CC Dietitian's Travel Tips
CC Dietitian’s Travel Tips
If you have been following my Instagram page @claudiacramerdietitian (especially on IG stories), you may have seen that I was away in Europe for a holiday. My last holiday was over two years ago, so I had definitely forgot how fatiguing and draining travel (air travel in particular) could make you feel. Granted, it was over 24 hours of travel and that in many instances would make you feel a bit worse for wear, however I was determined to minimise any jet lag and feel as good as I could when arriving in a new country.
Why is air travel in particular so tiring? In my opinion, a combination of factors can do this:
· Not being hydrated enough (pre flight or on the flight)
· Travelling through time zones and changing your bodies natural circadian rhythms
· Not getting enough sleep
· Not getting good quality of sleep from potential cabin noises such as televisions and other passengers
Even though I eat well and exercise, travelling still made me feel zonked (to be expected).
Lucky enough, I didn’t experience any actual jet lag on the way over, however, I still felt the natural post-30-hours-of-travelling symptoms including; lack of quality sleep, irritability, sore muscles and dehydrated.
I somewhat expected this to be the case, therefore I was over prepared on the way over.
Below is what I packed in my carry-on for the flights and few other tricks:
- Download ‘chill’ or ‘sleep’ music on Spotify for the plane for when I was attempting to go to sleep.
- Took my noise cancelling Headphones. Okay, I borrowed the very nice; very fancy Bose Noise Cancelling headphones off my Dad, which was a bit of a treat, so that helped. E
- Took @eunoisoulrituals Abundance perfume roller
- Took a @livesoulara to eat at the airport if I couldn’t find any ‘healthier’ options. I had the Satay Curry, which was delicious, even cold, as I couldn’t get to a microwave.
- Took a @pranaon Cacao and Hemp protein ball for a snack (Vegan protein balls)
- Add a ‘clock’ in my iPhone of the time zone I was going into (I.e. Europe) to start getting prepared for the new time zone
- Packed face wash, a washer, tooth brush, toothpaste and some mineral makeup (@becoyote foundation). Never underestimate how you can feel 10 x better with a quick refresh on a stop over.
- Packed a Trigger ball and @thebod_ ‘Booty Bands’ (resistance bands). I used these for stretching and getting into tight muscles (trigger ball) pre flights home
On the flight:
-If I felt like coffee, only had half of the serve and tried to match it up to the new time zone. I.e. If it was 11 a.m. in current time but it was 3 a.m. in my new time zone, then I would not have a coffee. Although I didn’t, this might be a good time for a herbal tea.
-I personally chose to eat lower carbohydrate and higher protein and fat. What this looks like for me is not eating the bread, cakes, crackers or ‘cakey’ desserts offered on the flight. As I was not exercising for this time and sitting on a plane, I chose to eat higher satiating foods (filling). You may think that this wouldn’t have been enough food, but, after 3 flights, there were plenty of meals given.
What this looked like for me was having the entrée (salad), main (normally a meat based dish with a small serve of rice + vegetables)
An extra few tips:
Skip the alcoholic beverages on the plane
Try and time your caffeine to suit your new time zone
You may like to use natural scents and perfumes such as peppermint, lavender (may help sleep) or as mentioned above, the Eunoia Soul Rituals perfume rollers or sprays.
I would also love to hear any tips you may have so we can share them around.
Instagram: @claudiacramerdietitian
Facebook: Claudia Cramer Dietitian
Email + Consults: claudiacramerdietitian@gmail.com