds many of us stressed out in airports or on long road trips. But just because you're stuck in a car doesn't mean you should completely neglect your body. I have a few easy car exercises so you can work your body while still focusing on the road.

Steering wheel isometrics: Using simple isometric exercises, you can work your arms. Start with your hands at nine and three on the steering wheel (just like driver's ed class) and press inward with your arms. Hold for five counts, but keep the tension out of your neck. Repeat four times, and then move your hands to 10 and two and repeat. Changing positions of your hands will work different muscle groups.
Belly vacuums: This is a great way to work your abs at traffic lights or waiting out a traffic jam. On an exhale simply pull your abs toward your spine without letting your back round. Keep the abs engaged and focus on breathing into the back of your ribs for three to five breaths.
Glute winks: Your bum can get sore and numb from sitting for so long. This exercise not only works the glutes a bit, it also gets the circulation going once again and can relieve low back pain, too. Simply squeeze your right glute for three to five seconds, release it and switch sides. Repeat for a total of 10 times.

Happy, safe, and fit travels to you all.

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