Shaping up while on the go

Betty Stark

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If you're a frequent business traveler, this scenario might be familiar to you. Early morning: You dash to the airport, check in, clear security, and head to your gate. Along the way, you stop at a popular airport coffee shop for a caramel mocha blended coffee (no whipped cream) and a caramel pecan sticky roll. Noon: You're at your destination and on the go. There's no time for a "real" lunch so between appointments you wheel your rental car to the drive-up window at a popular burger place. You order a spicy chicken sandwich, medium fries, a strawberry triple thick shake, and you and your grab-and-go lunch are on the road. Early evening: You've met with your clients and attended meetings, and you're heading home. At the airport, you learn you'll be delayed by weather, with no hope of getting home in time for dinner with the family. You can't leave the airport, so you head to a popular chain restaurant, and this time you do the "right" thing and order a salad. The "quesadilla explosion" is a symphony of fajita-marinated chicken, corn relish, mixed cheese, cilantro, diced tomato and crispy tortilla strips. It's garnished with a splash of chipotle ranch and cheese quesadilla wedges. You request citrus-balsamic dressing on the side. You've had a successful day so to reward yourself you add a margarita (regular size). Then, as the departure delay ticks on, you have another one.

By now, your calorie consumption is hovering in the neighborhood of 3,660, far above the "recommended" daily levels of 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men. But wait! You also downed a quarter-pound bag of Swedish Fish as a midday pick-me-up, so increase that number to about 4,460, based on nutritional information charts at www.calorieking.com, touted by some as the best calorie database on the Internet.

Let's face it. There's precious little time during an appointment-packed, stress-filled business trip to think about calories or fat grams or how many carbohydrates you've consumed in the past 12 hours. Bottom line, it's not easy to eat responsibly on the road.

And what about regular exercise? At the end of an exhausting day when you've checked into your hotel room, it's a lot easier to open the mini bar or answer e-mail than to seek out the fitness center.

It's no real surprise that business travelers are not a particularly healthy lot, a fact that concerns employers struggling with escalating health insurance costs. But there are plenty of resources available for any traveler who has a glimmer of determination.

If your company offers an employee-wellness program, ask for information that will help you stay healthy on the road. Make yourself aware of healthy places to eat at airports -- and yes, there are some.

A report published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ranked 12 major airports according to their overall food offerings, giving highest marks to those restaurants that offer healthful entrees that are low in fat and cholesterol, and high in fiber.

According to the report published late in 2004, the biggest airports ranked as follows, best to worst: Miami, Detroit, Denver, Chicago O'Hare, New York JFK, Atlanta, Newark, Dallas/Fort Worth, Minneapolis St. Paul, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

Many fast food and chain restaurants post nutritional information on their Web sites, and it can be an eye-opener. At McDonald's "Bag a Meal" site (www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/nutrition_info.html), for example, you can fill a "cyber bag" with your favorite selections, then calculate the nutritional values. This is where I learned that a chicken sandwich, medium fries and a strawberry shake lunch packed 1,310 calories.

Hotels are getting into the game by providing enhanced workout facilities and partnering with fitness experts. At many Starwood and Westin properties, partner Reebok has developed the Westin WORKOUT concept, which accommodates a full range of exercises. In the specially designed facilities you can work off calories while listening to digital music selections or watching TV on a 27" flat-screen or personal sets.

Hilton Hotels has partnered with Bally Total Fitness at some of its properties to bring guests in-room mini-gyms that include yoga mats, elastic bands and hand weights. It's also possible to have a treadmill delivered to your room. At some Hilton properties, you can request a room that is already outfitted with fitness equipment.

Marriott Hotels and Resorts, JW Marriott and Renaissance Hotels now offer guests its "Great Health -- Fit for You" in-room exercise program that includes your choice of three kits. If you really like the equipment kits, you can buy any or all of them.

Fitness Suite (www.fitnesssuite.com) has partnered with LodgeNet Entertainment Corp. to bring you in-room exercise videos and exercise equipment at participating properties.

If you prefer your exercise in the open air, there are several useful Web resources. At www.favoriterun.com, you can locate running routes by zip code and map them, find a running partner, view pictures of routes and chat with other runners who are familiar with the city you'll be visiting.

At www.athleticmindedtraveler.com, you'll find hotels that focus on fitness, running/walking routes with marked mileage and printable maps, lists of the best lap pools, and restaurants that promise healthy dining.

It is possible to be both a business traveler and healthy, but it takes effort and discipline. Analyzing your on-the-road eating habits is a good place to start. If your typical trips resemble the calorie-packed scenario above, the next time you travel, try to hit the gym (or the jogging trail, or the lap pool) instead of the fast-food counter.
travelingwriter1@aol.com

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