Fit frequent flier

I travel for play. I travel for work. In either case I work hard to maintain a balance between obligations (social, work, or otherwise) and fitness. (I also like to sample the local beers and wines when I travel, but we'll get to that later...)

When I was in San Diego for work last week, I had the opportunity to stay at a Westin hotel, which was a switch for me. (I normally stay at another place, closer to my office. And before you start rolling your eyes about marketing masked as a "review," I should note that I am not yet cool enough to score free hotel nights for my writing...)

Of all the places I've stayed for business and pleasure travel, the Westin has 'em all beat for fitness-friendliness.

Westin hotels take pride in being fitness-focused

Here are just a few of the fitness perks Westin offered during my stay:

• One of the most gorgeous gyms I've seen in a hotel, spread across two rooms that accommodated a full set of free weights ranging from 3 - 30+ pounds, multiple state-of-the-art cardio machines, and plenty of room for at least a dozen people to work out without feeling crowded.
• A fitness gear "rental" system: For $5 a hotel guest can borrow workout clothes and shoes. (Now, I don't know why anyone would travel without running clothes. Mine get packed before my business suits. But if my luggage ever gets lost, I'll keep this program in mind.)
• Fresh fruited water in the hotel lobby. Strawberry mint, cucumber, pineapple, grapefruit, lemon, and apple cinnamon were among the offerings during my stay. It was delightful to come back after a long day in the office or a long run and have a cup (or 3) of cold pineapple water waiting for me.
• Fresh fruit and healthy snacks in the hotel lobby on weekends. Forget cookies and candy (though they had those, too). Westin's snack bar was stocked with plenty of fresh fruit and mixed nuts.
• Oh, and if you prefer your workouts to be private, Westin can arrange a room with in-room fitness equipment for you.

On my way home from the trip, I had a long layover in Dallas-Fort Worth.

I finally got a chance to try the DFW yoga studio in person. The practice area, snuggled between the B and D terminals, is stocked with yoga mats and hand sanitizer. Given the hustle and bustle of the rest of the airport, the space is amazingly quiet.

While I didn't get in a full practice, it was lovely to take my shoes off and stretch out a bit after hours of being smooshed into tiny, uncomfortable chair.

In other airports I like to find a quiet corner of an unused gate for "airport yoga." A few twists, bound-angle pose, and some forward bends between flights help work out some of the kinks of cross-country travel. But, on the downside, I occasionally get strange looks from other travelers.

DFW's yoga studio solves that problem, and gave me both the room and the privacy to practice some more bold poses (that I'm sure would get me picked up by security otherwise) like downward-facing dog, cat/cow, and extended side angle.

Yoga practice area at DFW

And lest you think my trip to San Diego was all fit and healthy (you know better by now, right?), I admit that I did quite a bit of beer tasting heavy drinking. It's San Diego, and San Diego is known for big, hoppy IPAs. And I am a fan of big, hoppy beers.

With breweries like Stone, Alpine, Port/Lost Abbey, Green Flash, and dozens of others, how could I not partake?

Sampling one of many local brews at Bottlecraft in San Diego

I wanted to smuggle some Green Flash Trippel back in my suitcase, but TSA wouldn't let me.

How do you stay fit when you travel?
What's your favorite-of-all-time beer?