Travel stress cure: airport exercise

“I don’t like sitting around so you can fall asleep on the plane, and what better way to burn off energy,” says Miss Wells.

Travel is inherently stressful, but this year’s long lines and flight cancellations have made many people realize that the airport is a great place to work. Passengers who run, crawl and exercise in the terminals say the activity breaks up wait times and lowers their stress levels. Gyms are also being opened in airports to accommodate demand.

Exercise can be one of the best ways to relieve travel stress, and the airport offers plenty of options for exercise, says Christopher Berger, professor of exercise physiology at Los Angeles Western College.

“Rather than rushing, it’s a good idea to get to the airport early and use the time to get into your stride,” he said. Airports are climate controlled, have water fountains, and many now have dedicated walkways or at least tell you the distance between terminals.

“In my opinion, they’re better for walking than malls,” he says.

Sandy Hulme, 61, prefers running to walking, which she says can be difficult at high-security airports. Mr Hulme, a political science professor at Alma College in Michigan, had previously been stopped by an armed police officer at an airport in Switzerland.

“I try to run slowly so I don’t scare people,” he said.

To continue his habit of running 1 mile every day for nearly 50 years, he ran through the airports of Paris, Tokyo and Amsterdam. He flew to India last week and ran through New Delhi airport before going through customs to keep his streak alive.

Virginia Kinkel, 35, a competitive bodybuilder from Washington, D.C., says recent flight delays have given her a chance to sneak in the long cardio sessions her training requires. She typically puts her 7-month-old son in a stroller and makes laps around the terminals. During a recent layover from Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Rome found a fit near Ram.

In the year The gym, which opened in 2017, charges $25 for a day pass to use its equipment, including SkillMill nonmotorized treadmills, concept II rowers, dumbbells, medicine balls and more. In addition, travelers can use showers and borrow Lululemon workout clothes and Brooks sneakers for free..

Before their flight, Ms. Knekel enlisted her sister to run on the treadmill and shower for 75 minutes. “I’d drive an extra 15 minutes to fly from BWI instead of Dulles to get in a purposeful gym workout instead of wandering through the terminal,” she says.

Ty Manegold, co-founder and president of Roam Fitness, said his facility has been busy this summer, in part due to people arriving at the airport earlier. The company is in talks to build gyms at several U.S. airports and has signed a lease with Philadelphia International Airport to open a space in Terminal F next year.

“People don’t know what security and check-in looks like, and they want to give themselves more leverage,” he says. “That means they schedule us into their duties before their flight.”

Noah Ryan has yet to find an airport with a gym, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting in some exercise. The 24-year-old marketing agency manager is at the airport on average every 2½ weeks and says he comes to have time on his hands. His gym attire now doubles as his airport uniform — 5-inch inseam athletic shorts or pants, a black T-shirt and flip-flops — and includes a self-inflating ball and resistance band.

When a recent flight to Mexico City was delayed, he stayed at the gate and began doing lunges, squats and splits and band exercises to strengthen his upper back and shoulders. Before a long flight, he does some stretching exercises to loosen up and feel numb. Mr Ryan said he wouldn’t mind going about his daily routine in his bare feet.

“These people will never see you again,” he said. “And what’s weirder, drinking beer at 7 o’clock or doing breakups in the terminal?”