5 Quick Tips for Staying Healthy While Traveling
I have been traveling A LOT this year. It feels like every other week I’ve been on a plane, a train, or jumping in the car for a road trip, or planning for upcoming travel. Some of my favorite trips of the year were to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado and Montauk.
Now I’m not complaining one bit, but staying healthy on-the-go seems to always been top of mind for me and this is a big challenge for many of my health coaching clients. There are so many variables while traveling like fluctuations in sleep, access to healthy food and even our increased exposure to germs like on the plane.
Landing at LGA back in New York!
All of these factors add up and have the potential to throw our bodies a bit out of whack leading to unwanted symptoms such as bloating, fatigue, headaches, colds, irregularity and lack of energy.
I've been able to drastically reduce these symptoms over the years with just a few quick tips that I wanted to share today. We'll call these my travel essentials for staying well. Just a few easily implementable tips to keep your energy up and your immune system in tact.
Hanging at the Airport in the Bahamas
Real talk, traveling isn't always glamorous for our bodies so we need to take extra good care.
I’ve employed these tips on every kind of travel from an extended stay European foray to a quick weekend getaway one state over. These tips are simple, take minimal time and can make a positive impact on your body, health and ability to fully enjoy your trip.
5 Quick Tips for Staying Healthy While Traveling
Drink LOTS of water. When we travel, especially by air, the recycled air in the cabin and high altitudes easily dehydrate us leading to symptoms like headaches and fatigue. I always keep a large water bottle in hand and even pack an empty water bottle in my suitcase as a reminder to fill up and stay hydrated. While in nutrition school I learned one of my favorite equations for staying hydrated which is to aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day, it never fails!
Keep your hands clean.We know this from flu season advertisements but washing your hands is one of the best ways to ward off the common cold. It is no different when you travel and are exposed to extra germs in tight quarters like in the cabin of an airplane. If you can’t get to a bathroom, keep an antibacterial gel with you for an instant clean.
Bring your own healthy snacks. I always travel with my favorite organic oatmeal packets, homemade trail mix and energy bars for a healthy and nutritious meal or snack at any time. Most airlines also allow you to bring hard boiled eggs, fruit (or my delicious cinnamon apple chips) and vegetable sticks which make great travel snacks. I love whole foods bars like GoMacro and Larabar(Have you tried my Larabar inspired homemade fruit and nut bars?).
Don’t skip your greens. Chances are when you travel you’re not reaching for the green salad at lunch, you’d rather indulge in the local cuisine. Before I leave I always stock up on my favorite powdered microgreens in single serving packets that are great to throw in your bag, from my local health food store. They’re full of vitamins, mineral and fiber to keep your immune-system boosted and your energy levels high throughout the day. That way you can always sneak in your fruits and vegetables in between travel indulgences without feeling all of the way out of balance. My favorites include Amazing Grass Green SuperFood® Drink Powder Superfruit Infusion Goji and Acai and MegaFood Daily Energy Nutrient Booster Powder and Vega One Nutritional Shake packets that I mix with water for a super quick nutrient boost.
Combat bloat and irregularity with probiotics. Due to a combination of the travel elements many of us experience bloat, irregularity and fatigue while travel. To combat those symptoms, travel with a high quality room temperature stable probiotic that you can find at your local health food store or online. Always consult your physician before taking supplements of any kind. My favorites that are room-temperature (think travel) safe are Jarrow Formulas and USANA.
I hope you enjoyed my 5 quick tips for staying healthy while traveling. Let me know in the comments below which one was your favorite.
The next time you plan a trip, spend a few minutes thinking ahead about how you will stay healthy on-the-go and you’ll reap the rewards of feeling well and staying healthy so all of your attention can be spent on enjoying yourself and the places you go. Happy Travels!