traveling-related stories
Getting Fit for Adventure Travel
Photo: mckaysavage, Flickr
Got an adventure trip on the calendar? Maybe you're kayaking the Sea of Cortez, hiking Machu Picchu or climbing Mount Rainier. Granted, you might already be in shape, but taking an adventure trip is akin to doing a marathon: You've got to fine tune your body for the demands of that particular excursion. But how?
You've got a few options. You could wing it, of course, and keep up your regular fitness program (you do have one, right?). You could hire a personal trainer. Or you could a customized fitness plan from Fit for Trips.
Fit for Trips was created by an adventure traveler and personal trainer, Marcus Shapiro, to help people get fit for adventure travels. Shapiro and his team of expert trainers (and they do have great qualifications, by the way) partner with adventure tour operators to create fitness programs for specific itineraries. They also design customized fitness programs for individuals and offer support via e-mail or phone.
Travel Active - Staying Fit While On the Go
Spring break, Memorial Day weekend and summer vacation season are all fast approaching. Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, it's important to keep active when you're on the road. Staying active while traveling not only wards off unwanted road-warrior weight gain, it can help manage the stress you might feel from the change in your routine, it will keep you energized so you can see all the sights (or attend all the business meetings ... blech), it will help you get a good night's sleep and it may even help keep your digestive tract regular while it's managing all those away-from-home meals.
Luckily, staying fit while on the go isn't as difficult as it might seem. Some tips:
- Choose your hotel wisely. Call around and pick a hotel that has adequate fitness facilities. A pool and a well-equipped fitness room will make your workouts convenient and easy.
- Walk it out. Pack some comfortable clothes and a pair of walking shoes. If the area outside the door of your hotel isn't ideal for walking, just ask the front desk staff for suggestions. They may have great ideas for interesting neighborhoods, parks or rail trails just waiting for you to explore. You can also use "Prevention's" walking tools to map out a route ahead of time.
- Pack some portable fitness. There are lots of fitness tools you can pack that don't take up too much room in your suitcase. Try a jump rope, resistance bands, yoga pose flash cards, AquaBells® or sliding discs.
- Be a day tripper. If your hotel doesn't have a fitness center, call around to area gyms and see if they have a day pass. And many national chain gyms (such as Gold's Gym and Bally's) let members work out at any of their fitness facilities.
- Choose active outings. Look for active attractions while you're on the road. Fitz has some great ideas for fit vacations.
What are your tips for staying fit while traveling?
Big Adventures & Big Waistlines - Good Morning America Anchors Tell All
Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fiz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.
Next week, the "Good Morning America" anchors are going BIG! They're secretly traveling to some of the most astounding places on the planet and each day they'll turn up to surprise us with their BIG secret locations. Something else is getting BIG though, and it's far less exciting. Adorable (yet highly-esteemed) anchors, Chris Cuomo and Sam Champion sat down for a hilarious interview with me, to investigate the dramatic state of their self-proclaimed expanding waistlines and an odd tenderness creeping up Chris's right side. Chris even shared fitness advice for one "Today Show" anchor. You won't believe it, unless you read it.
Fitz: What are your favorite forms of fitness?
Chris: I get a workout making fun of Sam. It burns lots of calories and is good for the soul.
Sam: I actually would be happy with any form of fitness. Since coming to GMA, my hours have been erratic and my schedule so tight, I've gained a bunch of weight.
Fitz: You're about to embark on a very BIG trip. Will you exercise while you're traveling?
Chris: We try to use the hotel gyms for cardio and calisthenics if they're available to us, but often we're just dropped in the middle of a disaster, and exercise doesn't seem to make it on our list of things to do. While covering hurricanes, tornadoes, war and other wild events, it's difficult to make fitness a priority. We did, however, go on a great train trip a while back; Sam and I would run down the tracks when we had a break. That was terrific.
Sam: It's all very much a roller coaster. I need to get back on track though and schedule exercise and proper nutrition in to my life wherever I go.
Fitz: Which of you can do more push-ups?
Chris and Robin from Good Morning America
NEW YORK - JUNE 26: Sam Champion hosts ABC's "Good Morning America" at June 26, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Janette Pellegrini/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion
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NEW YORK - JUNE 26: (L-R) Host Sam Champion interviews Gavin Creel and Will Swenson from the cast of Broadway�s Hair on ABC's "Good Morning America" at June 26, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Janette Pellegrini/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gavin Creel;Will Swenson
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NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Media personality Sam Champion attends at the 2nd annual IREO Renewable Energy Awards Gala at the United Nations on June 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion
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NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Media personality Sam Champion speaks at the 2nd annual IREO Renewable Energy Awards Gala at the United Nations on June 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion
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NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Media personality Sam Champion speaks at the 2nd annual IREO Renewable Energy Awards Gala at the United Nations on June 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion
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NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Media personality Sam Champion speaks at the 2nd annual IREO Renewable Energy Awards Gala at the United Nations on June 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Sam Champion
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NEW YORK - MAY 29: Recording artist Lionel Richie chats with Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts and Sam Champion during ABC's "Good Morning America" summer concert series on May 29, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lionel Richie;Diane Sawyer;Robin Roberts;Sam Champion
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NEW YORK - MAY 18: (NO SALES; NO ARCHIVE) In this handout image provided by American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), actor Christian Bale speaks with Chris Cuomo (not seen) about his new film "Terminator Salvation," on Good Morning America May 18, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Donna Svennevik/ABC via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Christian Bale
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NEW YORK - MAY 18: (NO SALES; NO ARCHIVE) In this handout image provided by American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), actor Christian Bale (L) speaks with Chris Cuomo about his new film "Terminator Salvation," on Good Morning America May 18, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Donna Svennevik/ABC via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chris Cuomo;Christian Bale
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NEW YORK - MAY 6: (NO SALE, NO ARCHIVE) In this handout image provided by ABC, Bristol Palin, 19 year old single mother and daughter of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, talks to Chris Cuomo on "Good Morning America" May 6, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Ida Mae Astute/ABC via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chris Cuomo;Bristol Palin
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Flying is a headache
Have you flown the friendly skies recently? For many people, flying is a headache... quite literally. An Israeli study of 906 people found that 6% report getting headaches when they travel by airplane. Based on that statistic and a few flight numbers/occupancy assumptions, researchers estimate that this translates into more than 100 million flight-induced headaches per year.
There are several things that could trigger a headache during air travel -- stress, pressure changes, poor air quality, and engine noise. (Not to mention noisy passengers!) To help manage air travel-related headaches, be sure to drink plenty of water (as dehydration can contribute to headaches), get up and walk around during long flights, bring books or music or anything else that will help you reduce stress, pack ear plugs if noise bothers you, and bring some over-the-counter pain relievers.
FitSpirit: Blues traveler
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation
When my body isn't moving so much, my mind goes to a bit of a blue place. I'm not quite there, but I feel myself getting close. Ironically, this week my body has traveled thousands of miles and I've seen my favorite blue place in the world -- the Pacific Ocean.
As most of us know, traveling usually means our health suffers a bit due to lack of exercise, increased stress and the subsequent effect on our mental state of both. I travel from my home in the mid-Atlantic to my native California at least twice a year. I am writing from my mother's home in the Los Angeles area right now. Before heading home a week from tomorrow, we will have traveled by air and navigated airports for more than 12 hours and spent almost 20 hours in cars in order to visit family and friends on opposite ends of the state. So much movement, so little exercise.
Thankfully, visiting the loved ones we live so far away from keeps my mind a bit happier during these sedentary vacation days. And I do try to adhere to some of the common tips for maintaining good health and fitness while traveling, such as making good food choices and drinking lots of water. I also follow certain prevention guidelines.
When I get home, I'll run through the neighborhood, hop on my bike or swim laps at the rec center in an effort to kick those endorphins back into high gear and then some. I'll certainly have to in order to heal the little bit of homesickness and heartsickness that's sure to crop up after leaving so many loved ones behind.
Daily Fit Tip: Take your good habits on vacation with you
Jumpstart Your Fitness: How to stay active on vacation
Summer is the biggest "exercising yo yo" time of the year for me because the nice weather makes it more appealing to exercise outside on a regular basis, but vacations and fattening weekend getaways make for frequent interruptions. It's been a goal of mine recently to master the idea of keeping up some kind of fitness effort when I'm on the road, so naturally this article about easy ways to keep active while traveling caught my eye. And although the tips are all pretty basic, that's okay. The idea of staying active while traveling is also pretty basic. We just need to actually do this stuff! Pick out the ideas that work for you and then make a point to do them, and pull your family in to the effort too, so you're not in it by yourself. Workplace Fitness: Stay strong and healthy while on the road
A good percentage of today's career opportunities involve at least some traveling, and whether it's required or voluntary, fun or a drag, close to home or across the world, if it involves overnight stays and hotel rooms, it's most likely going to have an impact on your exercise schedule. And that impact, for most business travelers, is a bad one. How many of the hotels that you've stayed in have had nice workout facilities with enough equipment, and enough of the right equipment for you to keep your home routine going seamlessly? For me, just being in a different place with a different atmosphere is enough to make jumping on the treadmill for my usual routine hard. Tips for (not) flying when you're sick
I know a lot of people who say that they catch some kind of bug every time they fly. There's no doubt that sharing cabin air and sitting in close proximity to a passenger with a contagious illness ups your risk of getting sick yourself.What's a person to do when they fall ill before a flight? The right thing to do is to stay put to protect your own health as well as the health of others, but getting out of your ticket can be especially tricky.
Travel columnist Elliot Christopher has four tips for travelers who find themselves suddenly and seriously ill before a flight, tips that might just help you skip your flight without losing hundreds of dollars in fees or non-refundable tickets. It's not always an easy battle to win, but it might not be as hard as you think.
Experts say if you are ill, don't fly
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
At any given moment, there are 2 million passengers on board commercial flights high above the earth. That's what this article claims, but the amazing thing is that one company is responsible for taking calls from flight attendants if a passenger feels ill. While it gives me a little comfort to know medical events can be called in to professionals, the CNN articles reveals that you should think twice before going airborne if you aren't in tip-top shape to begin with.The reason being is because flight attendants are not medically trained. If you get sick or ill, the pilot (not a doctor) must weight various factors before deciding if he can divert the plane off-course. This can leave a person feeling very icky thousands of feet in the air.
Consider this: if you just got a cast for a broken bone, there's a chance your arm could slightly swell due to altitude changes which could cause discomfort. The bottom line is simple. If you're not feeling well, don't fly. These are not airborne hospitals with trained professionals, and planes don't always divert for sick passengers. It's easy to understand why this is a hot-button issue, but experts agree that staying grounded is the best choice for unwell fliers.
Workplace Fitness: Staying healthy on vacation
An important part of being successful in your working life is to take advantage of vacation time benefits to refresh and revive your mind, body, and spirit. But obviously getting sick on vacation and spending the majority of the time not relaxing but recovering and suffering instead does nothing for you but waste your money and your time and send you back to work feeling more exhausted than when you left. Taking some simple steps towards staying healthy can be the difference between coming back from vacation feeling relaxed and refreshed and ready to hit the ground running or coming back tired, drained, and barely able to get motivated. Whether you're going on a cruise through the Caribbean or on a drive across the country Forbes has compiled some tips to help you stay healthy and make the most of your time away from your desk, your career, and all the other stresses of your everyday life.
Daily Fit Tip: Some exercises love to travel
We may be over the hump, but the holidays aren't over yet! Are you headed somewhere to celebrate the New Year? I'm hopping on a plane, which means just when I want to look my cutest for the party I'll be smack in the middle of eating out all the time and having no time or place for my usual exercise routine. I may not be able to do exactly what I normally would at home, but many exercises travel just fine. Some that can be done almost anywhere with little or no equipment:Pilates
Running/Jogging
Walking/Hiking
Jumping Rope
Your Turn: Are you travelling this holiday season?
The holidays are a time for families, but if you live in another city from your family, you might end up being one of the hundreds of thousands of people traveling this week. Not only is this the biggest week for travel, it's also the most expensive one.
If you're travelling this season, be sure to practice safe travel habits. Be sure to stretch your legs, and bring along some healthy snacks too. And as always, drink lots of water.
I usually stay in my hometown for Christmas but for the first time in over 15 years, I'm heading west to see some out-of-town relatives. What about you?
Fit Gifts: Things to give a healthy traveller
If you have a fit traveller on your Christmas list, here are a few gift ideas for them:
- Resistance bands. These are inexpensive, light and very versatile.
- A pedometer. Walking is something you can do anywhere in the world. Monitor just how many steps you've taken with this handy tool.
- Aquabells. These are weights you fill with water, and collapse when you're travelling.
- A travel alarm clock. Travellers can set their alarm early so they can go for a run before starting their day.
- Travel trainers. Reebok makes a collapsible running shoe that you can easily stow away in your suitcase.
How to stay safe when traveling solo
Traveling on your own is, in my opinion, one of the best experiences of a lifetime. You can go where you want, see what you want, gain confidence, make new friends and more. However, anytime you are visiting a place that is foreign to you, it's important to take a few safety precautions especially if you're traveling solo.
I've visited a few places without a companion and one of the biggest things I've learned is to always do your best to blend in and not look like a tourist. Nothing says, "I'm not from here, please come and relieve me of my wallet" better than a fanny pack and USA (or in my case, Canada) Rules T-shirt. This, and 9 other helpful safety hints are listed here.
Some of the other hints include keeping a phone and a small amount of cash on you at all times in case you need to make a quick escape from a shady situation, making copies of all important documents -- especially your passport --and keep them separate from the originals (it's not a bad idea to leave copies with someone you trust at home as well) as this will make it easier to replace items that are lost or stolen and always make sure that someone knows your basic itinerary in case you fail to show up somewhere -- at least they'll have an idea of where to look for you.
To see the rest of the tips, visit this page. Do any of you seasoned solo travelers out there have any more advice?























