Are you travelling this Christmas? Maintaining healthy routines on the road can be a real challenge. It’s easy to be sedentary and turn to takeout when you need a quick meal. Plus, travelling can be hard on your body, disrupting your sleep routine and creating additional stress. This becomes a bigger challenge if we travel a lot. Living like this for several years can lead to burnout, and that’s the last thing you want! Check out the following tips to help you eat healthy, exercise, get enough sleep, and manage stress when you travel for work.
Keep Your Travel Documents Organised
Part of the stress of frequent travelling is managing travel documents. Keep all of your important documents filed together digitally, so you have one less thing to worry about before a trip. For example, you can save your travel information as PDFs on your iPad, so they’re easily accessible anywhere, whether or not you have wi-fi access. Follow these steps to saving a webpage as a PDF so you can save flight information, travel insurance policies, and hotel reservations with ease.
Use Travel Apps
Travel apps can also help you stay organised and avoid stress on the road. Travel + Leisure suggests a variety of apps, such as Citymapper for finding the quickest route to your destination based on bus and train schedules, PackPoint for creating customised packing lists, and Grab for checking which food selections are by your gate at the airport. These apps will help minimise the decisions you need to make on the road and free up your mental space for more important things.
Follow Smart Strategies for Eating Healthy
Believe it or not, it’s possible to prioritise nutrition when travelling. Study your meal options ahead of time and look for healthy menu items in airports and restaurants. You should be able to find salad bars almost anywhere! You can also bring your fruits and vegetables or visit a local grocery store when you arrive at your destination to stock up on some healthy snacks.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
It’s easy to get dehydrated when travelling, particularly during long flights. The air inside a plane travelling at altitude is very low in humidity. As a result, the human body loses about 8 ounces of water every hour on an aircraft. Try to drink at least one glass of water per hour during your flight to prevent dehydration. Tea, fruit, and electrolyte drinks can help increase your water intake if you’re not used to drinking so much water.
Exercise in Your Hotel Room
While many hotels have gyms for guests, they can get busy during peak times. Learn how to exercise in your hotel room so you never have an excuse to skip a workout. For example, this full-body workout routine is a great option when all you have is a chair or the edge of a bed to work with.
Pilates is also perfect for on-the-go exercise. Not only is Pilates a fantastic form of movement for the body, but it can also be incredibly meditative for the mind. Practising Pilates will help relieve tension and improve your work performance!
Follow a Routine for Better Sleep
Travelling is terrible for our sleep quality. Messing with your circadian rhythm is bound to leave you with jet lag, even if you’re only flying a short distance. Use sleep techniques to protect your sleep quality on the road. HopkinsMedecine.org suggests sleeping strategically, moving your bedtime earlier or later a couple of days before your trip to give your body time to adjust. When you land, sync up with the local schedule instead of drawing the curtains and sleeping during the day. Exercising first thing in the morning can also help you adjust to a new schedule.
Whether you often travel for work or you are travelling during the holiday season, make a plan to prioritise your health. Keep your travel documents organised to reduce stress, establish a hotel-friendly workout routine, pack healthy snacks, and keep yourself hydrated on the plane. These healthy habits will help you feel your best when you’re always on the go.