016 - My Favorite Tips to Stay Healthy While Traveling
Hi friends!! So, I don’t know about you but I feel like the end of the year is flying by! I can’t believe we are already well into fall and almost into the holiday season! I can already feel our schedule busier, and at least for us, that is just how it is throughout the end of the year!
One thing that the holiday season typically brings with it is some travel, whether to visit family or just for fun. We just got back from a week in California visiting family and seeing a lot of fun things in San Francisco. It was a blast!
On the flight home, I got to thinking though about how while traveling is a lot of fun, it can be really hard on our bodies. We’re exposed to a lot of things outside of our norm, whether it be long times sitting in a car or being cooped up with hundreds of other people in an airplane.
However, there are some easy things we can do to help support our bodies and our health while traveling, and that’s what I want to share with you today!
Bring your own snacks!
- Bring snacks to eat on the trip and while waiting at the airport.
- Most airports do not have healthy food options and if they do, their usually very expensive. Save yourself some money by bringing along balanced snacks (balanced meaning they contain good amounts of carbs, protein, and fat). This will help you stay full and keep your blood sugar levels stable.
Bring your own water bottle!
- In my opinion, airplane water is pretty gross (and not filtered well). Plus, those little cups are bound to spill, especially with littles around.
- Fill your cups with water after security so you will be set on the plane (I ran out of time to do this on our depart flight last week and I was miserable while we waited for beverage service).
- Also, be sure to drink enough. Planes are super dry and it’s easy to not want to drink a lot in order to avoid the airplane bathrooms / rest-stop bathrooms, so when and where you can, try to get the water in.
Plan ahead!
- Start packing several days ahead and make a list for all the last minute things. Traveling can be stressful with so many moving parts and so much to keep up with, so do yourself a favor and don’t wait until the last minute.
- Go to bed early the night before your flight. While you may be lucky enough to catch a little snooze on the plane/ride, the quality of sleep won’t be nearly as good as a night’s sleep. Lack of sleep raises inflammation levels in the body, as well as lowers immune function. That’s like a double-whammy on your body.
- Start taking immune support supplements at least a week before the flight. We chose these immune gummies by Mary Ruth Organics that have great amounts of vitamins C and D, zinc and elderberry extract in them - and they are sourced from whole foods and yummy too! You can also make your own elderberry syrup to start taking before your trip (it’s just a little more difficult to travel with, in my opinion).
- I also think it’s a smart idea to take a regular whole-foods based multivitamin and a probiotic leading up to the trip, as well as for the duration of the trip. It really sucks to get sick while on vacation or visiting family for the holidays, so this is just one simple way to help prevent that.
Manage the germs as much as you can, but don’t freak out about it.
Germs are everywhere and are unavoidable, however, you can use a clean, non-toxic hand sanitizer like the Honest brand, Dr. Bronner’s, or Branch Basics to clean hands before eating, as well as when you get off the plane. It’s also a great idea to spray down trays etc. if you can, but don’t make this something to stress about, that’s why all of the prevention measures are helpful.
Eat a good meal before and after your flight.
Even your healthy snacks are usually decently high in sugar and just aren’t as rich in nutrients as whole foods, so try to eat a balanced meal both before and after. Obviously, if you’re on vacation or seeing relatives, you probably aren’t going to eat perfectly balanced or super nutrient-dense foods the whole time, and that’s totally okay, but being more intentional on the day you actually travel can help your body deal with all the changes / stressors and less nutritious foods better.
If you need to detox a bit when you get home, do it!
Your body will tell you if you’ve pushed it too far. A few easy ways to detox are by doing a 5-7 day standard elimination diet (eating only whole foods and eliminating the main inflammatory ones like sugar, maybe gluten/dairy, any processed foods), drinking extra water, drinking Dandelion-Root tea and bone broth daily, and taking detox baths*. Also getting lots of good sleep and movement (walks are great for this)!
Most of all, relax and enjoy your trip!
Just like everything else, perfection is a myth. So do your best and make the conscious choice to not stress about the things that are out of your control.
I hope these tips will be helpful as you plan your travels for the upcoming holiday season! As always, feel free to reach out on Instagram or Facebook if you have any questions.
If you feel like you need more personalized support as we enter this holiday season, I would be happy to help you stay on track with your health goals or maybe set some for the first time! You can schedule a free 30-min consult with me by going to www.yourhealthforward.com/free-consultation!
*My fav easy detox bath recipe - Add to a hot bath and soak for at least 20 minutes:
1-½ C Epsom salts (unscented or only scented with essential oils, nothing synthetic)
½ C baking soda
1 tsp ascorbic acid (Vit C powder - this helps neutralize chlorine in the water)
5-10 drops lavender essential oil
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