Self Care Travel Tips
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Self Care Travel Tips
The holiday season is in full swing and with it comes the busiest travel season of the year. Love it or not traveling can be extremely disruptive to the “self care” routine you have worked so hard to establish unless you follow a few simple guidelines.
1. Keep up with your water intake. In fact, when traveling it is not a bad idea to increase the amount of water you drink. Why? Lack of humidity, especially on a plane it is very dehydrating. Have you ever noticed how dry your skin feels when get off of a plane?
Most travelers experience bowel issues when traveling for various reasons. The World Health Organization identifies dehydration as the most severe threat posed by “traveler’s diarrhea.” Hydration can help both diarrhea and “traveler’s constipation.”
We always travel with a filtered, alkaline water bottle that we can easily fill anywhere. It is convenient and less expensive than bottled water. Keep track of how much water you drink in a day. Try to drink half of your body weight in ounces a day. For example if you weigh 120 lbs. drink 60 ounces of water a day.
2. Stay comfortable. No matter how you travel “temperature regulating fabric” can help keep you either warm or cool. We always travel with comfortable socks that have ceramic reflective fibers in the material that absorb energy from a variety of sources. These fibers have a saturation point, and do not retain excess heat. Instead they release it into the surrounding environment.
3. Eat smart. It is best to use some common sense here. First thing to remember, it is the holiday season and refusing a slice of your hosts award winning pie is not going to win a popularity contest so enjoy that pie but there are ways to eat smart throughout the day. Remember portion control and if possible eat as many fresh vegetables as possible. Avoid snacking by trying to maintain your usual meal schedule and don’t skip meals. If you have a super frantic schedule be sure to pack your favorite protein shake.
We always travel with Kenzen Vital Balance (KVB). KVB is an organic based pea-protein shake naturally sweetened with monk fruit. KVB also has prebiotics and probiotics which support gastrointestinal and immune system health.
4. Sleep matters. Losing as little as one and a half hours for just one night reduces daytime alertness by about one-third. Traveling across time zones changes the principal time cue -- light -- for setting and re-setting our 24-hour, natural day-night cycle, or circadian rhythm. When you pack be sure to pack for sleep. We always pack ear plugs, a sleep mask and travel with a temperature regulating travel comforter. Remember to keep up with any established sleep routines, for example, if you listen to relaxing music while preparing for bed make sure you have that with you and a way to play it. If you are well hydrated, eat smart, stay comfortable, exercise and try to maintain a sleep schedule while traveling you can alleviate sleep deprivation and enjoy your trip a whole lot more.