It is, unfortunately, a common occurrence to come back from travelling with a cold or an out of whack digestive system. Whether traveling for business or for pleasure, staying healthy while on the go is a challenge. With these three ways to encourage healthy habits while traveling, you can do everything in your power to stay healthy while traveling.
Keep Moving
Activity levels vary depending on the type of trip you are taking. You can be more or less active than usual on your travels. Listen to what your body is telling you and modify activity accordingly. If you are sitting more than you are used to on long train rides or meetings, make sure to stand and stretch periodically. If you are more active than usual during a trip, make sure that you take periodic breaks to hydrate and give your muscles a break.
Stay Hydrated
Whether it is from overexposure to the sun, lack of convenient access to water, or the low humidity of airplanes, travel can dry you out. Never underestimate the power of hydration to boost your body’s resistance to germs and viruses. Staying hydrated with water keeps your immune system operating at its full potential. Drinking water regularly during a flight will keep your mucus membranes operating to defend your body from sickness. Proper hydration keeps the membranes in your nose and throat moist which tackles germs before they get a chance to infect you.
Eat Healthy
Eating healthily wherever you travel will help your immune system stay healthy and will keep your digestive system in top shape. To ensure that you have healthy and nutritious choices while you are traveling you will have to plan ahead. If you are taking a day trip in the car and have access to an ice chest, your options will be much different than if you are travelling across continents with no access to refrigeration.
To have a healthy crudité with dip on your day trip, fill a pint sized canning jar with sliced carrot, celery, jicama, and radishes and dollop on one of the Just Mayo varieties from Hamptoncreek for a super healthy and filling snack. The firmness of the vegetables will keep them from getting soggy while traveling in the dip.
You can pack some healthy mainstays even when travelling light across continents. Consider making some baked apple chips ahead of time that you can stow in your backpack. This lightweight snack is a nutrition heavyweight with lots of fiber and vitamin C. Including nuts in your daypack can give you valuable vitamins, protein, and fiber.
Look at Your Options
Do a little research before your trip to pinpoint any restaurants or stores that specialize in healthy foods that you will enjoy. This will limit the last minute search for something decent to eat when you are really hungry then settling for whatever you can find.
If you have the luxury of a small refrigerator and access to a microwave where you are staying, you can utilize it to keep as normal of an eating schedule as possible. Instead of having to venture out to find a breakfast muffin that is filled with calories and carbohydrates but is not very nutrient rich, you can stock your fridge with healthy essentials that you can snack on while getting ready for the day.
By Gunawan Kartapranata (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Spray Germs Away
Small travel sized sprays can be a big ally in staying healthy during travel. Do you feel like you need to freshen your breath but you do not have a place to gargle? Try using a mouthwash spray that is conveniently travel sized. It will keep your breath fresh and more importantly it will also help kill germs that you have been exposed to.
To give the mucous membranes in your nose an extra helping hand, use a nasal mist during your travels, especially on a plane. Nasal sprays have been found to be very effective in keeping the mucociliary clearance working in your nose to help disable germs.
While you cannot control the bacteria and viruses you come up against, you can keep your immune system as healthy as possible by taking care of yourself. Doing some pre-planning for your trip as well as taking care of your body while you travel will help you make the most of your trip.
