Airport aerobics - Jerry Chandler lets fly

Next time you’re at a major airport, if you can, forget the escalator and take the stairs. Abandon the train, and trek between gates. Get off your duff and get some exercise!

Travel presents precious few opportunities to stay fit. Sure, there are health clubs or workout rooms at the hotel. But too many people are too tired or to pressed for time to take advantage of them. Airport aerobics is the answer.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) is my favorite workout course. A swift, albeit often terribly crowded, train can transport you from the main terminal complex to the airport’s six concourses – T, A, B, C, D, and E. But there is another way.

Paralleling the train’s path is a pedestrian thoroughfare, one flanked by moving sidewalks. If you’re a wimp (or in a real hurry) augment your walk to the concourse by taking the moving sidewalk. If you’re hard-core, just hoof it sans assistance.

I’ve timed myself. From the terminal to International Concourse E it takes about 15 minutes with a moving sidewalk assist. By the time I get to the gate, I’m winded, but rested. The tenseness is gone, and I don’t need a drink to ease myself into the journey ahead.

Other airports offering good workouts are Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International and Detroit Metropolitan (DTW). Both have splendid people-mover systems. Fast, and efficient. If you can, forget them.

Once upon a time, Pittsburg International Airport (PIT) sported its own in-terminal fitness center. Sadly, it fizzled. Too few fliers saw fit to stop by. Nor are airport fitness centers attached to on-airport hotels terribly successful in luring passengers, people who are not registered guests. It’s not that they don’t want to exercise, it’s that they don’t have time.

The solution is to multi-task. Combine movement with muscle formation. You’ve got to get about the airport, so you might as well make it work for you.

To do this right you’ve got to have a pair of good shoes. They need not be running shoes, just rubber-soled shods with a bit of grip to them. Traditional leather-soled dress shoes, or high heels, just won’t work. My precious pair of DressSports by Rockport do double duty. I can walk into a business meeting without missing a beat, and then fast walk to my next flight.

Now, you’ve no excuse. Take another ten minutes or so and walk to the gate. The results can be wondrous.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not reflect the views of Cheap Flight News