Healthy Travel Tips: Preventing Health Setbacks

 

If you’re anything like me, you’re traveling more these days, whether it’s for work, vacation, or both.

Since moving to another country, I find myself traveling more to visit family and friends, as well as frequent border runs to keep my visa up-to-date. 

As I get ready for a trip back home for the holidays, I’m starting to prepare my body for the long travel days ahead.

You probably don’t normally notice the true toll that traveling takes on your body because…

…if it’s work-related, you tend to see it as “just part of the job,” and so you continue to push through…

…and if it’s vacation-related, well, then it must be all good, right?

 

Traveling is a type of stress we just don’t typically address.

 

Think about it.  How many times have you come home from a trip and:

• Come down with the worst cold or flu ever
• Felt extremely exhausted even if your trip was a vacation
• Had a flare-up of muscle or joint aches and pains
• Struggled to get your sleep back on track
• Noticed your weight shot up
• Or have experienced a relapse in your autoimmune condition, anxiety, skin breakouts, or other health issues

 

These are all signs of the stress your body experienced while traveling.

Don’t get me wrong, I love traveling, and I would never give it up, but over the years, I’ve learned to notice how it can take a toll on my body and how I can be proactive so that it doesn’t create a huge health setback for me.

Stress is anything that places a burden on your body, resulting in inflammation, which leads to any of the health issues you might encounter.  Stressors can include the foods you’re eating that aren’t right for your body, getting inadequate sleep, over or under-exercising, emotional or physical stress, toxins that you encounter, and hidden stressors such as parasites, bacteria or yeast overgrowth in the gut, hormone imbalances, liver congestion and more.

The not-so-obvious but typical types of stressors you encounter when traveling are:

• Having fewer options for quality food and water
• Not-so-supportive beds or environments that negatively impact sleep quality
• Sitting for prolonged periods of time or getting less movement in general
• Dehydration from flying or not being in your normal routine
• Crossing time zones and messing with your natural hormone balance
• And an abundance of toxins circulating the air in airports and hotels

 

These stressors can add up quickly while traveling.  As your stress load increases, it can suppress your immune system, making you more susceptible to getting sick, disrupting your natural hormone balance, which drains your energy and mood, overloading your liver, causing a backup of toxins in your body, and destroying your gut resulting in digestive upset.

You may not have complete control over these travel-time stressors, BUT you can reduce their impact on your body when you take the right steps.

I am going to help you identify the toll that traveling might be taking on your body and provide you with proactive tips so it doesn’t set you back.

In the game of living a healthy life, the key to your success is NOT living in a bubble and avoiding all “unhealthy” things, but the trick is learning to navigate life differently so your body and health are more supported.

As I already pointed out, there are quite a few types of stressors you typically encounter while traveling; some might be within your control, and some may not be. 

Instead of stressing about finding the perfect place, food, and toxin-free environments while traveling, here are some simple steps that I take, and that you can take too, in order to proactively support your body and prevent any health setbacks…

 

Prioritize Food & Water

1. Make eating gluten- and dairy-free your #1 priority to reduce inflammatory food factors
2. Increase your water intake 1 day before and while traveling to prevent dehydration
3. Be mindful of your alcohol intake – if tired or jet-lagged, opt for a mocktail instead

 

Sleep Soundly

1. At night, set your room to 68 degrees for optimal sleep temperature
2. Cover all ambient lights such as alarm clocks and smoke alarms, and tightly seal curtains shut (Ninja trick! Pack electrical tape to cover smoke alarm lights and place pillows against curtains to seal the cracks)
3. Get sunlight exposure upon waking up to balance your circadian rhythm

 

Reduce Physical Stress

1. Stretch, stretch and stretch!  Daily and intermittently on the plane for long flights
2. Opt for less intense exercise such as walking or yoga
3. Schedule a massage, acupuncture, and/or chiropractic adjustment within 1 day of returning home

 

Decompress and Revitalize

1. Pack lavender essential oil to use anytime you need to unwind throughout your trip
2. Start and/or end your day with a cycle of deep breaths, meditation or journaling
3. Schedule some time at the spa or book a massage to relax and restore your body

 

Tone Down Toxins

1. Pack a travel-size salt lamp to help purify air, reduce allergens and negative ions
2. Drink purified bottled water ONLY – look for glass bottled water in restaurants such as Pellegrino
3. Get in touch with nature – open windows when possible, get outside daily, and even put your bare feet in grass or dirt to offset toxin exposure

 

I love helping my coaching clients learn how to navigate life differently so they can enjoy traveling AND feel their best at the same time.

If you’ve experienced a major life or health setback and you want to get back to feeling your best, including while traveling, then schedule a Back-To-Balance Breakthrough Call here.

 

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