Of course, companies are always eager to help out by coming up with products that encourage working out and staying healthy while on the road. The Water Pocket, for example, is a slim fanny-pack-type pouch that's water-tight, letting you hang onto your passport and traveler's checks even while swimming. The 4 1/2x6 1/2-inch size is $11.85; the 6x9, which can hold small cameras and pocket cell phones, is $15.85 (1-800-962-4943).

You can get a versatile workout from one of the original portable fitness products, the Lifeline Gym. It uses rubber tubing, bars, belts and stirrups for strength training with variable resistance of 3 to 350 pounds. Including a how-to video, it's $49.95 at many sports and department stores, or through (800) 722-9999.

For general health concerns for overseas travelers, local M.D. William Gould has started a company that provides 24-hour medical assistance. It's like a medical concierge for those with health problems in foreign lands. Enrollees ($35 annually per individual, $60 a couple, $75 for a family) in Medical Liaison International can

phone (with added fees after two calls) from anywhere in the world and talk to an experienced American M.D. to learn facts about specific illnesses, be your liaison to emergency-room personnel, forward medical records and help replace lost prescriptions or glasses with U.S. products. For information: (360) 793-9776.

A new book that covers most of the bases on road workouts is "Travel Fitness" ($14.95), by one of my favorite sports and exercise publishers, Human Kinetics, (800) 747-4457. For health and fitness while in transit, authors Rebecca Johnson and Bill Tulin recommend seated and standing exercises, and suggest we counter dehydration caused by airplane ventilation systems by drinking at least eight ounces of water for each hour of flight. (Bring your own or ask for bottled water.) Along with the usual advice to eat complex carbohydrates and cut fat, they direct extra attention toward fiber intake to keep everything moving.

Jet-lag tips include staying on your home time zone during trips of a week or less, scheduling appointments for when you're alert at home. For trips beyond three times zones, start making adjustments in your sleep-wake cycle before you depart. Exercise soon after arrival to help shift your internal rhythms.

Johnson and Tulin outline several fitness routines:

-- The No-Time Workout aims to accrue 30 minutes of aerobic exercise and 10 minutes of stretching sometime during each day you're away: Leaving your car at the edge of the parking lot and walking in, avoiding moving sidewalks, even doing inconspicuous exercises while trapped in long meetings. Six No-Time Stretches take as little as 5 to 10 seconds each. This program would work as well for busy people at home.

-- The Express Hotel Room Workout describes calisthenics on a bed or carpet and lifts using a briefcase or phone books.

-- The Pool Workout makes water exercise possible even if you're not a regular swimmer, by using the dog paddle and treading water.

-- The Walk That's More Than A Walk turns a sight-seeing stroll into circuit training, with a warm-up, stretches, exercises, different walking paces and a cool-down.

To that last one, I'd add my variation on in-city walks and runs, which tend to be rather disjointed from stopping at every corner to wait for the light to change. I call it "running with the lights." Instead of sticking to a planned path, I just walk or run whichever way the light is green. It keeps me moving and adds a little adventure to the outing.

Especially when I need a map to find my way back.

Molly Martin is assistant editor of Pacific Magazine. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOTEBOOK

Club bike thieves

To discourage theft, now there's the Bike Club. It's brought to you by the folks who make The Club for car steering wheels. Solid steel, the Bike Club weighs less than three pounds and is adjustable to handle road and mountain bikes. Four models, from $29.95 to $49.95; at bicycle and sporting-goods stores.

Wet head?

One problem with early-morning or lunchtime exercise: wet hair going back to work. To help dry hair faster without harsh blow-drying, Garden Botanika of Redmond offers a Morning Shampoo Towel ($20). The double-density cotton-loop pile on one side is said to absorb twice the towel's weight in water in 10 seconds, wicking the moisture to the acrylic side to dry. I spent more like 60 seconds using it and my hair certainly wasn't bone dry, but the towel made a noticeable difference and cut air-drying time at least in half. At Garden Botanika stores (Bellevue Square, Westlake Center, Alderwood, Southcenter, Tacoma Mall) or call 1-800-968-7842.

Scoping it out

Considering arthroscopic surgery for a troublesome knee or shoulder? You can get a free brochure on the procedure by sending a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to: Arthroscopy, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, P.O. Box 2058, Des Plaines, Ill. 60017.