I've been traveling quite a bit lately, most recently to Charlotte, where I worked as a Teaching Assistant at a CranioSacral Therapy seminar.
I love to travel, and when we lived overseas, Ranald and I spent as much time as we could discovering new places and cultures.
Our travel now is not as glamorous as it once was, but one thing has remained the same: it's easy to get sick while traveling.
And let's face it, if you don't feel good, you can't enjoy anything to its fullest.
Which brings me to my recent trip to Charlotte where I got sick and came down with a yucky case of who knows what.
You know what I'm talking about.
Whatever it is that you can get when you're in close proximity with lots of people (think airplanes or hotel seminar rooms) and no fresh air.
You're not sick enough to go the doctor, but you still feel gross.
I'm usually pretty good about staying healthy while I travel, but this blind-sided me and caught me totally unprepared.
With all the crazy stuff that's out there these days, and in preparation for the holiday travel season, here are: Five Strategies to Optimize Your Health While On the Road.
1.
Hydrate.
Drink as much water as you can stand as often as you can stand it.
Most microscopic bugs and critters look for a dry environment in which to hang out, so the more you hydrate your body, the better the chance that you won't get the gunk going through the air.
And if you're flying, drink even more water.
Think about the plastic water bottle you bring with you on the plane.
Have you seen what it looks like after the flight? It's all scrunched up and twisted - dehydrated, basically.
And we're more than 80% water! Drink up.
2.
Boost Your Immunity.
There are lots of ways to do this.
The secret is not to wait until you have a cold coming on.
Start the day you leave, if not before.
I use Airborne, effervescent tablets that contain a whole slew of vitamins and herbs to build immunity.
I drink a cup of the stuff in the morning when I leave and then drink a cup at night and in the morning each day I travel.
(This is the piece I "forgot" to do in Charlotte.
Drat.
) There are lots of options to help your immune system including herbs, supplements, Emergen-C, and grapefruit seed extract (GSE).
Check with your doctor or at the local natural foods store to see what might work best for you.
3.
Get Good Sleep.
We all know how difficult it can be to sleep away from home, but a couple of these ideas might help: --Request a room at the end of the hall, away from the elevator to avoid the noise from late-night revelers.
--If possible, bring your own pillow with you.
I sleep on a Tempur-Pedic pillow, and unless I'm traveling on a plane, the pillow travels everywhere I do.
--Finally, if you're a light sleeper like I am, consider bringing a small fan or white noise machine with you.
People sometimes give me funny looks while I'm hauling my fan to my room, but I can tune out the world and get a good night's sleep with my fan.
4.
Nutrition.
Eat as well as you can.
Nutrition is key to staying healthy in the best of circumstances, but it's even more important when you are under the stress of travel.
And even if you are having a marvelous trip, travel is still stressful by definition because it's outside of your normal routine.
You don't have to spend a fortune to eat well, either.
My first rule of thumb - stay away from most hotels' complimentary breakfasts.
Hello, sugar high.
Instead, I find the nearest Whole Foods or other natural foods store and stock up for the week.
I request a room with a fridge, and get as many fruits and vegetables as I can for snacks.
I also get my lunches and dinners from the deli/hot food bars in the health food stores.
While they're not cheap, they're much less expensive (and more nutritious) than eating out every meal.
5.
Suds Up.
Finally, wash your hands as often as you can without being compulsive about it.
When you're out and about, you come into contact with all sorts of stuff.
Which is usually actually quite good, helping your system build its immunity and keeping you healthy.
But when you're traveling, and under stress, it's your best bet to help your immune system as much as you can rather than putting it under, well, stress too.
I like old-fashioned soap and water, rather than the anti-bacterial hand washing formulas.
They tend to have too much fragrance for me, but will certainly do in a pinch.
So there you have it.
A few ways to stay healthy while away from home.
A little boost to your immune system will do wonders while you're out and about.
Happy Trails!
I love to travel, and when we lived overseas, Ranald and I spent as much time as we could discovering new places and cultures.
Our travel now is not as glamorous as it once was, but one thing has remained the same: it's easy to get sick while traveling.
And let's face it, if you don't feel good, you can't enjoy anything to its fullest.
Which brings me to my recent trip to Charlotte where I got sick and came down with a yucky case of who knows what.
You know what I'm talking about.
Whatever it is that you can get when you're in close proximity with lots of people (think airplanes or hotel seminar rooms) and no fresh air.
You're not sick enough to go the doctor, but you still feel gross.
I'm usually pretty good about staying healthy while I travel, but this blind-sided me and caught me totally unprepared.
With all the crazy stuff that's out there these days, and in preparation for the holiday travel season, here are: Five Strategies to Optimize Your Health While On the Road.
1.
Hydrate.
Drink as much water as you can stand as often as you can stand it.
Most microscopic bugs and critters look for a dry environment in which to hang out, so the more you hydrate your body, the better the chance that you won't get the gunk going through the air.
And if you're flying, drink even more water.
Think about the plastic water bottle you bring with you on the plane.
Have you seen what it looks like after the flight? It's all scrunched up and twisted - dehydrated, basically.
And we're more than 80% water! Drink up.
2.
Boost Your Immunity.
There are lots of ways to do this.
The secret is not to wait until you have a cold coming on.
Start the day you leave, if not before.
I use Airborne, effervescent tablets that contain a whole slew of vitamins and herbs to build immunity.
I drink a cup of the stuff in the morning when I leave and then drink a cup at night and in the morning each day I travel.
(This is the piece I "forgot" to do in Charlotte.
Drat.
) There are lots of options to help your immune system including herbs, supplements, Emergen-C, and grapefruit seed extract (GSE).
Check with your doctor or at the local natural foods store to see what might work best for you.
3.
Get Good Sleep.
We all know how difficult it can be to sleep away from home, but a couple of these ideas might help: --Request a room at the end of the hall, away from the elevator to avoid the noise from late-night revelers.
--If possible, bring your own pillow with you.
I sleep on a Tempur-Pedic pillow, and unless I'm traveling on a plane, the pillow travels everywhere I do.
--Finally, if you're a light sleeper like I am, consider bringing a small fan or white noise machine with you.
People sometimes give me funny looks while I'm hauling my fan to my room, but I can tune out the world and get a good night's sleep with my fan.
4.
Nutrition.
Eat as well as you can.
Nutrition is key to staying healthy in the best of circumstances, but it's even more important when you are under the stress of travel.
And even if you are having a marvelous trip, travel is still stressful by definition because it's outside of your normal routine.
You don't have to spend a fortune to eat well, either.
My first rule of thumb - stay away from most hotels' complimentary breakfasts.
Hello, sugar high.
Instead, I find the nearest Whole Foods or other natural foods store and stock up for the week.
I request a room with a fridge, and get as many fruits and vegetables as I can for snacks.
I also get my lunches and dinners from the deli/hot food bars in the health food stores.
While they're not cheap, they're much less expensive (and more nutritious) than eating out every meal.
5.
Suds Up.
Finally, wash your hands as often as you can without being compulsive about it.
When you're out and about, you come into contact with all sorts of stuff.
Which is usually actually quite good, helping your system build its immunity and keeping you healthy.
But when you're traveling, and under stress, it's your best bet to help your immune system as much as you can rather than putting it under, well, stress too.
I like old-fashioned soap and water, rather than the anti-bacterial hand washing formulas.
They tend to have too much fragrance for me, but will certainly do in a pinch.
So there you have it.
A few ways to stay healthy while away from home.
A little boost to your immune system will do wonders while you're out and about.
Happy Trails!
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