By: Therese Iknoian

Now that you're breathing easier about how much you need to do, it's time to plan how and when you're going to do it. This could be the most important part of your preparation to stay in shape. You'll need not only a few minutes with a calendar and your schedule on the road, but also time for a few telephone calls or Internet searches.

Knowing in advance what you'll confront when you get there will help you work fitness into your day. Try these tips:

• Plan a couple of sessions with a personal trainer before you leave to brainstorm how you can workout while you're away and to plan a good routine you can do in a hotel room, says. Write down the suggestions and take them with you on cards.
• Call the hotel before you leave to find out if it has an fitness center and what its hours are. But don't stop there: Make sure you ask what's in it because some hotel fitness centers are filled with junk not worth the iron they're made of.
• Also, ask if the hotel has an agreement with a nearby gym for guests' workouts and whether there is a fee or if it's free.
• Get maps of the city you'll visit before you leave to find parks, recreation areas, fitness trails, or even quiet neighborhoods close to where you'll be staying so you can at least get out for a walk or run. You'll be surprised how little hotel staff knows about the area.
• Contact a local running store (not a chain) or fitness club in the city where you're going before you leave to find out about either group runs or walks, or recommended recreation trails, tracks, or neighborhoods. Always ask about safety.
• Check newspapers or the Internet to pinpoint sunrise and sunset where you'll be so you can better plan your time. Even from one end of the West Coast to another, you might have an extra 30 minutes at one end of the day you hadn't planned on.
• Also check newspapers or the Internet for the weather forecast where you're going so you pack the right clothes.
• Caught on a layover at an airport? Find lockers, stash your bag, and head out on a brisk walk down endless corridors.

Business trips don't have to be the pits, either:

• Mention to associates you're visiting that you're trying to fit in a workout. You might be surprised to find someone there has the same wish. You two can get a workout together instead of "doing lunch," or the local person might take you to the gym.
• Size up your agenda before you leave (or as soon as you're there) and mark in your fitness "appointments" with yourself.

What about family vacations?

• Look for chances to rent bikes, skates, or paddle boats. Or make a brisk hike, or a long tag game, part of the family's schedule. That counts as exercise too!

Now that you know how much you can get away with and how to plan ahead, Part 3 of Staying Fit on the Road takes a look at how to pack, and a few workout tips.