Whether you’re traveling by car, plane, train, van, or bus, you’ll find that there are a number of ways to stay healthy. For instance, you can adjust to a new time zone, drink plenty of water, make your own breakfast, pack a health kit, and avoid eating at unhealthy restaurants.
Make your own breakfast
Choosing a balanced breakfast will help you avoid a spike in blood sugar levels that could affect your vacation activities. It’s also a good way to ensure you get the right nutrients.
A balanced breakfast will keep you going until lunch, but it’s not always easy to find food that’s healthy when you’re traveling. Here are a few easy travel breakfast ideas to consider.
While it might be too obvious to mention, you can actually make a whole lot of things from scratch while you’re on the road. This includes yogurt. You can even use a travel cup to create a yogurt breakfast.
Oatmeal is another simple breakfast that’s nutritious. You can add optional toppings to customize your oatmeal to your liking. You might want to consider adding nuts or fruits.
Avoid unhealthy restaurants
Choosing healthy foods is a good way to avoid the inevitable food related illness. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has put together some simple guidelines for choosing healthy options. They recommend eating only at restaurants that use the highest possible standards in food safety.
Using an antibacterial wipe to clean your cutlery and hands is a good first step. It’s important to wash your hands thoroughly after you’ve used the restroom, as well. Similarly, you should consider the source of your drinking water. If you’re in a foreign country, it’s best to stick to bottled water, which are usually purer and filtered.
Drink plenty of water
Whether you’re traveling on a cruise, by bus, or on the road, you’ll want to drink plenty of water to stay healthy. Dehydration can affect your physical performance, and can cause confusion, fatigue, and even headaches.
The amount of water you need to drink depends on your age, health conditions, and level of physical activity. In general, adults need 6 to 10 cups of water a day. However, people with certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, or who exercise at high intensity, are at greater risk of dehydration.
Besides drinking plenty of water, you should also avoid dehydrating foods and beverages. Some common examples of these are fried or sugary snacks, alcohol, and coffee.
Pack a mini-health kit
Putting together your own mini-health kit will give you peace of mind when you are traveling. You will have a wide variety of essentials, including antibacterial wipes, pain relievers, bandages, cold packs, and other medicines.
Before packing your mini-health kit, you should think about your travel itinerary and your destination. For example, if you are going on a vacation in a tropical jungle, you will need a different type of medical kit than if you are taking a city break in Europe.
Depending on the duration of your trip, you may need to carry prescription medications in your mini-health kit. In addition, you should pack over-the-counter medication as well.
Avoid foods with strong odors
Using a smart phone to avoid foods with strong odors is not the only way to do so. Some people may be sensitive to odors of all kinds. These include cigarette smoke, pet odors, and cooking odors. If you are prone to a whiff of foul odor, you should do everything you can to minimize your exposure. The best thing to do is to learn to recognize odors and to heed warning signs. The key to avoiding a smelly gut is to eat only the freshest foods and to be careful with cooking methods. It is also recommended to drink plenty of water to hydrate yourself.
Adjust to a new time zone
Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to minimize the effects of jet lag. The first step is to plan ahead. Make sure to rest prior to your departure and set all your gadgets and devices to the new time zone. You’ll also want to stay awake during the flight to get your body used to the new time.
You may also want to consider taking a short afternoon nap to get your body’s clock in sync with the new time zone. This is especially important if you are traveling westward, where your body will have to adjust to a later evening time.