If you have a traveler in your life, he or she may find it a challenge to squeeze in exercise. Having the right equipment can make it easier to workout no matter where he is. The following equipment offers a variety of options for your traveling loved one to workout, whether it's in a hotel room, in the gym or outside.
1. Exercise Bands
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Resistance bands are perfect for travelers. They're inexpensive, lightweight and can easily be stuffed into a suitcase. They don't necessarily take the place of strength training with heavier weights, but an exerciser can maintain his muscle mass and get a quick total body workout in any hotel room. Choose a variety of tensions (light, medium and heavy) and a door anchor to add more variety to workouts.
2. Jump Rope
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3. AquaBells Dumbbells
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These are a little strange, but an interesting choice for the traveler who wants to lift weights, but doesn't have access to a decent fitness room or gym. These are packable weights and you simply add water and the weights can go up to 16 pounds, weighing only 24 ounces when deflated. Having weights handy makes it much easier to fit in a quick workout before the all-day meetings start.
4. iTunes Gift Card
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If she can't bring a trainer on her trip, the next best thing is to bring a virtual trainer on her smartphone. An iTunes gift card will allow your traveler to download a variety of fitness apps, including workouts he can do in his hotel room, running routes he can map out before hitting the road or even yoga workouts he can sneak in between meetings.
5. VersaStick Travel Gym
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This kit is a great choice for travelers with lots of extras included. First, you get a Versa Stick, which offers variety for strength training exercises. You attach a resistance band to the stick and it becomes something like a barbell, so you can work the entire body. The kit includes 3 resistance bands of varying tension, a door anchor, a manual and DVD. It would be great if they also included handles for the bands, but that's not a big deal. The DVD includes both instructions for exercises as well as a variety of workouts including a short 10-minute workout, core training and a cardio/resistance workout.
6. TRX Suspension Training
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The TRX Suspension System is another option for travelers who want a unique way to exercise. With this system, you attach a series of straps to an anchor point (a hotel room door works well for this) and perform a variety of body weight exercises. By changing positioning, you can leverage more or less body weight, making the exercises harder or easier, depending on your goals. The basic package is $189.95 and you'll have to pay extra for the door anchor, but there are instructional videos included.
7. Travel Fitness Kit
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This travel kit is another great choice and includes a variety of tools for exercising on the road: A bar with five different resistance bands, ankle straps, a door anchor and handles. There's also an instruction guide. There isn't a personal trainer included, which kind of stinks and one drawback is having to remove and attach the handles each time you need to change the amount of resistance. Other than that, this is a great choice for lifting weights on the road.
8. The Athletic-Minded Traveler
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For the traveler who wants to stay in shape, this book is a must. This excellent resource has done all the work for you, researching hotels all over the country to find the ones that fit within your budget and your athletic needs. The best thing about it is that it doesn't just cover the facts, but makes suggestions for places to go and places to avoid. I reviewed the first edition back in 2005 and, since then they've created a website where you can find more up-to-date information about where to stay for the best workouts.
