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> The Fitness Dilemma
> Eating Right
> Medical Concerns
>Travel Healthy

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"The two biggest health concerns while traveling are eating and exercise," says CWO3 Robert Vaughan, USA-Ret.

Indeed, whether you're hauling for the airport at 5:00 a.m. on business or timing your road trip around the "hurry-up-and-wait" of commuter gridlock, it's hard to stay healthy when you're away from home.

Business travelers face the toughest challenges because their: frequent trips and fast-paced schedules often leave them without enough time to work out and eat right. However, it is getting easier to travel without totally upsetting your health.

Restaurants and other airport eateries offer salads, fresh fruit, and bagels that you can eat on the spot or take with you. Even on the road, the selection of food is better, with most fast-food chains offering salads. 

Theoretically, cruises can be the optimal "healthy" trip. A variety of healthy foods always are available, and the deck spaces and fitness areas onboard provide plenty of room and opportunities for exercise.

However, you are not necessarily immune from illness, as evidenced by the recent spate of viral outbreaks on cruise ships. To help ensure a medically uneventful voyage, check your cruise ship's health inspection scores by visiting the Center for Disease Control's (CDC's) Web site (www.cdc.gov/travel), and clicking on "Cruise ships and air travel."

The Fitness Dilemma
When it comes to exercise, something is always better than nothing, say the folks at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas. In fact, traveling actually presents new opportunities to exercise.

Walk a sandy beach when you have time in port, or take a hike on a day off from business. Many hotels have fitness centers and swimming pools. Ask at your hotel about a local health club or safe place to jog nearby.

You even can find time to exercise en route to your destination. Unless you are flying first class or business class, you and your muscles likely will feel cramped, so get up and move around periodically.

You also can perform simple isometric moves while in a car or airplane seat. If you fly frequently on business, airport concourses are great places to walk if you are hauling a bag on wheels.

Lt. Cmdr. Al Price, USN, who is stationed at Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, says he tries to book a seat in the emergency exit row to get more leg room whenever he takes a commercial flight.

If you fly Space Available on a military flight, however, you must be ready at a moment's notice. You also could find yourself flying on anything from an executive jet with a general to a C-130 with a tank and fuel truck for company. If this happens, be prepared, and be flexible.

Experts suggest a daytime arrival, especially when flying west to east. When you reach your destination, drag yourself outside and do some sightseeing or walking while it is still daylight. You'll recover faster from jet lag. Acclimatize yourself to the local time, and try and stay awake that first day.

If you're traveling by car, be sure to build in time for exercise stops so you will stay alert. During a road trip, Vaughan stops at picnic areas where he eats his own food and takes a brisk walk.

"This not only keeps me physically fit, but gives my mind a much-needed break from the stress of highway driving," he says.

If you can't fit in your daily run, take a walk after dinner, or do some floor exercises in your room using portable hand weights or exercise tubing that you've packed.

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