Have gym, will travel - gym and health clubs for business travelers

Men's Fitness, Oct, 1998 by Tom Weede

Every business traveler needs a quick gym fix. Here are the places to go.

It's 6 p.m., you're 2,000 miles and a couple of time zones from home, and you can barely remember the name of the city you're in. Just the end result of an action-packed cross-country road trip you took on the spur of the moment? You wish.

Truth be told, you flew into town on the red-eye and have spent the day sitting at a conference table trying to persuade a group of wary customers how you'll improve their bottom line. And tonight you'll sleep in a strange hotel bed, wake up early and start the drill all over again.

Welcome to the business trip and all its attendant strains - jet lag, cab rides, meeting new people, eating on the run, staying up too late. It can be pretty disorienting, even if you're a globe-trotting vet. But despite the disruption in your normal routine, there's always one place in any city where you can feel at home: a well-equipped gym. Find a good gym and 45 minutes to work out, and you can turn a taxing business trip into a productive and powerful one - keeping you alert and giving you the confidence and competitive edge you'll need in that conference room the next day.

With a hectic schedule, of course, it's a challenge to maintain a fitness routine on the road. It's easy to push your workout aside, especially if your co-workers or clients aren't active types and don't understand your decision to blow off late-night restaurant dinners/cigars/cocktails for a productive trip to a gym.

"When you're running into people who don't know that you, have a routine, anticipate that they re going to put mild to moderate pressure on you to do something else," says Los Angeles-based psychiatrist Mark Goulston, author of Getting Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior (Perigee, $13). Moreover, it can be tough just to find a place to work out, especially if your hotel's gym has nothing more than a broken-down stationary bike and an old Universal machine.

So, what are the keys to keeping fit on the road? For starters, explain to your business associates that exercise is an important part of your life, and while you'd like to socialize with them, you really can't afford to miss a workout. Second, plan your workouts ahead of time. "If you have an itinerary and a place and a time where and when you're going to do your exercise, you're less vulnerable to outside pressure," Goulston says.

To help you blueprint a workout itinerary, we've compiled a list of gyms and health clubs in the top 10 business-travel destinations in the U.S. (according to the National Business Travel Association). Each offers a wide range of services and equipment to keep you firmly on the fitness track. As an added bonus, most of these clubs will provide a discount if you drop our name. Now you have even less of an excuse to skip a training day the next time you leave town to close that big deal.

Atlanta

Gym: Australian Body Works, 3232 Peachtree Rd., Suite A (404-233-8311).

Description: One of the newest locations in this 20-gym Atlanta chain, with members drawn from nearby residences and businesses. "It's a non-intimidating atmosphere, but at the same time we try to keep a lot of energy flowing through," says spokesperson Janie Wilson.

Facilities: Free weights, Cybex, Hammer Strength, tread-mills, stationary bikes, stairclimbers, elliptical trainers, Cardio Theater (allows you to plug headphones into a cardio machine to listen to music or watch television while you train), aerobics, BodyPUMP (a combination aerobic and strength program utilizing weights), boxing, kickboxing, Spinning, yoga, personal trainers, locker room with towel service.

Location: The trendy and upscale Buckhead area, with scores of nearby restaurants and bars.

Cost: $10 per day.

Mention Men's Fitness and get: A $5 discount.

Boston

Gym: Mike's Gym II, 560 Harrison Ave. (617-338-6210).

Description: One of the largest gyms in Boston, with a diverse membership. You may occasionally bump into a pro bodybuilder, but the majority of the gym's patrons comprise a broad fitness spectrum.

Facilities: Free weights, Body Master, Hammer Strength, Icarian, Nautilus, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairclimbers, elliptical trainers, rowers, aerobics, cardio boxing, sauna, whirlpool, tanning, personal trainers, juice bar, locker room with towel service.

Location: In the South End section of town, a short subway ride and walk from downtown.

Cost: $10 per day.

Mention Men's Fitness and get: A $5 discount.

Chicago

Gym: Lakeshore Athletic Club Downtown, 441 N. Wabash Ave. (312-644-4880).

Description: A laid-back clientele and a staff that caters to them. "We greet you at the door," athletic director Diana Hoffman says, "and we get to know people's names at this club."

Facilities: Free weights, Body Master, Cybex, treadmills, stationary bikes, stairclimbers, elliptical trainers, rowers, NordicTracks, virtual-reality bikes and stairclimbers, aerobics, kickboxing, Spinning, yoga, pool, basketball, tennis, racquetball, squash, indoor track, sauna, steam room, whirlpool, personal trainers, bar and grill, locker room with towel service.