Travel Like a Healthy Rock Star: Savor Your Rest...No Matter What

I would love to give you all kinds of great tips on how to get 8-9 hours of perfectly uninterrupted sleep while you travel.  While I do have some tricks...my best one is simply NOT to obsess about how much sleep you get.  The reality is you are faced with time zone changes, new bed, hotel noises, change in diet, etc.  On top of that, you might be a little anxious about your meeting the next day or, more important, what you are missing at home.  Minimizing alcohol, drinking some hot tea, and light yoga prior to sleep will help.  I have done all of these...and been settled in my "not too bad" hotel room bed by 9pm to get a good night's rest and wake up by 5am for an early morning meeting.   What results is that I toss and turn (my internal clock still thinks it is 8pm).  Because it is earlier, my husband calls so I can talk to the kids before bed - which usually morphs into a longer conversation on our day after we do our good night gratitude prayers with the kids.  Of course, I am so happy to connect with my family, but by this point I am now considering what I am missing so am more awake than ever.  By the time I finally drift off, it is 11pm (if I'm lucky)  and if I want a good workout in the am...I am down to 6 hours sleep. Over the years, I have come to accept that I may get on average 1-2 hours less sleep per night while I travel.  I make up for that by simply ENJOYING the adventure of the travel.  I try to see the sites or enjoying seeing work colleagues I don't see very often.  I appreciate that I live in a time when I can talk to (and see) my family ever day (thanks to FACETIME and SKYPE).  So I have to accept that when I travel a good 5-6 hours is "good enough".

Travel Like a Healthy Rock Star: DO Drink the Water

Hydration.  This is not a new concept and most people know this is important regardless of how frequently you travel.  What you don't realize is how the change in climate, dryness of an airplane & hotel room, or even the increase in activity can affect your body.  Start by drinking plenty of water 24-48 hours prior to travel just like a marathoner will start hydrating days before a race.   You will feel refreshed and hydrated without having to hit the restroom 3 times during your flight or on the road. Even if you are not the type of person to religiously carry water with you in your home life, you should consider adopting this when you travel.  While you cannot carry a full bottle of water with you through security - you can certainly carry an empty one.  Many airports now have filtered water where they encourage you to fill up your water bottle.  Do it - you never know how long you will be on the plane or when you will get a chance to  have a good drink of agua. Even if you have to spend the $3-$5 for a bottle while waiting, just carry it with you and refill it.  When checking into your hotel, ask for a couple complimentary bottles of water instead of the fresh baked cookie.  Again - even if you don't feel thirsty, your body is likely under far more stress than normal and the thirst will hit you later.  The added benefit of avoiding the sugar in the cookie will help reduce or combat inflammation in your body.  For me, travel tends to include a lot of dining out (where I don't necessarily know the ingredients in the food) and inevitably a few cocktails with co workers and clients.  Bottom line is that water will continue to be important throughout your trip and your focus on hydration should not be isolated to your day of departure.  Continue to carry your water and drink, drink, drink water throughout your trip.  This will help you to cleanse your system and ensure you return to your family as healthy and invigorated as when you left.

Travel Like a "Healthy" Rock Star Series

A few years ago, I was on a plane and found myself lacking in something to read.  I rarely pick up the airline magazine but this time I did.  There was an article on Sting and how he stays so healthy despite the rock star lifestyle.  While I don't remember enough to quote it, I remember that his approach was to prepare for a tour much like an athlete prepares for a game or competition.  What is the healthiest way to travel?  There are lots of tips and tricks.  Sitting on that plane considering the cross section of my roles as a mom, Army spouse, and business woman, that lesson from Sting resonated with me:   it all starts with prep.  Just like any professional athlete will tell you, the execution of their craft is only one ingredient - it is also how they fuel and prepare their body that really prepares them for excellence.  Alas, my husband and I are not rock stars like Sting . I don't travel the world selling out stadiums and inspiring millions with my enchanting voice.  But I do travel.  And travel is hard on your body.  Anyone who has gotten on a plane in the past 10 years knows that.  From eating out, to changes in time zones, disruption in physical activity, etc - travel takes a toll.   How do real parents prepare to "travel like rock stars".  Check out this series to find out!
Part 1:  Nourish Your Body
This morning was like many mornings in my house:  Alarm at 5am.  My husband was up first.  Showered, plodding through the house (he is an unusually loud walker), packing, looking for last minute stuff so I really didn't go back to sleep.  Before leaving, he came into our room (all dressed in full uniform) to give me a quick kiss before leaving.  I whispered softly, "could you remember to take the boys' gloves out of your car".  There is always something racing through my mind to remember, check off, or do before either of us leaves.  Mitch was leaving for the weekend for Reserve Training. When he returns, I get on a plane 12 hours later for my business trip.

My husband and I have both traveled since before I was pregnant with my first son.  I honestly don't know any different.  I became pregnant with my first son while I was managing several large accounts that required frequent travels to the east and west coast.  At the same time, my husband was still active duty Army.  I  travel for 3-7 days at a time, my husband for 3 days to 12 months.  The early years were definitely a circus and I will share that at some point.  What I reflected on this week as we both prepared for our trips was how we have evolved our routine where it matters and maintained what works.    As such, we both have unconsciously settled into what is our unofficial pre-travel prep.

Part of our ritual is that we focus on ENJOYING healthy, home-cooked meals.  In the early years, I would get anxious and nervous in the days leading up to a trip.  I was more focused on what I needed to do to prepare the family, shop for groceries, pack, prepare for my meetings, etc.    So we ate out, got take out, and ate in a hurry so we could get back to the packing list...completely missing the opportunity to enjoy and bond over a nutritious meal made as a family.  Over the past 2 years, my husband frequently travels to a military base where there is literally not a fresh, green vegetable sold within a 25 mile radius.  Ok I am probably exaggerating...but it is REALLY hard for him to find something with a polyphenol in it beyond a cheap glass of wine. The reality is even if you eat out at the best restaurants while on the road - you cannot be assured the ingredients are organic and fresh.  You don't have the same degree of choice as if you cooked it yourself.  You don't always have access to fresh veggies to pack or bring to work. So we have learned to revel in cooking and sitting down as a family over a healthy meal cooked with love.  We actually do this all the time, but I think we appreciate these times more in the days leading up to travel. We both focus more on eating fresh vegetables, whole grains.   Bottom line - we ensure our bodies are well nourished before we leave.  More important is the primary food nourishment we get from this step in our unofficial pre travel ritual:  Being present with our family.  We are consciously grateful for the nourishment and the time together knowing it will be some time before we have the opportunity again.

Sub Zero Gratitude

You may not know me, but if you did you would know I LOVE to be outside and be active.  My husband and 2 boys are the center of my world.  We love hiking, biking, cross country skiing, snow shoeing...pretty much anything that gets us outdoors.  We live in Wisconsin...by choice.  Having lived down south - we learned we love and crave the 4 seasons.  It has been an unseasonably warm winter (which actually bums us out) but we are so excited to have snow on the ground.

As a former Army Captain, I had the habit of early morning, regimented PT ingrained.  The downside is I can be TOO regimented...same type of work out, same time, everyday.

Sometimes the weather forces variety in both my fitness and my craving to get outside.  Last weekend was a PERFECT snowman day.  If you have never built a snowman...know that you can incorporate cardio (how fast can you make a snow ball?) and strength (squatting with a giant snowman base) .  Mix it up with some sledding and you have a full body workout!  Of course the best part is doing this with my family...watching my husband engineer the snowman and my kids get so excited.   The only sad part about making a snowman is simply that is melts...and given our mild winter it is apt to melt a little too fast.  It is for that reason that I am grateful for our sub zero temps of the past week. Our Awesome Snowman is still standing...a reminder of a fun day with my family and a great workout!