by Sandy Rankin
Do you find it challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle while on business travel? You can thrive while on the road by focusing on four things: Good Nutrition, Hydration, Exercise, and Good Sleep! I call it my “Travel Armor Kit”!
NUTRITION
To keep alert and feeling good you need good fuel! So first, bring healthy snacks for the plane rides, like an apple with almonds, a banana with peanuts, or good low sugar protein bars. When eating out, choose healthy options with protein at each mealtime to keep your energy up.
HYDRATION
Think Water, Water, Water! Buy or take a large water bottle with you to stay very hydrated (so important to feeling good!). Avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol on flights as they are both very dehydrating. Drink lots of water, while attending client events that involve alcoholic beverages (I like to order Seltzer Water with lime!). I try to limit myself to no more than two drinks while diluting with copious amounts of water which helps me stay alert and feel way better in the morning!
EXERCISE
Working out in the morning is the best as it gets it “out of the way” for the day and gives you that immediate sense of accomplishment first thing and will energize you for the rest of the day! Exercising is as easy as going to the hotel gym. But to let you in on one of my favorite personal secrets …if you want a virtual personal trainer to keep you motivated while on the go, and you would like to stay in the room AND get a great No-impact, No-stress workout then I recommend my go-to both at home and on the road - my No-Cost Lucy Wyndham-Read. She has many YouTube videos that can be easily done in the comfort of your hotel room, in as little as seven minutes! Short segments and no equipment needed! With over 25 years of experience, Lucy knows how to get results with a minimal amount of time that works perfectly in a busy travel schedule.
SLEEP
Restorative sleep is so important and can so easily be disrupted by street noise, hallway noise and loud guests while staying in hotels. So, build a “Great Sleep Armour Kit”! My Kit always includes five things and one smart hack! So here they are:
- Soft Foam ear plugs: Mack's Ultra Soft Earplugs for sleeping
- A soft cloth eye mask available online - take your pick!
- A “Peaceful Sleep” Essential Oil (‘Now’ Product line has a great one called, of all things,”Peaceful Sleep!) You want to put four or five drops of the oil in your hands, rub it onto the bottoms of your feet, then cup your now aromatic hands around your nose and mouth and breathe in and out about five or six deep breaths as you go to bed,...ahhhhh! So nice!
- Sipping some sleepy-time tea before you go to bed can be very relaxing and you won’t wake up with a “sleeping pill groggy hangover feeling”.
- To help block out hotel noise I like to and play some soothing Sleep Music such as Sounds of Nature - Rain with black screen 10 hours or for one my fav’s: 11 hours of Healing sleep Music with Black Screen after 10 minutes from ‘Nu Meditation’ with no ads to disturb your sleep. You can listen through your laptop, tablet or phone for deeper uninterrupted more restorative sleep.
- Hotel room hack: With your hotel room dark, from the inside, if you can see light from the hallway or outside under the entrance door to your room when it is completely closed then your door does not have a bottom “Sound Seal” so there can be lots of sleep disturbing noise come into your room from the hallway or outside. **** The hack: Close the door, lay a bath towel along the inside at the bottom of the door and floor push it up against the door tight to seal out the noise!
So, bottom line, when you travel, if you eat healthy, hydrate, exercise and sleep well, you will come home refreshed and energized ready to roll!
Happy Travels!
