Healthy at a Hotel

Many people wonder, "how can I stay on track when I'm traveling? There's so much temptation with food and my hotel doesn't even have a fitness center!"

I am in Blaine, MN (which is a suburb of the Twin Cities) this morning -- attending a training for work and will be here through Thursday.

My work put me up at a decent hotel - wi-fi, microwave, refri, pool, etc., I didn't need anything fancy and won't be spending much time here anyway - but of course my first concern was "does it have a fitness center." LOL

I went online and scoped out the hotel before I got here, and I swear the website told me there was a workout room of some kind...or maybe that was just what I wanted to believe as I scanned over the hotel's amenities.

So of course I packed all my necessary workout supplies for the week. I also knew the hotel had a fridge, so I stopped at Super Target when I rolled into town to buy almond milk, organic eggs, tuna, fruit and frozen chicken breast...which I can cook in the microwave.

After getting here yesterday, I unpacked all of my stuff, got settled in, and around 6 p.m. decided I would head to the fitness center for a workout. I hadn't gotten a run in that morning, had been sitting in the car and needed to MOVE.

So I journeyed down to the front desk in my workout clothes and said "where is your workout room?" To which the girl answered, "we don't have one."

Move on to plan B...

Since I am a member of Anytime Fitness, I should've just gone that route in the first place, but thought if the hotel had a treadmilll I would just stay onsite. A quick google search confirmed that there was an Anytime just 4.3 miles away in Mounds View.   I jumped on the highway for what I imagined to be a quick trip, but it wasn't long before it became clear that I had confused Highway 10 and County Road 10 -- and thus, gotten myself ALL turned around.

After some recalculating, I finally found myself in front of the Anytime Fitness, which was located in a strip mall and appeared to be alarmingly deserted. It looked dark, unoccupied and, well... CLOSED.  But that couldn't be possible, right? Anytime means ANYTIME.

I went up to the door, scanned my key, and nothing. Doors locked, interior dark, no one inside. WTH?

I turned back to my truck, dejected... but since I was on a mission, I quickly consulted my Blackberry and was delighted to discover another Anytime awaited in Arden Hills...about 5 miles away.

I continued on my adventure and found the location, which reassuringly featured actual people working out inside.  I went in and had a great 5-mile run on a very nice Nautilus treadmill. My only complaint was that there was no bosu ball to be found.

Sooo, I didn't give up on my workout after running into the roadblock. And honestly, even if there had been NO Anytime fitness in the nearby towns, I could've fired up my laptop and used it to work out to a P90X DVD right in my room. The people in the room below me may not have liked my plyo moves, but oh well :)

It just takes a little planning, being healthy on the road. One of the things I have learned is to be prepared --- because when I am hungry and desperate, I tend to make bad choices.

Time to grab a shower, have a great day!