How to Stay Fit in Airports
Don’t sit and drum your fingers while you wait for your flight. Turn that airline delay into a workout.
Ben Greenfield
by Ben Greenfield
Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, the holidays are an 8-week-long period that is jam-packed with travel for many of us. We find ourselves in airports with nothing to do. But rather than just sitting, drumming your fingers, and waiting for your flight, what if you could stay fit in an airport? Here are my 3 top airport fitness tips:
- Fitness Walk. Choose a 15-45 minute loop and briskly walk the entire airport. But here’s the rule: every time you walk by a bathroom, you have to duck into a stall and do 25 body weight squats. This avoids the embarrassment of you doing squats in a crowded hallway or gate, but breaks up the monotony of walking. And just to be safe, I’d recommend washing your hands after each of those stops, since airport bathrooms are notoriously germ-ridden.
- Jumping Jacks. Let’s face it, many times you land in the airport and have to blast out a bunch of e-mails or get some work done on the internet before your next flight leaves. In this case, I break up tasks. If my layover is, for example, 60 minutes, I set my stopwatch and work in 10 minute intervals. Every 10 minutes, I get up, go to a corner or quiet spot and do 100 jumping jacks, then quickly get back to work.
- Elastic Tube. I’ve often used stairwells or “abandoned” gates for this workout. I simply keep an elastic tube with handles in my carry-on bag and do the following quick routine: 25 curls, 25 overhead presses, 25 squats, 25 overhead extensions. If time permits, I’ll repeat that circuit 2-4 times through.
And the next time you’re in an airport, be sure to also check out https://www.airportgyms.com
—since you may be lucky enough to have access to an actual gym nearby!)
If you liked this article, be sure to check out my episode on how to Stay Fit While Traveling. Have a happy and fitness-filled holiday!
If you have more questions about travel and exercise, then ask away at the Get-Fit Guy Facebook page.
Airport image from Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.