10 Ways to Make Time to Exercise During Business Travel

Are you one of the many business travelers that feels you cannot find the time to exercise while you travel? Many travelers often complain about not having enough time to exercise during business trips.

Fitting in daily exercise is possible, no matter how busy you are during travel. The truth is, a 30 minute workout is only 2% of your entire day. Plus, exercise provides much needed benefits to your overall health and wellness, including stress and anxiety reduction, increased productivity, improved sleep, and increased energy. 

With an open mind and a little motivation, there are many ways you can squeeze 30 minutes of exercise into your day. 

1. Break it up– Break the exercise up throughout the day with two, 15 minute sessions or three, five minute sessions. This is equally as effective as 30 minutes of solid exercise and some researchers have found short sessions, multiple times per day to be even more effective than one long session. 
2. Avoid the airport tram– In large airports like Atlanta, walk to your next terminal instead of taking the train. You can easily add 15 minutes of walking through the airport during each flight connection.
3. Wake up earlier– Set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier and commit to a 15 minute morning workout. When you return to your room at night, commit to a 15 minute workout before dinner or bedtime, and you have easily completed 30 minutes of exercise. If you are traveling from east to west, your body clock is going to want to wake up earlier anyway, so take advantage of that extra time to work out.
4. Spend less time on social media– A recent study found the average social media user logs 1 hour and 45 minutes per day on social platforms. Cut back your time on social media to one hour per day and you will have over 30 minutes to exercise.
5. Request a walking meeting– If the nature of your business allows for a walking meeting, and the other participants agree, try this approach to squeeze in activity. There are many benefits to walking meetings, including increased creativity, communication, engagement, and relaxation. And, organizing a walking meeting is easier than you think. 
6. Multitask in the gym- Normally, I would not encourage anyone to do anything else during a workout. However, if you can safely sit on an exercise bike and read your emails or walk on the treadmill while you read a report,  give it a try!
7. Multitask in your hotel room– If you enjoy “Waking up with Morning Express” on HLN or binge watching Netflix in your hotel room at night, exercise while you are watching. You do not have to go to the hotel gym to break a sweat. 
8. Skip Happy Hour– If you are at an event with happy hour before dinner, skip happy hour and exercise instead. As a bonus, you will skip the empty calories from the alcohol and appetizers you are missing.
9. Schedule your workout– If you are someone who lives by your calendar, make a recurring workout appointment and do not schedule over it.
10. Walk and talk-Go for a walk while you are making daily phone calls to your family, friends or assistant. If the weather is poor or safety is a concern, make a few laps around your hotel- go up the stairs to the next floor, walk all the way to the end of the hall and back, then go up to the next level.

Remember, something is always better than nothing. Even on your craziest days, find five or ten minutes to do be active. Stop making excuses, log out of Facebook and make time to exercise. Commit to putting your health first for just 2% of your day.

How do fit exercise into a busy day?

Kristina Portillo is the Founder of Business Travel Life. She created the company to provide life changing exercise and nutrition programs for business travelers nationwide. Please click "Follow" if you would like to read more from Kristina in the future. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for travel tips, health tips, and more!