If you’re traveling by plane and don’t need to be dressed for any particular occasion upon arrival, don workout clothes. Simply being comfortable and not in stiff garb may prompt you to perform a light workout (like a brisk walk) at the airport rather than sit while waiting for your flight.

I move from city to city regularly enough for work. Often, I’m on the first flight out. Because I hate to rush, I usually get to the airport with time to kill. I have a myriad of options for how to use that time. If I’m in jeans and boots, I’m likely to sit and read or work (and crave snacks). If I’m in sweats and a T, I find myself walking, stretching, lunging (go ahead and laugh) and otherwise moving.

Airports are designed to make you spend exorbitant amounts of money on cheaply made, low quality food. Because you don’t have the option to leave, you’re trapped into grabbing snacks or premade crappy sandwiches. Candy and processed food is everywhere and the bars are plentiful for liquor consumption. The message is clear: purchase booze, mags and snacks, then sit still. In fairness, some airports are actually trying to assist our well being efforts. From the Wall Street Journal:

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and San Francisco International Airport both now offer free yoga rooms in terminals. Several airports, including Indianapolis, Cleveland, St. Louis and DFW, have laid out half-mile walking paths through terminals in conjunction with the American Heart Association, hoping to turn “mall walkers” into “terminal walkers. And many are pushing vendors to offer options that are lower in fat and calories—even writing healthy-food requirements into new leases.

This is good news, but y’all know we don’t lean on the outside world doing the work for us. Luckily, a walk is always well within reach. That’s all we really need to change an otherwise unhealthy day into a physically productive one. From Harvard Health:

Walking is an automatic, intrinsic human function, and it serves many practical roles. Strange as it seems, though, modern man appears determined to walk as little as possible…And it’s not just a question of walking for transportation; moving walkways whisk us through airports, and elevators and escalators lure many able-bodied men away from stairways…Walking doesn’t get the respect it deserves, either for its health benefits, its value for transportation, or its role in recreation.

Need another reason to be in flexible gear? I’ve got you. It’s especially difficult for most folks to get a regular workout in on travel days. You leave the house at the crack of dawn and are beat when you land in your destination city. How are you to train at that point, particularly if you’re rocking slacks or a dress? Inspiration to hit the workout room at the hotel before showering up is easier if you’re already dressed for the occasion.

Leaving the house in workout gear sets the tone. The mindset is clear: I’m going to take care of myself today; I’m committed to landing in my next city feeling strong in mind, body and spirit. I generally don’t believe the clothes make the man (or woman), but in this case they can make the day.

Row nine, seat F, now standing to stretch,

Kap