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Fly Fit Maggie Melanson

HRD Press, Inc. Amherst, Massachusetts

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Copyright © 2008 by Maggie Melanson

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by: HRD Press, Inc. 22 Amherst Road Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 1-800-822-2801 (U.S. and Canada) 1-413-253-3488 1-413-253-3490 (fax) http://www.hrdpress.com

ISBN: 978-1-59996-073-9

Illustrations by Nelle Davis Editorial services by Sally Farnham Production services by Anctil Virtual Office Cover design by Eileen Klockars

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To David Bloom and family

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Table of Contents Acknowledgments ..............................vii Note to the Reader ..........................

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Introduction ....................................

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Chapter 1 ........................................ What Happens to Your Mind and Body When You Fly and What You Can Do About It

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Chapter 2 ........................................ 29 The Benefits of In-Flight Exercise Chapter 3 ........................................ 35 Making the Most of Exercise While You Travel Chapter 4 ........................................ 39 Exercise in the Airline Terminal Chapter 5 ........................................ 55 In-Flight Exercises Chapter 6 ........................................ 69 Getting the Most out of Exercise at Your Destination

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Chapter 7 ........................................ 89 Packing Power Snacks for Travel Chapter 8 ........................................ 97 Straighten Up and Fly Right! Chapter 9 ........................................ 111 Meditation and Relaxation Chapter 10 ...................................... 123 The Journey’s End Is Just the Beginning About the Author ............................ 127

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Acknowledgments It took many experts, friends, and loved ones to bring this book to life and I would like to thank you. To Dr. Richard M. Delany, thank you. You have an incredibly busy medical practice but always took the time to answer my questions. To Dr. Wayne Westcott, thank you for encouraging me and reviewing my very early manuscript. Dr. Jean Kelly, your friendship, support, and expertise were exactly what I needed. Thank you to Dena Kearney and Kathleen Iacobacci for helping me understand the nuances of the human body. Special thanks to Art Tagliaferri, Certified Personal Trainer, who kept my mind and body in shape through the writing process. My love and thanks to the Board Forum, Laurie, Peg, Queeney, Joan, Marylou, Patricia, Claire H., Claire M., and Lynn. You are brilliant businesswomen and kept me on track. My gratitude to Dr. Robert Litwak and Dr. John Daoust.

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To Steve, Susan, Eileen, Sue, Jean, Edie, Debbie, and Jessie—thank you for keeping Gimme the Skinny running while I was busy being an author. I am eternally grateful. To the many flight attendants on Jet Blue and Delta who answered my endless questions, safe travels to you all! To my family, Susan, Robin, Michael, Meghan, Kevin, Kayla, Kevin, Jr., Heidi, Kenny, and Lauren—thank you all for your love and support. Special love to Joanna Zide, Adam, Deb, and Jacob Hayes. Andria Masciari, I could never have written this without your support. To my husband Phil, I love you. You’ve supported me while I’ve jumped off cliffs in my business and while writing. Love and thanks to Gladys, Walter, Peg, and Jason who all look down from heaven above. Special thanks to three mentors who always tell me to think big, Jack Connors, Judy George, and R. J. Valentine.

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Terry Porter, you provided a wealth of information on meditation. Ken Lizotte, my coach and agent, you are the best! And to Margaret Gormley, Ken’s intern, who helped point my book proposal on the right track— thank you so much. To Kate Victory, my editor, thank you for helping me rework the words in my own voice. Special thanks to Nelle Davis—your illustrations bring my book to life. To HRD Press, thank you for your belief in me. To author Claire Cook, thank you for your wisdom, advice and encouragement.

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Note to the Reader Not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Please check with your doctor before starting this or any exercise and diet program. If you feel unusual discomfort when doing any of the exercises described in this book, please discontinue the exercises.

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Introduction Exercise became my great friend while I was losing 50 pounds. Trust me, I didn’t always feel that way about exercise. At 5 foot 4 and 175 pounds, my first experience with exercise was exhausting and difficult. Riding a bike was full of huffing and puffing, and in aerobics classes, I was always the one in the back of the class with two left feet. As Oprah might say, I had an “ah-ha!” moment at my cousin’s wedding 15 years ago. It was 94 degrees outside and I could feel the seams of my dress bulging. I decided at that moment I would make permanent changes to the way I ate and I vowed to increase my exercise. That was a cinch since I had always been a couch potato. As I became more fit, exercise was no longer a chore, but something I looked forward to. My philosophy on exercise is to do what you love and that is all I do today and every day.

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Today, I’m 48, 122 pounds, and feeling great. However, getting fit was no easy task and I would like to share some of my story with you. People always ask me my secret for staying in shape. I have two philosophies and they are not secrets. Philosophy #1: Being consistent with exercise is the most important thing I do for my body and mind. I may miss a day of exercise or a week due to a busy work schedule, but I always go back and pick up exactly where I left off. I never, ever feel the pressure to work out for a certain time period every day. Today it might be 30 minutes of yoga, tomorrow it might be an hour bike ride, and the next day it might only be 10 minutes of weight lifting, but I am always consistent and get back to exercise for an average of four days per week. Philosophy #2: Eating as many as six small meals throughout the day helps keep my energy up, yet never puts me in an overly full state. You have no idea how much I love to eat. I consider myself the natural blonde, female version of Dom DeLuise. I live and

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love to eat. Let’s put it this way: if I were in a room with the Hope Diamond and a box of Godiva chocolates, the Hope Diamond would be left with empty chocolate wrappers all around it. I have always believed our bodies were designed to be active. Just watch a group of toddlers for one hour and you’ll see what I mean. They run, they laugh, they jump, they wrestle and play. In our society, we are forced to sit behind a desk. It’s unnatural and it feels unnatural. Our bodies were not designed to sit all day breathing recirculated air. We were designed to move and breathe fresh air. I have Irish roots, and I know full well that my genes are those of a farmer: strong, physical, and smart. My body was never meant to sit still. The good news is that even if you are at a desk all day or travel frequently, the Fly Fit program in this book can help you rev up your metabolism even while you travel. You may be skeptical, but please just give it a try. You can do many of these exercises while you are in a seated position, on a plane or at the airport.

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What does exercise do for you? How does it make you feel? I feel more focused and more energetic. All of my senses become magnified. My body feels great, my mind feels sharp, my energy level increases, and even colors seem brighter. Positive thoughts and enormous energy usually follow me all day long after a great workout. If you have been physically active, you know what I am talking about and you know the mind-body connection. If you have not been active, it is never too late to start. In fact, you can start today. It’s my goal to get you moving. Exercise is like sex—you need variety to keep it interesting. This book teaches you how to exercise while you travel, but I encourage you to make exercise a part of your life, just like brushing your teeth. Once you feel and see the benefits, I guarantee you’ll want to continue. The theme here is to make the most of your surroundings. I walk my household stairs 10, 20, 30, and 40 times some evenings after work. I don’t need a StairMaster®. When it’s beautiful outdoors, I walk and

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bike ride and swim. When it’s 10 degrees and snowing here in the Northeast, I work out inside to yoga tapes and dance. And I do mean dance, like Donna Summer disco working up a serious sweat. And when I have to travel, I make the most of exercising in the airline terminal and on the plane. My Fly Fit workout on a recent flight included yoga, upper body work, lower body work, triceps, abs, and buttocks and took me just 45 minutes to complete. You may complete your workout in 10, 20, or 45 minutes. It’s up to you. I’ve written this book to keep you healthy while you fly and to help you lower your risk of developing blood clots. David Bloom, the inspiration for this book, was a 39-year-old father of three small children. David was a reporter for NBC’s The Today Show covering the war in Iraq when he died from Deep Vein Thrombosis, or a blood clot. It is believed that because David was immobile for so long in planes and tanks that a blood clot formed almost certainly in the veins of the groin and legs and traveled to his heart. That is why this message is so important.

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I don’t want to frighten you; I want to keep you active, fit, healthy, and moving while you travel. According to cardiologist Richard M. Delany, MD, you should avoid prolonged sitting and immobility and keep well hydrated during trips and during periods of immobility. You get the idea: move, move, and move. Throughout this book, I’ll give you specific exercises—such as walking, dancing, stair climbing, and yoga—for the airline terminal, in flight, and in your hotel room. I don’t care if you dance in the ladies’ or men’s room, do yoga in the airline terminal, do bicep curls on the plane, or walk the stairway 15 times while waiting to board your plane. Move like you mean it and build up a sweat. With obesity at an all-time high in this country, clearly we need to be much more active than we are already, and we need to set a great example for our children. (Don’t get me started on childhood obesity.) It is my goal to get this country more physically fit, and I would like to see yoga classes and fitness clubs in airports across the country. Can you just imagine?

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I think you’ll be amazed by all the exercises you can do in flight, even sitting in a coachclass seat—from calf raises to bicep curls and exercises for your butt. And who doesn’t want a better butt? I’ll discuss posture and meditation for relaxation, and recommend power snacks for travel. Remember when you used to receive meals in flight? Today you are well advised to pack your own. And remember to stay hydrated: drink lots of water. Hydration keeps you alert, keeps your organs working, wards off headaches, and keeps your mind sharp. So pack your bag, loosen your tie or scarf, and remember to tuck your resistance band1 in your carry-on bag. Bring along a couple of waters2, and I’ll see you in the airline terminal. Fly Fit!!

1. A Note About Resistance Bands: Resistance bands come in various tensions, so you may want to travel with two different bands. Depending on your fitness level, you may need a band with more tension (and higher resistance) to give you a more challenging workout. 2. As of this writing, waters must be purchased in the secure boarding area of the terminal.

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What Happens to Your Mind and Body When You Fly and What You Can Do About It It’s 3:30 a.m. and your alarm clock goes off. You stumble into the shower. No one with a brain cell would wake at this time of day. But you have a 7:00 a.m. flight and must get to the airport at 5:00 a.m. You shower, pack your toothbrush, and feed the cat, knowing you’ll need to leave your house in five minutes. Already your pulse has quickened. After rushing around the house, you hop into the car and you are on your way to the airport. Once you arrive, you print your e-ticket and check your bags. Now you sniff your way to a double mocha latte coffee. You look at your watch and see that you have one hour before your flight departs. How are you feeling? Chances are your pulse rate has increased, your palms are

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sweaty, and your back may be sore from lifting so much luggage—not to mention you are exhausted from waking up so early.

Stress Remedies Shoulder Rolls With arms at your side, lift shoulders to the sky and roll shoulders back behind your ears and slowly bring shoulders back down. Repeat 5 to 10 times to loosen your neck. Repeat this when you find yourself waiting in any line.

You have made it through airport security and consumed a half-cup of coffee. The morning is looking up, and now you are at your gate with a few minutes to spare. Let’s use this time for standing stretches. You will be sitting for a long time, so please take advantage of this time to stretch. The benefit of stretching is that it warms your body and calms your nerves.

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Pre-Flight Stretching to Warm Your Body Take a moment and find a quiet corner of your gate area to practice stretching.

Touch Your Toes Lift your arms overhead to try to touch the ceiling. With your feet flat on the floor, shoulder distance apart, bend over from your waist to try to touch your toes. If you can only touch your knees, that’s fine. If you can touch your shins, great, and if you can touch your toes without straining, wonderful. Hold this stretch for 10 seconds. This stretches the neck, back, and arms.

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Walking Next take 2 minutes to walk around the terminal. Walk fast with a purpose. Remember you'll be sitting for quite a while in flight, so it's important to get your blood moving now. If you are able to walk for 5 to 10 minutes before your flight, do it. If your flight is delayed, walk for 30 to 40 minutes. If you have carry-on luggage with you, carry it with you on your walk. This is just like hiking with a backpack; it adds weight to your walk, therefore working your heart a little harder. If your carry-on is on wheels, just wheel it around with you.

Boarding the Plane It’s now time to board the plane. Maybe your brain has kicked in with anxious, nervous feelings. What makes us so nervous before we fly? Why do we get anxious feelings? The lack of control we have as passengers on a plane, concerns about terrorism, and the physical stresses of dragging luggage and waiting in long lines all contribute to raised anxiety levels.

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Cardiologist Richard Delany points out that “our mind creates the stress, running to the airport and arriving late, standing in long lines and complaining about it. We often get aggravated having to pull out our passport and ID.” Delany suggests, “Let’s change our mindset completely and make the experience as pleasant as possible.”

Exercises While Waiting in Line If you find yourself waiting in line while you board the plane, do a few shoulder rolls. Also stretch your neck side to side. Take advantage of this time. You can also exercise your buttocks while waiting in line: standing tall, pull buttocks muscles tight, hold for 10 seconds, release, and repeat 10 times.

No one should feel so stressed, yet so many of us do. We really do have control over our fears and anxieties, yet we allow these feelings to take over. Our fears seem so real. Of course, some of them are indeed wellfounded. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to control these fears and anxieties and make traveling a pleasant and healthy experience.

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Relaxation Exercises Active Meditation Some experts recommend active meditation while we fly. By introducing active meditation, we can slow our pulse and calm our nerves. Just think “mind over matter.” If you are like me, you probably thought that meditation means crossing your legs, closing your eyes, and placing your fingers together with a “hummm.” In this case, it means just the opposite. The whole philosophy behind active meditation is to keep your mind busy by using your body. Holistic healer Terry Porter believes we need to calm our thinking mind. For many of us, our minds run like a ticker tape. It’s constantly one thought, followed by another thought, followed by another. For example, your thinking mind might run something like this: “Did I lock the door? Is my wife still angry at me? Is my co-worker covering my calls and e-mail? Did I pack my gray suit? Wow, what a beautiful woman in Seat D1. Why is that passenger wearing palm tree pants? Does my hair look OK? I

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wish my stomach was flat.” You get the idea. Terry’s suggestion is to refocus and calm your thinking mind. By following along practicing these exercises in this chapter, you will engage in active meditation.

Once You Are Seated Once you’re on board the plane, find your seat and make yourself comfortable. “We are confined in flight—this has a negative impact on your body,” says Dr. Wayne Westcott*, exercise physiologist. “This is not good for your cardiovascular system or your skeletal system, because your body is like a prisoner—there is lack of movement.” Once you are settled in your airplane seat, there are a variety of ways you can reduce your stress levels and continue your workout.

* Wayne Wescott has authored and co-authored 16 books on fitness including Strength Training Past 50 and Strength Power for Young Athletes.

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Exercises to Calm Your Nerves and Relax Your Body The Tight Traveler’s Hang (Do not wear your seatbelt during this exercise.) Sit up straight, feet flat on the floor. Spread your feet apart 12 inches. Lean over your knees, letting your arms hang toward the floor. Do not round your back. This is great for relieving tension in your spine and lower back.

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The Tight Traveler’s Twist Sitting straight up, feet flat on the floor, take your right hand and grab your left hip. Slowly twist to the left side. Keep your back straight and hold for 10 seconds. Now repeat on the right side. Hold for 10 seconds. Practice this stretch as often as you like during your flight.

Exercises to Keep Blood Flow Moving Walking as Much as Possible During Your Flight In the interest of staying as active as possible during the flight, get up and walk as much as possible. Remember, blood clots are often caused by immobility. Get up and move! And even while you are seated, move your legs up and down, and side to side.

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Ankle Circles While Seated While sitting in your seat, lift both feet off the ground approximately 4 inches. Holding feet in front of you, turn your right ankle clockwise and circle 10 times. Now do this with the left ankle. Practice these circles 10 to 20 times during each hour of the flight.

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Scissor Kicks While Seated Lift your feet 3 inches off the floor with your knees bent. Holding your feet in the air, start kicking your feet back and forth approximately 4 inches forward and 4 inches back. This is a very controlled move and you must be careful not to kick anything (especially the passenger’s seat in front of you!). This is great for the legs and keeps the blood flowing. Do this fast for 2 minutes. You’ll feel it. You’ll probably work up a sweat and you’ll really work your legs.

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Swelling Issues in Flight Your body may swell in flight. This is caused by air pressure in the cabin. For example, it’s very common for feet to swell, making it difficult to put your shoes back on if you’ve removed them during the flight.

Try This Men, loosen your belt and tie and ladies, no tight jeans! Also remove your jacket before the flight begins. Experts agree that tight clothing around the groin and lower leg can negatively affect blood flow to the heart. Today is the day for loose non-constrictive clothing.

Dehydration During an airplane flight, your body is zapped of its water supply. The recirculated air is dry, which dries out your mouth and sinuses. So it is very important to stay hydrated.

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Try This Get bottled waters—but not carbonated water, which creates gas and bloating—before you fly and carry them with you. Waters must be purchased in the secure boarding area of the terminal. Drink lots of water. You want to flush toxins out of your system and keep your body hydrated. Remember, your body is made up of 75 percent water.

Sinus Troubles You may experience sinus discomfort during takeoff and landings. Experts agree that takeoff and landings can be difficult for some people with sinus troubles.

Try This Use a nasal spray during takeoffs and landings to alleviate sinus pain. Also think about using a saline spray to keep sinuses moist. I always use saline spray whenever I fly to ward off sinus headaches.

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Nausea During the Flight Some passengers feel nausea in flight.

Try This Your mother was right: ginger has an amazing way of fighting nausea. Drink ginger ale or munch on crystallized ginger.

Headaches Headaches can develop during flights for a variety of reasons. Headaches Caused by Light Strong sunlight coming through windows shining in your eyes can create headaches.

Try This Close the window shade, or ask your seatmate to do so if he or she is in the window seat.

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Dehydration-Induced Headaches Dehydration while flying creates headaches.

Try This Drink plenty of water before and during your flight.

Migraines If you suffer from migraine headaches, my heart goes out to you. I have suffered from migraines most of my life and I know the pain is debilitating. Migraine headaches are very tricky and there are many types. Common causes of headaches include sinus problems, atmospheric pressure changes, and muscular issues. Migraine headaches can also be hormonal or stress related. When you travel, make sure you have your migraine medication with you.

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Try This “Range of motion” stretches often help. Tilt your head to the right. Think of your right ear touching your right shoulder, and hold this position for 6 seconds. Bring your head back to a neutral position. Now tilt your head to the left thinking of touching your left ear to your left shoulder. Hold for 6 seconds. Now try to touch your chin to your chest and hold for 6 seconds. Repeat this entire sequence six times.

Try This For me, a massage often helps relieve my migraine headaches. With my headaches, my neck often locks up and massage and chiropractic care are the only cures. I recommend having a massage the day before your flight or scheduling a massage at your destination. The benefits include increased circulation, relief from muscle tension, and relaxation. I’ve also suggested self-massage techniques in Chapter 8.

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Back and Neck Issues Let’s talk about the abuse your back and neck may experience while traveling. Dr. Jean Kelly, a chiropractor, says many things can happen to cause discomfort in your back while you travel, creating stress, sore muscles, and neck pain. While seated on an airplane for hours your musculoskeletal system can be put under various stressors. Poorly configured seats, falling asleep, and terrible body mechanics can give travelers a pain in their necks and backs. Active sitting and moving around helps alleviate potential stressors. “Floppy Neck” We often fall asleep in flight, and our head flops to one side or forward, creating neck stress. Every one of us has done this at least once, and boy, does this create a sore neck.

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Try This Be sure to put a pillow or sweater behind the nape of your neck before you fall asleep to prevent “floppy neck.” Use your headrest with retractable sides or purchase a U-shaped pillow and place it in the nape of your neck. Something else that works is a rolled-up T-shirt or sweater, placed in the nape of your neck. It’s great for neck support. The next time you travel, tie a thin sweater around your shoulders or waist. If you find yourself resting in the plane or terminal, use this sweater as your pillow.

Back and Neck Pain We often sit twisting and looking at our seatmate next to us for prolonged periods of time. This creates back and neck stress.

Try This Look straight ahead when speaking to your seatmate. It may seem rude, but it will save your neck from discomfort.

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Don’t Let Travel Be a Pain in the Neck To avoid neck and back pain when traveling, follow these two rules. Rule Number 1 is pack light. Whether you are taking a tropical vacation or leaving on a business trip to a city in a cold climate, do yourself a favor and pack light. Packing light will save your back, your arms, and your mood. If you want an example of how to pack light, look at what pilots and flight attendants pack for a trip: one rolling bag. Wherever you travel, you wind up carrying the bags 90 percent of the time. Porters are not always available. Rule Number 2 is ask for help when lifting heavy luggage into overhead bins. Now come on, you wouldn’t lift a 300-pound gorilla over your head to place it in the overhead compartment while flying, would you? So why should you strain lifting your luggage?

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Stay Balanced Many of us often carry multiple heavy bags on one side, rather than carrying one bag in the left hand and one bag in the right hand. When carrying bags with straps, consider putting the strap diagonally across your chest to distribute the weight evenly. Also be sure to check any heavy baggage to avoid carrying it all over the airport. Or make sure that all your luggage has wheels so that you can roll it. So now you know what happens to your mind and your body when you fly, and I’ve given you some simple steps to take to prevent problems or help you address them if they develop. Let’s move on to explore the benefits of in-flight exercise.

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Chapter 2

The Benefits of In-Flight Exercise

There are very good reasons why I exercise. One of the main reasons is that it's a great way for me to release stress. When I exercise, I can be aggressive. I can ride my

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bike slowly or at an intense pace. I can move rhythmically with yoga or run like a maniac when I have had a rough day. People often ask me, “With all that you have going on in your life, how do you remain so calm and focused?” I always tell them that they should have seen me before the workout when my hair was standing on end and my nerves were frayed. For me, one of the many benefits of exercise is that it calms me down and helps me focus. And, oh yes, it helps keep the weight off, too. Exercise has so many benefits not only for you, but for everyone around you. If you are feeling good, you will be happy and positive in your interactions with others. The most important benefit of in-flight exercise is improved blood circulation. You want to keep your blood moving and flowing while in flight and promote increased circulation. It’s easy to improve circulation. You can dance, walk, do squats, climb the stairs, or do ballet plies. Just do not sit still. Sitting all day in an airport or on an airplane is the enemy of good circulation.

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Let’s look at other specific ways you benefit from in-flight exercise: • You’ll release stress by exercising. So many people let stress control them, but the truth is, you control your stress. Stress contributes to heart attacks and poor health in general, so please let me repeat this: you control your stress! • You’ll create energy to use at your destination, whether for work or play. • You’ll complete a workout and feel the satisfaction of honoring your commitment to yourself. • You’ll release happy endorphins into your brain, and they always come in handy. • You’ll elongate your muscles— think ballerina thoughts. • You’ll increase and build your self-esteem. When you’re happy with your appearance, your selfesteem and confidence soar.

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• You’ll improve your sex life. Oh yes, you will! When you are looking and feeling good, you share that with others. No further explanation needed. • You’ll burn calories, aiding in weight loss. Even long after the exercise is finished, your body is still a calorie-burning machine. • You’ll build muscle—think strong thoughts. Dr. Wayne Westcott’s amazing strength studies with the elderly have proven that muscle can be built at any age. • You’ll increase your endurance. You’ll feel these benefits at work, in travel, and playing with your children or grandchildren. • You’ll prepare yourself for business meetings or vacation by feeling more focused. • You’ll ward off depression. Countless studies have proven that exercise fights off depression. • You’ll increase your flexibility. • You’ll improve your posture and look 100 times better.

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Chances are, you don’t take all that much time for yourself. The time you spend in flight is your golden opportunity to change that. Use this time to start a new workout plan. You are beginning a healthy, life-long habit today. Now that you understand the benefits, let’s look for unique opportunities to exercise while you travel.

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Making the Most of Exercise While You Travel Look for workout opportunities every day. You’ll be amazed where you find them: • You can burn calories cleaning the house. • You’re exercising when you mow the lawn. One morning, The Today Show featured a man who was mowing lawns, for free, in an effort to lose weight. In two weeks, he lost 18 pounds. Amazing! • If you walk the stairs at work rather than using the elevator, you’re working on your legs and butt and burning calories. And even when you travel, there are many opportunities to exercise. Walking through six terminals at Logan International Airport or LAX is an aerobic opportunity. Practicing yoga in an airline terminal may seem

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unusual today, but I predict it will be mainstream very soon. For the selfconscious, perhaps you can find additional space in an adjacent gate area that is not being used. Honestly, I can spot workout opportunities everywhere I travel. I’ve walked in Hawaii, swum in the Pacific ocean, practiced yoga in the baby changing area of ladies’ rooms in airports, and walked stairs in hotels. Be on the lookout for exercise opportunities. Do you see an empty terminal at the airport? Go there and start doing some stretching. Do you see a staircase? Start walking up and down. This is great aerobic exercise. Recently, I found myself awake at 4:00 a.m. in Las Vegas. No, I wasn’t gambling and drinking Jack Daniels, but I was wide awake due to the time change. I got up, found a staircase, and started walking the stairs. I walked up and

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down 30 times and completed 30 minutes of an aerobic workout. I then found a quiet corner of a hotel lobby and practiced 15 minutes of yoga. Look for exercise opportunities wherever you are. When you’re traveling, remember to wear comfortable sneakers and comfortable clothes (like workout stretch pants and a loose-fitting top). If you are traveling on a business trip, you can change into your more formal business attire once you reach your destination airport. You’ll want to allow yourself freedom of movement as you are stretching, walking, and exercising. A business suit is too restricting—and please take off your tie! Also remember to pack two resistance bands, one of lesser resistance and one of higher resistance, in your carry-on luggage. These will help you get even more benefit from your exercises. Opportunities surround you. Seek them out, walk, climb the stairs, hold your stomach muscles in, and remember to breathe. Be creative and keep moving.

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Exercise in the Airline Terminal

Waiting is part of traveling and an opportunity to exercise, although you may not have thought of it this way until now. So many people get aggravated waiting in line, waiting in traffic, or waiting for a flight.

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Why? The way I see it, if I get aggravated while waiting, my own stress level increases, yet everyone else is just fine. Why would I want to give myself any more stress or raise my blood pressure or heart rate? That’s crazy. Use waiting as your opportunity to work out and release stress, not create it.

Stop Waiting and Get Moving A couple years ago, I was in an airport in Costa Rica, facing a two-hour wait. I found a quiet corner of the terminal and made it into my own personal yoga space. Boy, doing that yoga felt great. Some public spaces are easily transformed into a workout area and some are not. I’m always searching out what space will work for me, whether it’s an airport terminal or working space or even a hotel room. You can too. Look for a quiet, uncrowded corner where you can exercise without inconveniencing others.

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You should consider stretching and exercising pre-flight. Why? It will help you calm your nerves and constructively pass the time while you wait. Recently, my husband and I traveled to Hawaii, and the thought of being in flight for 13 hours made me absolutely crazy. So every opportunity I had, I walked and stretched in the airline terminal. Exercising and stretching pre-flight will also elongate and loosen your muscles, help you focus, and will generally make you feel good all over, much like a massage. You’ll be surprised at what you can do while waiting. You could actually complete your daily workout while waiting for your flight. Don’t forget that all exercise is cumulative. You may have 10 minutes to exercise while you are waiting at the airport, another 15 minutes to exercise during the flight, and 10 minutes to exercise while waiting for your luggage at your destination. So even on the road, you are able to complete 35 minutes of exercise.

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Posture Pose Here is a posture pose for you to practice while waiting in line. Stand up straight and roll your shoulders back. Now pull in your abdominal muscles and tilt your pelvis under. Next, pretend a glass dish is resting on your head and clench your buttocks muscles. This should also roll your pelvis forward, which is very important to protect your lower back. Practice this while you wait in the security line or coffee line. If you are standing for a long period of time, place your carry-on luggage on the floor and lift your right foot up to rest on the luggage and leave it there for 5 to 10 minutes. Now switch to the other side and do the same with your left foot. This will reduce strain on your lower back.

Shoulder Rolls Stand up straight or sit up straight. Lift your shoulders up toward your ears and roll your shoulders back and down. Repeat five times. Next, lift your shoulders up toward your ears and roll your shoulders forward and down. Repeat five times.

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Plies At this point, work your legs and think ballerina. Walk to the restroom and hold onto a wall or bar—something secure—and do plies. Turn your feet out in opposite directions with your heels together. Squat down, keeping your back straight and your buttocks tucked under you. (The tendency is to let your buttocks stick way out in the back, but that’s not good form.) Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.

(continued)

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Plies (concluded) Another version of the plie is to hold a bar, spread your legs three feet apart with toes pointing in opposite directions, and then squat down, keeping your knees over your ankles. Hold for 5 seconds, clenching your buttocks muscles, and return to standing. Practice this plie 10 times. Plies are part of a ballerina’s workout. The next time you are chatting it up with a ballerina, take a good look at her quadriceps and buttocks muscles. They are as hard as steel. This exercise looks easy, but after 10 plies, you’ll feel your quadriceps and buttocks muscles like you have never felt them before. I guarantee it! If you practice these faithfully, you will see a remarkable change to your legs and buttocks muscles. Did you have any idea you could work so hard in flight?

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Blown Palm Stand up straight, feet 6 inches apart, and stretch your hands up over your head. With your right hand, grab your left hand just under the wrist. Stretch over to your right side, only as far as is comfortable for you. Stretch up and to the right. Don’t worry about bending too far to the right; you want to maintain a very tall posture throughout this stretch. Release hands and repeat on the other side.

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The Tight Traveler’s Twist Sitting straight up, feet flat on the floor, place your right hand on your left hip. Slowly twist to the left side, turning your neck and head to the left. Keep your back straight and hold for 10 seconds. Now repeat on the right side. Hold for 10 seconds.

Standing Calf Raises Standing tall, lift up onto your toes and hold for 3 seconds. You may want to hold onto a wall or seat for stability. Return to a standing position with feet flat on the floor. Repeat 10 times.

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Leg Extension with Resistance Band Place the resistance band under your right foot. Sitting up straight, lift your right foot off the ground and extend your foot out in front of you. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times on the right side, then switch to the left leg and repeat 10 times. Keep a little bend in your knee so that you don’t hyperextend it.

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Neck Stretch Side to Side Tilt your head to the right. Think of your right ear touching your right shoulder and hold for 6 seconds. Bring your head back to a neutral (centered) position. Now tilt your head to the left, thinking of your left ear touching your left shoulder. Hold for 6 seconds. Now try to touch your chin to your chest and hold for 6 seconds. Repeat this sequence three times.

Standing Mountain Pose Stand tall with your arms down by your side in a quiet spot of the airline terminal. Inhale and pull your shoulders back. Feel like the top of your head is reaching toward the sky. Feel your fingertips reaching toward the floor, pull your abdominal muscles in tight, but keep breathing— always breathing. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. This re-aligns your spine and improves your posture.

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Bent Over Stretch Clasp your hands together behind your back. Pull your shoulders back, reaching toward the wall behind you, and lean over forward. Hold for 5 seconds. This releases your back and shoulder muscles.

Seated Stretch In a quiet corner of the terminal, sit with your legs stretched apart and lean over and stretch your hands to your toes, first to the right, then to the left. It doesn’t matter if you can only reach to your knees or shins, the benefits are still the same. This is a great spine release.

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Stretching Your Back— Standing Back Bend An important component of travel exercise is stretching your back. Try a standing backbend, which is great for your lower back. Stand up straight; extend your arms overhead, reaching toward the sky; and put your hands together in a prayer position, interlacing your thumbs. Now gently lean back, only as far as is comfortable for you. Hold for 10 seconds, reaching toward the sky, but also leaning back. Repeat this stretch throughout your trip. You are lengthening your muscles and stretching your lower back. You can practice this at the airport, in the aisle of the plane, or at your destination. This is a great stretch to practice while waiting for your luggage after the flight.

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Walking, Climbing, and Running If your goal is to get your heart pumping, to really burn some serious calories, and/or to lose weight, try the following exercises. You can set out on a vigorous walk all over the airline terminal. The sky is the limit, no pun intended. Look at the airline terminal as your own personal gym. Remember that walking for even just 10 minutes has more benefits than not walking at all. When I started walking 45 pounds ago, I only walked for 10 minutes at a leisurely pace. Today, I’ll often walk for one hour and really move, building up a sweat. Skip the escalator in the airport. Always climb the stairs. If possible, progress to climbing stairs two at a time. This is a great aerobic activity that works on your legs and your buttocks. Also consider casual running through the terminal. Yes, running. Start running as if you are late for your flight. Other passengers won’t even notice, since this is commonplace in all airports.

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Know Your Physical Limits With all these exercises, please know your limitations. Experts agree that you should be able to talk during aerobic exercise. So please keep this in mind when walking the stairs. Perhaps you could sing a song to yourself while walking the stairs. I know what you are thinking: not only does this nutty woman have me working out in airports, but she wants me to sing a song too? Go ahead—make it fun!

Bring the Kids Along If you’re traveling with children, get them involved too. If you are anxious flying, imagine how excited they are to reach their vacation destination. These exercises will help them burn off nervous energy—and stay in shape. You could take the kids walking with you and make it a scavenger hunt, with a small prize for the first person to spot five red suitcases, for example.

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Now that you have been working out in the airport, you are warmed up to continue with the in-flight exercises in Chapter 5. You’ll be shocked at what you can do in flight. How are you feeling? Are you drinking plenty of water?

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In-Flight Exercises Now that you have boarded the plane, take your seat, close your eyes, and breathe. You’ve probably rushed out of your home or office to make the flight, so now take a moment to relax. Breathe in through your nose, hold, now release your breath through your mouth. Repeat this slowly 10 times. Take time to settle in. If possible, move to an aisle seat or emergency row seat. This will give you more room for the exercises we are about to do. If you’re on a crowded, packed flight and you can’t change your seat, that’s no problem; these exercises are designed for very tight spaces.

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Best Seating Assignments for Exercise Always request an aisle seat whenever you travel. This makes it so easy for you to get up frequently and walk around the cabin. No climbing over sleeping, snoring people. I must get up 10 times an hour on average. If I sat in a window seat, my seatmates would hate me. Also, do request the exit aisle of the plane because it gives you more leg room with more room to exercise. Place all your carry-on luggage overhead, not under your feet, to give yourself more stretching space. Now get ready for takeoff: your seatbelt is on and you cannot get up and out of your seat. Let’s start with some abdominal work.

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Ab Workout Sit straight, feet flat on the floor. Pull your abdominal muscles in so that your belly button is reaching toward your spine. Keep breathing, but hold muscles in for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat this 15 times. Later in the flight, repeat this exercise. This exercise is great for your abs. Do you know that the best exercise we can do for our abs is to hold the muscles in?

Leg Lifts While sitting in your seat, with legs bent, lift your right foot 6 inches off the floor. Now press your hands onto your right thigh for resistance. Hold for 10 seconds. Return your foot to the floor. Repeat on the left side, holding abdominal muscles very tight. Repeat 10 times on each side.

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Circulation Exercise Now spread your legs apart, even if it’s only 6 to 10 inches. Flex your feet up and then flex your feet down. Now circle your ankles clockwise 10 times and counterclockwise 10 times. This helps improve circulation.

Buttocks Exercises While seated, clench your buttocks muscles and hold them tight for 15 seconds. Release your buttocks muscles, and repeat 20 times. Remember to hold in your abdominal muscles too and breathe. While waiting for the restroom, stand up straight with your shoulders back and head tall and tighten your buttocks muscles. Hold for 20 seconds. Release and repeat 10 times or more and breathe.

Plie Perform this while standing and waiting for the restroom in flight. Spread your legs 2 feet apart with toes pointed out. Keep your back straight and squat down, keeping your knees over the ankles. Hold onto something just in case there is any turbulence. Hold for 10 seconds, holding abdominal muscles in. Remember to breathe. Stand upright and repeat.

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Sitting Twist This one is great for your waist, and great for your golf or tennis game. While seated, put your hands together, with elbows pointing out, and lean forward. Looking down at your knees, gently twist to the left. Place your right elbow on the outside of your left knee and look to the left side. Hold for 10 seconds. Sit up straight and repeat on the opposite side. This is a great stretch for your back and waist.

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Advanced Posture— Upper Body Seated Pushup While seated, with feet flat on the floor and posture tall, place both palms on the seat under your thighs. Push down hard on the seat and try to lift your buttocks off the seat—even 1 inch is effective. Hold for 5 seconds and release. Repeat three times. Do not be discouraged if you cannot lift your body off the seat. This is an advanced position and requires some upper body strength. You’ll get it in time. Keep working at it.

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Arm Lat Pull While seated, hold a resistance band above your head, with your arms slightly bent and hands shoulder-width apart. With arms overhead, pull out and in 10 times and rest. Do two more sets of 10, resting in between each set. This works your back and shoulder muscles while seated.

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Elongate Your Body While waiting in line for the bathroom, stand, stretch your arms overhead, reach to the sky, one arm at a time, to stretch out your waist, shoulders, and spine.

Knee Hug While seated, bring your right knee up to your chest if space allows (meaning if the person seated in the row in front of you doesn’t have the seat fully reclined!) and hug your knee. Now repeat with your left knee. This helps stretch out the lower back, and again keeps the legs moving.

Shoulder Stretch While seated, wrap your arms around your back and shoulder and hold (as if you are giving yourself a hug) for 10 seconds. This is a great shoulder stretch.

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Exercise for Biceps While seated, take your resistance band and place it under both of your feet. Your feet should be flat on the floor and 6 inches apart. Hold the resistance band in both hands with your palms up. Keeping elbows next to your waist, raise hands almost to your shoulders. Leave about 4 inches between hands and shoulders. Let band down slowly, and then repeat. Beginners do 1 set of 15 reps. Intermediate exercisers should do 2 sets of 15 reps, while advanced exercisers should do 3 sets of 15 reps. You will feel this and you will build stronger bicep muscles. If you forgot your resistance band, ask a flight attendant for two unopened bottles of water or cans of soda. Please remember to be polite: flight attendants work really hard and the nicer you are, the more you’ll receive.

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Quadriceps and Legs Stretch While standing in line for the restroom, place your left hand on the wall in front of you for stability. Reach your right hand behind you, bend your right knee, and grab your right foot. Bring it up to behind your buttocks. Only stretch as far as is comfortable for you. Hold for 10 seconds, and then repeat on the other side.

Exercise for Calves While seated, put your feet flat on the floor, press your toes into the floor, lift your heels up 2 inches, hold for 5 seconds, then lower your heels so that your feet are flat on the floor. Repeat 20 times to strengthen calf muscles. Next, using both hands, apply pressure to the knee area, and lift and lower heels again.

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Butt and Thighs Squat Stand up in front of your airline seat (as long as the fasten seatbelt sign is not on), squat down like you are ready to sit, keeping your buttocks 4 inches above the seat. You may want to hold on to the seat in front of you for balance (but don’t disturb the passenger sitting there). Hold this position for 10 seconds. Now return to standing and repeat 10 times. This will really tighten your butt.

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Triceps/Chest—Standing Pushups This exercise is great for your triceps and chest and can be done on a wall in the terminal or outside of the restroom on the plane. Just find a wall to begin your pushup. Stand facing the wall with feet placed shoulder distance apart. Place your hands flat on the wall at chest level. Lean in, bending your elbows, keeping your body straight. Touch your chin to the wall. Push out to standing position. Repeat 10 times. More advanced exercisers can repeat 20 times.

Neck Stretch If you’ve been working on your laptop for the first hour of travel, take a break and try this stretch. Sitting in your seat, head straight up, turn your head to the right as far as you can without straining. Hold for 10 seconds. Now turn your head to the left and hold for 10 seconds.

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Tricep Extensions Place the center of the resistance band under your buttocks. Pull your hands up to your ears, with your elbows pointed in front of you at shoulder height. Extend both arms over your head, holding the band, for 5 seconds. Your arms may shake a little bit—this is okay—it just tells you that you are working the tricep muscles. Lower the band slowly and lower your hands to ear level, keeping your elbows at shoulder level. The band should feel very tight, and this should really work your triceps. Repeat 10 times.

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Bent Over Stretch Clasp your hands together behind your back. Pull your shoulders back, reaching toward the wall behind you, and lean over forward. Hold for 5 seconds. This releases your back and shoulder muscles.

Posture Practice Put a pillow in the small of your back to help your back and your sitting posture.

Remember, get up and move about the plane as much as possible. Movement helps keep your blood circulation flowing.

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Getting the Most out of Exercise at Your Destination This is your golden opportunity to make lifelong changes to your exercise routine. If you can make exercise a part of your daily routine while traveling on business or vacation, you can make a permanent change, too.

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An Exercise While Waiting for Your Luggage Lean with your back straight against the wall and your heels about 1 foot from the wall. Slide down the wall, with your back still touching it, until you are in a seated position. Your knees should be over your toes. Hold this position for 30 seconds, or hold it for 1 minute if you are strong enough. This works your buttocks and quadriceps. Trust me, you’ll feel the burn. Repeat five times.

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Stuck in Traffic While Driving Your Rental Car? Try This Exercise If you find yourself stuck in traffic, grasp the steering wheel at 9:00 and 3:00. Push the steering wheel inward with as much force as possible and hold for a count of 10. Now, perform the inverse of that exercise by attempting to pull the steering wheel outward and isometrically hold for a count of 10. Do a number of these exercises in succession. The former exercise works the shoulders, biceps, and chest. The latter works the triceps, rear deltoids, and trapezius.

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Early Bird or Night Owl? Know yourself and know your peak time of day. The world is made up of two kinds of people: morning people and night people. I don’t know anyone in between. Do you? I have been a morning person for as long as I can remember and I always will be. My sister, on the other hand, will start cleaning her house at 11:00 at night. Know your peak times in the day to exercise. I find most people like to work out in the morning— then the workout is done for the day.

Discover What Works for You While on Vacation If you are on vacation, this can be your opportunity to explore many sports and exercises you might not try at home. Use this time and the facilities to try all types of activity and exercise. Most people who give up on exercise have just never found the activity they love.

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For example, many friends have told me they experience a runner’s high while running. I experience the sensation of my butt jiggling, shin splints, and severe huffing and puffing. I don’t get the runner’s high. I get runner’s exhaustion. But I do know that I love other activities and I’ll stick to those. Checking in at the Hotel, Checking out Exercise Opportunities Once you reach your hotel, take a few extra minutes to inquire about the time the hotel gym opens. Do they offer any exercise classes you might like to take? What time does the pool open? Some hotels offer scuba diving, yoga by the pool, and even horseback riding. Try something new. “Confuse your muscles—they really benefit from the confusion,” says Art Tagliaferri, certified personal trainer. And don’t forget that walking around your destination is the most inexpensive exercise out there. All you need is a pair of sneakers or comfortable walking shoes.

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Resort Exercise Resort exercise is easy and obvious. If you stay at a resort, you’ll often have a pool or two or three, and a state-of-the-art gym full of exercise equipment and personal trainers. What does not come prepackaged is your motivation. Starting a workout program on vacation might be just the jump-start you need to incorporate a workout into your everyday life. Try a 30-minute workout each morning while you are away (see the suggested vacation workout schedule on the next page). You know you can steal 30 minutes while you are away and then again once you return home.

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Suggested One-Week Vacation Workout (30 minutes each day) Sunday

30 minutes brisk walking

Monday

30 minutes upper-body workout in the gym or in hotel room using resistance band

Tuesday

30 minutes swimming laps in hotel pool or water walking at the beach (Stand in water up to your thighs. Now walk as powerfully as you can through the water, keeping water up to your thighs. Do this for 30 minutes. You’ll be shocked at the intense workout to your legs.)

Wednesday

30 minutes lower-body workout with weights

Thursday

10 minutes abdominal 20 minutes yoga

Friday

30 minutes brisk walking

Saturday

30 minutes disco dancing out on Saturday night

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By the Sunday you leave for home, you will feel so energized, so focused, and so alive, you’ll start to make the workout a part of your daily routine.

Business Travel If you are traveling for business, there will probably be a hotel gym at your destination. Just like the vacation traveler, you do not have to juggle at-home commitments such as feeding the dog, taking out the trash, and mowing the lawn. Determine the best time of day for your workout. You may prefer the early morning, as you could be at allday business meetings jam-packed with luncheons and business dinners. Take advantage of a new city and explore it by foot. Get a walking map and ask the front desk or concierge about any areas you may want to avoid. Carry your cell phone with the hotel’s phone number programmed into it and consider walking with a business associate.

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Why Are Business Meetings Spent on Your Butt? You may sit for hours and hours in business meetings. If you will be in this situation, please invite me to your next conference. We need to get you up and moving. If you must sit, do practice good posture and get up to move for 5 minutes at least every hour. Who was the certified nut who determined we should sit all day long on our butts in business meetings? This is completely crazy, and it is not good for our backs, bodies, circulation, or focus. If I were running all-day meetings (which I would never do, since I believe most of us have a 10-minute attention span), I would ask my guests to get up every hour and walk or stretch for 10 minutes.

Hotel Room Workouts If you really hate gyms and want to work out in your hotel room instead, try one of the workouts below. All you’ll need is a resistance band and comfortable clothing.

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Hotel Room Workouts 10-Minute Workout

20-Minute Workout

25 Jumping Jacks

25 Jumping Jacks

10/15 Pushups

10/15 Pushups

Child’s Pose

Child’s Pose

15 Bicep Curls

15 Bicep Curls

15 Coffee Tables

15 Coffee Tables

10 Tricep Extensions

10 Tricep Extensions

8 Awkward Chairs

8 Awkward Chairs

25 Crunches

25 Crunches Down Dog Upward Facing Dog 15 Plies 3 minutes running in place Dancer’s Pose Bridge Pose (twice) 20 Lunges

See the descriptions of these exercises on the following pages.

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Jumping Jacks You remember these from your grade school gym class, don’t you? Do 25.

Pushups Get down on the floor on all fours, with your arms and back straight. For an easier version, rest on your knees rather than on your toes. Bend your arms and touch your nose to the floor, and then push up away from the floor. Repeat 10 times.

Advanced Pushups Get down on the floor on all fours, with your arms and back straight. Rest on your toes instead of your knees. Bend your arms and touch your nose to the floor, and then push up away from the floor. Repeat 15 times.

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Child’s Pose While on all fours on the floor, sit back on your bended knees. Push your buttocks toward the wall behind you and stretch your hands out in front of you on the floor, reaching with your fingertips as far forward as possible.

Bicep Curls Place the middle of your resistance band under both feet. Stand with your feet flat on the floor and 6 inches apart. Hold the ends of the resistance band, one in each hand. Holding your elbows by your side at your waist and your palms facing up, raise your hands to your shoulders. Hold for 4 seconds, and lower the band slowly. Repeat 15 times.

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Coffee Tables Find a sturdy coffee table in your hotel room. Or try this on the edge of your bed. Sit on edge of the coffee table. Place your hands palms down, next to your hips. Extend your heels out in front of you to support your body. Holding onto the coffee table, lower your body to 3 inches off the floor. Now push yourself back up to starting position. Repeat 15 times. This is an advanced exercise. You'll feel it in your triceps.

Tricep Extensions Sit and place the middle of the resistance band under your buttocks. Hold the ends of the resistance band, one in each hand, and pull your hands up to your ears, elbows pointed in front of you. Extend both arms over your head and hold for 5 seconds. Lower the band slowly and return hands to ear level. Repeat 10 times.

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Awkward Chairs Standing straight, squat down like you are about to sit on a chair. Lift your arms up overhead and hold for 15 seconds. Then return to a standing position, squeezing your buttocks as you come up and lowering your arms to your sides. Repeat 8 times. Your quadriceps muscles should begin to burn by the fourth or fifth repetition.

Bicycle Crunches Lie down on the floor on your back. Put your hands behind your head. Lift your head off the floor and pull your right knee to your left elbow. Next pull your left knee to your right elbow. Alternate side to side never letting your head rest back on the floor. Repeat 25 times.

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Down Dog While standing, reach over to touch your toes. Now walk your hands out on the floor in front of you. You are making a V-shape with your body. Try to keep your heels flat on the floor. Hold for 15 seconds.

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Upward Facing Dog Lie face down on the floor. Keeping the tops of your feet on the floor, place your hands under your shoulders, palms down on the floor. Now lift your upper body off the floor by pressing with your palms and look up. Hold for 10 seconds, supporting your upper body with your hands.

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Plies Stand with your feet spread 2 feet apart, toes pointing out. Squat down, keeping your knees over your toes. While you are squatting, pretend someone is pulling a string through your head toward the sky. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 15 times.

Running in Place Run lightly (in sneakers) with some spring in your step for 3 minutes. Turn on some music or the TV for added motivation and inspiration.

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Dancer’s Pose This takes serious balance. Standing up straight, balance on your left leg with your knee slightly bent. Lift your right leg behind you and hold your right foot with your right hand. Slowly bending forward, extend your right foot back and up into the air. Hold for 10 seconds. You may use your left hand to hold on to a chair or table for balance. Repeat on other side.

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Bridge Pose Lie down on the floor with your back pressed to the floor. Bend your knees and place your hands by your sides, palms down. Keeping your head on the floor, lift your back up off the floor using your shoulders as your support. Hold this pose 15 seconds and repeat once more. This is great for your back. Please be careful with your neck on this exercise: if you feel any discomfort, stop the exercise.

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Lunges Standing up straight, step forward with your right foot, forming a 90-degree angle with your right leg and bending your left knee almost to the floor. Keep your right knee over your toes. Step back, pushing off with your right heel, and repeat with your left foot. Repeat alternating sides for 20 lunges. This is great for your legs and buttocks.

Congratulations on your destination workout. Now let’s move on to Chapter 7, where we’ll be talking about my favorite activity— eating!

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Packing Power Snacks for Travel Food is fuel. If you feed your body marshmallows and hot chocolate all day, you’ll get soft, squishy results. If you feed your body power foods like whole grains, protein, and vegetables, you’ll get powerful results. Traveling should not be an excuse to eat junk food. Make good food choices while you’re on the road. You’ll feel better, travel more comfortably, and have more energy. Even many fast-food restaurants offer delicious fresh salads today. With a little planning, you can bring power snacks with you. Eat often and eat light. Do not weigh yourself down with large, heavy meals while traveling.

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If you’re rushing to the airport, especially to catch an early flight, the tendency is not to eat. Breakfast is your most important meal. Here are some quick, simple on-the-run breakfast ideas for you that are easy to take along with you. On-the-Run 3-Minute Breakfast: Half of a whole-grain bagel with peanut butter and a glass of orange juice OR Toasted frozen waffle with a glass of orange juice or glass of skim milk (wrap the waffle in foil and take it on the road with you) OR 1 packet of oatmeal with skim milk and berries (I carry this with me in a paper coffee cup) OR A plastic cup of oat cereal or other dry cereal for fussy children Packing good healthy snacks to eat while you travel will take you just 5 to 10 minutes and is worth your investment of time. Flights are often delayed or your plane could

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be stuck on a runway and your stomach left growling. Be sure to pack plenty of food for yourself and your family or traveling companions. Ask your children to pack a small cooler with their favorite snacks. When they pack their own snacks, they are more apt to eat them since they were part of the decision-making process. The 6-Minute Cooler Cramboozle Pack the following foods in a soft-sided cooler the night before you leave and place it in the refrigerator. Just remember to take it with you in the morning. Turkey sandwich on wheat Organic almonds Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat Hard-boiled eggs Apples, oranges Energy bars Dried fruits like apricots, pineapples, mangoes, raisins Hershey’s Kisses (for the chocolate craving) Herbal tea String cheese (great protein snack) Dry oatmeal

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Kid’s Cooler Cramboozle Small bottled waters Milk Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches Chicken and cheese burrito Apples Frozen red grapes Peanut butter crackers Applesauce Yogurts Pudding snacks Grapes, strawberries, oranges Children are much better at listening to their hunger bells than adults. Children only eat when they are hungry. Have you ever tried to feed a child who didn’t want to eat? Good luck! I would rather tackle a sumo wrestler. Children eat when they are hungry and they stop when they are full. They do not pay attention to clocks, sunshine, darkness, or anyone else’s eating schedule. We could learn so much from them. What are you like when you are hungry? I feel faint, I develop headaches, and I’m

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crabby! Therefore, I always travel with food and with enough to share. Recently I sat next to a college student on a flight from Long Beach to Boston. I shared my breakfast, lunch, and snacks with her all along the way. I only hope someone would do this with one of my nieces and nephews. Trust me, there is nothing luckier than sitting next to me in flight if you are hungry, and nothing worse than sitting next to me when I am out of food. Stay Away from These Foods in Flight: 1. Salt—that means no peanuts or popcorn. 2. Caffeine drinks. If you are nervous flying, this will make you extra jittery. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which can contribute to dehydration. 3. Alcoholic beverages. Alcohol has twice the effect in flight as it does on the ground. Be careful. 4. Carbonated soft drinks and carbonated waters—the bubbles create gas.

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Mood Foods 1. If you are stressed, eat crunchy food like granola. 2. If you need to wake up, try three Hershey’s Kisses. 3. If you are thirsty, drink water or my all-time favorite, seltzer and cranberry juice. 4. If you are headachy, drink water (you may be dehydrated) or half a sandwich (you might just be hungry). 5. If you are cranky, do two stretches, eat three Hershey’s Kisses, and, for the gals, apply a smidge of red lipstick. 6. If you are tired, try peppermint tea and look for a cute seatmate. (Nothing wakes you up like a good-looking seatmate.) 7. If you want energy, try string cheese— it’s a great protein snack. 8. If you feel your blood sugar dropping, try a glass of orange juice. 9. If you are nervous, try a cup of soothing peppermint tea or Sleepytime Herb Tea.

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And lastly, drink plenty of water. We talk a lot about water in this book, so you know the benefits. Keep drinking water and flush those toxins out of your body. Now that your stomach is satisfied, let’s move on to ideas for improving your posture while you travel.

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Chapter 8

Straighten Up and Fly Right!

Posture is everything. Have you ever seen a professional ballet performance? Try to picture the ballerina in your mind. She may be just 5 foot 2, yet she seems stretched and

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elongated as if her fingertips and limbs could go on forever. Now think of her slumped over, with her belly sticking out and her chin down around her chest. How does she look to you now? Posture is what makes the difference. A ballerina has a distinctive posture, and while you do not necessarily have to possess her posture, good posture does matter. Think about a runway model or a Marine. Have you ever seen a uniformed Marine slouching while on parade? Of course not. Posture is everything. Not only does great posture make you look striking, great posture is important to overall wellness and helps you weather the aging process. How? Practicing good posture and doing weight-bearing exercise will help you ward off osteoporosis and maintain strong bones. Great posture helps promote circulation. When your muscles are loose, hydrated, and conditioned, blood flows more easily throughout your body, placing less stress on your heart.

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Great posture helps your digestion, can prevent headaches, and helps prevent back pain. How are you sitting or standing right this minute? Be honest. Are you slumped over? When flying, you should be sitting far back in your airline seat with your feet resting comfortably on the floor. Your back should be firmly pressed into the back of your chair, and your head should be held upright, looking straight ahead. Please adjust your posture right now.

Try This Try this posture technique while sitting in your airplane seat. Sit up straight, pull your abdominal muscles in and pull your shoulders back, pelvis under you with buttocks muscles tight. Be sure to breathe. Remember too, to retract your head way back into the headrest. Do not protrude your head forward like an ostrich.

You could spend most of the time spent in flight working on your posture. Stop slumping. Always “think tall” when thinking about posture.

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In this chapter, we’ll be concentrating on yoga, stretching, and abdominal work to help you achieve optimum posture. Yoga will help you elongate your body and muscles. And the abdominal work will help you gain strength in your core area, which is your abdominal area and lower back.

Posture Exercises for Airport and Airplane Shoulder Rolls Forward Lift your shoulders toward your ears. Now roll your shoulders forward, down, and repeat.

Shoulder Rolls Back Lift your shoulders toward your ears. Now roll your shoulders back, down, and repeat.

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Sitting Stretch While sitting, stretch your right arm to the ceiling, leaning ever so slightly to the left. Hold for 5 seconds, and put your arm down. Still sitting, stretch your left arm to the ceiling, leaning ever so slightly to the right. While you’re doing this stretch, keep your buttocks firmly planted in your chair. Again, hold for 5 seconds.

Blown Palm Stand up straight, feet six inches apart, and stretch your hands up over your head. With your right hand, grab your left hand just under the wrist. Stretch over to your right side, only as far as is comfortable for you. Stretch up and to the right. Don’t worry about bending too far to the right; you want to maintain a very tall posture throughout this stretch. Release hands and repeat on the other side.

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Standing Curve While standing, round your back, clasp your hands in front of your chest, tuck your chin to your chest, and press your palms away from your chest. Bend your knees, round your back, and hold for 10 seconds.

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Open Arm Stretch If you are sitting in an airport, lift your arms up overhead and open your arms out wide so that your hands are three feet apart. Feel your chest and rib cage expand. Hold for 10 seconds and relax.

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The Tight Traveler’s Hang (Do not wear your seatbelt during this exercise.) Sit up straight, feet flat on the floor. Spread your feet apart 12 inches. Lean over your knees, letting your arms hang toward the floor. Do not round your back. This is great for relieving tension in your spine and lower back.

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Help, My Body is Going South!

Massage therapist Kathleen Iacobacci feels posture is the body’s relationship to gravity. I find as I am reaching my 50s that as far as my body is concerned, it’s all about gravity. Every single body part I have wants to go south. And the challenge is convincing my body parts to stay upright. If you are in your

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40s, 50s, or 60s, you know what I am talking about. I know my breasts, belly, and butt all want to hang down. Kathleen believes even the slightest change in posture can make a huge difference in the way your body feels. She feels posture is not all about how we stand, but rather about being comfortable with our feet planted firmly on the ground and our pelvis centered underneath us and breathing naturally. Kathleen offers some wonderful techniques for self-massage during flight to help parts of your body that are stiff and sore due to travel. Insert two tennis balls into an old (clean) sock. Tie the sock off at the loose end. Place the balls in the small of your neck and wiggle the sock back and forth. Or place the balls in the small of your back and wiggle the sock. Now place the balls under the balls of your feet and wiggle the sock again. You can practice this self-massage in flight, in the airport terminal, and in your hotel room. Not only is this beneficial for a sore neck, but it also aids in circulation.

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Skip the Stilettos, Ladies (High Heels and Posture)

Ladies, we need to talk about high heels. I know it’s a sensitive subject, but if you have ever visited a chiropractor, you know he or she will tell you that high heels are not good for your back. According to chiropractor Jean Kelly, high heels change your center of gravity and put stress on your lower back. So please put the high heels in your suitcase and save them for a special occasion.

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Water and Posture Experts agree that blood needs lots of water to move and circulate throughout the body. Your blood will look to your muscles first for hydration. Then the blood will travel to the tendons to seek hydration. This is one of the reasons you may be sore after flying: The blood has been taking some of the water from your muscles. One to two days before flying, you should super-hydrate (drink extra water). Remember that staying hydrated is critical to skin tone and elasticity. So yes, there are beauty benefits, too. Your organs need water to work, just like a car needs gas to run. You wouldn’t feed a car bananas and expect it to run. You wouldn’t feed a human being motor oil and expect it to run. Staying well-hydrated also helps your body remove toxins from your blood. In summary, drink plenty of water, stretch, and stay active. Now that you are postureperfect, get ready to try the meditation and relaxation techniques in the next chapter.

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Think of everything you have accomplished up until now. Congratulations! You are Flying Fit!

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Chapter 9

Meditation and Relaxation

How do you relax? Do you relax? We all need to look for ways to relax and reduce stress. In this chapter, we’ll discuss simple meditation techniques, deep

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breathing and relaxation exercises, and yoga. Not only are these helpful when you travel, but you may want to incorporate them into your everyday life. For me, meditation is riding my bike alone on a Sunday morning through farmland and fields, passing stone walls and ponds. It’s quiet, it’s peaceful, and I feel great for the entire rest of the day. For my friend Dena, meditation is an early-morning cup of French press coffee and a drive to the beach alone in her convertible. When she returns home, her four-year-old son awaits her to begin their day together. Without her morning drive, Dena claims she couldn’t survive. These are active forms of meditation. What does meditation mean to you? Is it your first sip of morning coffee or is it lying in bed and stretching? Perhaps it’s watering your plants? We all need a quiet place just to be and to quiet our minds, because life has so many demands. If you have trouble quieting a busy mind, or difficulty relaxing, here are a few simple techniques to help you while you travel.

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Deep Breathing Stand or sit up straight. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen. Breathe in through your nose. You should feel your abdomen inflate and expand. Now exhale through your mouth and feel your abdomen contract. This is known as diaphragmatic breathing, and over time it will help you relax. Take five deep breaths and feel relaxation enter your body. Deep breathing will help you relax and send more oxygen into your system. It will also help calm your nerves during a stressful situation. Deep breathing has been shown to help people who suffer from anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Practice deep breathing in flight today. Experts agree that most of us breathe in very shallow patterns, barely getting enough oxygen into our lungs and bloodstream. Many of us are embarrassed by deep, loud breathing. Do you think Lance Armstrong practiced shallow breathing while riding his

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bike in the Tour de France? No way! He was filling his lungs with lots of oxygen from deep breathing.

Relaxation Techniques for the Airport First of all, arrive early for your flight if at all possible. Rushing to the airport in heavy traffic can make even the calmest person very nervous. Leave plenty of time for checkin, security screening, etc. Go light on your caffeine intake. Too much caffeine will make you jittery and irritable. Find a quiet spot to wait for your flight, even another gate. Your gate may be full of anxious passengers, but a nearby gate might be vacant, making it the perfect place to relax pre-flight. Load soothing music onto your iPod (or other portable personal stereo) to play in the airport and in flight. This might be your

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favorite vocalist, the sounds of waves, or even chants. Make yourself comfortable and remember to put your “to do” list away until later. Unclutter your mind. Push away thoughts of work and chores. If you have left something undone, write yourself a note and pack it away in your bags until you return. Wear loose-fitting clothes, take off your tie, change into comfortable shoes, sip water, and have a snack if you are hungry. Now just stay here and close your eyes for 10 to 15 minutes until you have to board your flight. You can also use these same techniques while in flight to “take yourself away” to relax. If it’s noisy in the terminal, now is the perfect time to put earplugs in your ears.

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Relaxation Exercises and Yoga Poses The Seated Spill Sit up straight in a chair. Place your feet about 3 feet apart. Hold on to each elbow with the opposite hand. Let your upper body spill over from your waist and hang toward the floor. Hang for 10 to 20 seconds and feel the relaxation. You’ll feel your neck release, as well as your shoulders and your lower back.

Bent Over Stretch Sitting up straight in a chair, interlace your fingers together behind your back. Now bend your body forward as above, but let your arms rise up behind your back. Hold for 20 seconds and again feel the relaxation.

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Sitting Twist This one is great for your waist, and great for your golf or tennis game. While seated, put your hands together, with elbows pointing out, and lean forward. Looking down at your knees, gently twist to the left. Place your right elbow on the outside of your left knee and look to the left side. Hold for 10 seconds. Sit up straight and repeat on the opposite side. This is a great stretch for your back and waist.

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Standing Forward Bend While in an airport terminal, stand up and lean forward from your waist, hanging toward the floor. Hold each elbow with the opposite hand, let your head and arms hang, and feel the release in your lower back. Hold for 15 seconds. If you experience any discomfort in your lower back, bend your knees.

Warrior I Standing with your left foot in front, spread your feet 4 feet apart. Turn your left foot forward and your right foot out to the side. Bend down to form a 90-degree angle with your left leg, keeping your knee over your toes. Stretch your arms up overhead and hold for 10 seconds. Feel the release in your back and in your leg. Repeat on the opposite side.

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Warrior II Follow the same instructions for Warrior I. Then, instead of raising your arms up, reach your arms out to the side so that they are parallel to your feet. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Stretch to the Sky Stand tall with great posture and reach both arms up to the sky. Hold for 10 seconds.

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Awkward Chair with a Twist Either in flight or while waiting in the airline terminal, squat down like you are about to sit on a chair. Press your hands together in a prayer position and place your right elbow on your left knee. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the opposite side.

Stretch Back in Seat In your airplane seat, reach arms up to the ceiling. Hold each elbow with the opposite hand and stretch back in your seat. You should feel the release in your lower back.

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Scrunch It Up This exercise is for the airport terminal, in the airplane seat, and during business meetings. It can increase circulation, promote blood flow, and relax you: 1. Curl and tighten your toes as much as possible. Hold for 15 seconds. Release. 2. Tighten your calf muscles. Hold for 15 seconds. Release. 3. Now tighten your quadriceps and buttocks muscles. Hold for 15 seconds. Release. 4. Next tighten your abdominal muscles and pelvis. Hold for 15 seconds. Release. 5. Now tighten your fists and flex your bicep muscles, hold as tight as you can for 15 seconds. Release. 6. Scrunch your face and close your eyes, very tight. Hold for 15 seconds. Release. When you release all your muscles, you should be feeling very relaxed.

The combination of deep breathing and relaxation exercises will put you in a relaxed state. Relaxation is a state of body and mind. Airline travel can be hectic, stressful, and noisy. You don’t have to let it get the best of you. You now have all the tools you need to be relaxed when you travel.

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The Journey’s End Is Just the Beginning What an honor and a privilege it has been, taking this journey with you. When I wrote the notes for this book, I never honestly thought I would see it in print. But as you know by now, David Bloom provided all the inspiration I needed. I hope your body feels great now that you’ve gone through the Fly Fit program. And I hope you have felt the benefits of trying yoga poses, resistance exercises, ballet stretches, aerobics, and stress reduction techniques. Staying active is possible in any situation if you are willing to try something new and different. Were you able to exercise on your most recent business trip? Were you able to exercise on your last vacation? Most

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importantly, have you been able to bring this workout to your everyday life? Ultimately, I hope this book has inspired you to make exercise a part of your life, whether at home or on the road. Exercise should be fun, not a chore. If you don’t love it, you won’t do it. Really enjoying your exercise will keep you coming back for more. The benefits are endless, including improved health. Share this book with a friend or family member, and please write to me on my Web site www.gimmetheskinny.com. Perhaps you have discovered some new exercises to share with me. I welcome your questions, concerns, and exercise tips. As a woman who lost 50 pounds many years ago, I feel the benefits of fitness every day. I am so concerned about obesity in our country, both for young people and adults, that I’ll do anything in my power to get us all moving. The next time you travel, please look for me in an airport near you. You won’t miss me, I’ll be the one doing plies while holding onto

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my suitcase. Who knows? Soon I may be leading airport fitness classes on resistance training and stress reduction. Heaven knows we need it. Be well, stay healthy, and keep active. Inspire those you love to stay active too.

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About the Author After losing 50 pounds through sensible eating, fitness, and a positive attitude, Maggie Melanson decided to dedicate her life to sharing her recipe for healthy living. It started by opening Gimme the Skinny healthy catering in 1997. As the popularity of the business took off, so did Melanson, from one airport to the next—creating a schedule that could be “terminal” for any diet. So Maggie devised a plan to ward off deadly blood clots during long flights and make sure saddlebags didn’t become her carry-on items. Maggie resides in South Shore Boston. Visit her Web site at www.gimmetheskinny.com.

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