Five Ways to Keep Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions on the Road

For many people, getting in shape tops the list of New Year’s resolutions, but those who travel frequently for business or pleasure know that keeping up a fitness routine on the road is challenging. Fast food at the airport, high-calorie business lunches, an unfamiliar fitness center at your hotel or a reluctance to run in a city you’ve never been to are just a few of the things that can derail your fitness routine. Here are five ways to travel and keep your New Year’s resolution to get fit on track.

Choose a Fairmont Hotel
The brand’s “Fairmont Fit” program lends adidas sneakers, workout gear and a loaded mp3 player to guests who are members of the Fairmont President’s Club. There’s no cost to join the Club, but you’ll have to stay five times or 10 nights in one year to have the $10 fee waived for the sneakers and workout gear. With between 75 – 125 pairs of sneakers at each hotel, Fairmont has approximately 5,000 pairs brand-wide to dole out to their fitness-conscious guests. Think of the space you’ll save in your luggage by leaving bulky sneakers and workout clothes at home!

(photo courtesy of Fairmont Hotels)

Sightsee with City Running Tours
Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, you can maximize your time by combining running and sightseeing. City Running Tours has guides in five cities – Austin, Charleston, Chicago, New York and Washington, DC – and runners choose a route based on both their interests and running level. When a visit to see friends in Washington, D.C. fell during my New York City marathon training, I ran 10 miles with a guide from City Running Tours and saw the White House, Vietnam Memorial, Capital Building and much, much more along the way. My guide even took photos of me in front of the sights and emailed them to me after our run. (This is not me in the photo.)

(photo courtesy of City Running Tours)

Bikini Boot Camp Beach Vacation
Topping my list of fitness vacations I’d love to take in 2010 is Bikini Boot Camp at the Amansala Resort in Tulum, Mexico. The six-night program is held several times each month and incorporates a serious fitness regime – think biking, power yoga, circuit training and dancing – with free time to explore the Mayan Riviera.  Add in three healthy meals each day and rustic-chic beachfront accommodations and you’ve got a fitness-focused beach vacation that you can feel great about taking in 2010. The cost is $2,135 and includes all meals, two massages, a Mayan clay treatment, all classes, activities, excursions taxes and tax and service. The price does not include airfare.

(photo courtesy of Amansala.com)

Cruise with Royal Caribbean
Fitness isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when most people think about cruising; the image more likely includes endless amounts of food and sugary drinks enjoyed while lazing poolside.  But for those who can’t imagine a vacation that isn’t on a ship, the popular web site CruiseCritic.com picks Royal Caribbean as best in class for onboard gyms, specifically citing the Freedom and Oasis class of ships for top-notch facilities, a range of group classes and, on the brand-new Oasis of the Seas, gravity machines, a Kinesis wall and Activio Cycling.

(photo courtest of Royal Caribbean)

Ipod Workouts from Fitness Magazine
Fitness Magazine offers inexpensive, downloadable workouts to help you get (and stay) in shape on the road, including several workouts that cost under $5. The video workouts on offer range from five-minute yoga at your desk to the famed hour-long Core Fusion Body Sculpt workout. Choose by theme – abdominals, cardio, weight loss or yoga and Pilates -- to focus your efforts where you need it most.  Many of the workouts can be done in the privacy of your hotel room, others can be outside or in the hotel gym.

(photo courtesy of FitnessMagazine.com)