<div>John Barry is an independent SME consultant from the US who travels to India on a regular basis. He is also a fitness freak and during his busy travel schedule tries to squeeze in a 35-minute power workout anytime during the day. So, his stay at the Oberoi Hotel in Bangalore would not be complete without his ‘tubing workout’ or ‘resistance band’ in his room. <br /> </div><div>“Tubing allows you to stay fit; it works out all muscle parts. It also saves on time taken to walk to the gym in the basement of a hotel or waiting your turn on the treadmill,” says Barry. But what is a tubing workout? The tubing is a highly elastic rubber tube which offers an inexpensive and portable way to get a full-body, strength-training workout. At least 30 different kinds of exercises can be done with it.</div><table width="400" cellspacing="6" cellpadding="6" border="0" align="right"><tbody><tr><td><img width="400" vspace="7" hspace="7" height="250" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=259efd04-9f7a-4661-a455-687ed94c85fa&groupId=222922&t=1347098453342" alt="" /></td></tr><tr><td><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); "><strong>Yuppie Exercises</strong></span> <br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); ">Core Performance’s corporate wellness programme centres on four fundamentals</span><br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); ">Mindset:</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); ">There is a lot to do and see while travelling, but time is often limited. Planning ahead each day can make the difference between chaos and calm</span><br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); ">Nutrition:</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); ">Proper fuelling and hydrating helps sustain peak performance levels. Choose recipes with nutrients that work well together to create long-lasting energy </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); ">Movement:</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); ">Exercise is not always hitting the gym or going on a run. Begin your day with a warm shower and a quick light stretch. Loosen your muscles and perform all day long</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); ">Recovery:</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); ">Slipping in an extra hour of sleep every night leads to a big payoff. An individual’s alertness can increase by as much as 25 per cent. You come back stronger and stay fresh</span></strong></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />“The tubing is good for beginners to perfect their weight training and breathing techniques. For regulars, tubing of five different levels of intensity — indicated by colour — can be used,” says Srinivas Huliappa, owner of a corporate gym called Chiseled Impressions. He says that nowadays corporate travellers carry along tubing when they are travelling or ask the hotel gym to deliver it to their room. “You can ask the resident gym instructor to come to the room and teach you the workout along with some breathing techniques,” says Huliappa.<br /> </div><div>A survey across Sheraton Hotels in Greater China has shown that fitness is a priority, especially for the upscale traveller and the business person on the move. Two out of three travellers exercise at least four times a month. The report states that nine out of 10 travellers rate staying fit and healthy as a priority. More than half of travellers surveyed expect to relax, refresh and shake off fatigue with workouts while travelling. </div><div><br />Nine out of 10 travellers expect a hotel fitness centre with first-class equipment, a relaxing environment and professional trainers. Most of the executives also agree that the availability of fitness options en suite would increase their preference for a hotel.<br /> </div><div>“We have tied up with Core Performance, a global fitness chain, to create and manage our training programmes,” says Martin Wuetrich, general manager of Sheraton Bangalore. He adds that there is a methodology to training and each guest is given the diet and workout suited to his history of exercise. <br /> </div><div>When you check into a room, Sheraton leaves you a Core Performance kit containing exercise guidelines, resistance band, mat, foam roll and a massage stick. Those who need a personal trainer can leave a request at the gym. The programme has created four modules for travellers: for the mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery (see ‘Yuppie Exercises’). “To have that perfect corporate meeting, the hotel helps guests exercise based on these modules,” says Wuetrich.<br /> </div><div>To flex your muscles without getting out of the room, many hotels also get you fitness videos on television. “Many have travelled to the US and executives demand that their workplace or the hotels that they go to need to have high-level fitness training. But it is yet to gain acceptance,” says Huliappa.<br /> </div><div>You can also register online for fitness programmes, and use your smartphone to plan and track exercise routines. A resistance band costs about Rs 1,000, so carry one on your next trip.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: normal; ">(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 17-09-2012)</span> <br /><br /> </div>
