Keeping Your Head in the Game Through Wellness

Traveling for work is stressful. You can stay on track and even pick up some healthy habits by striving to keep a balance between work and your body/mind connection. Being away from home can be taxing, so having supportive routines in place at home can keep you in top form when you are away.

Many people start their day with quiet time, meditating or reading for self-growth. This morning ritual is completely portable, allowing you to do it anytime, anywhere.

Be gentle with yourself before and after you travel. Strive to do something nice for yourself at least two to three times per week when in travel mode. Perhaps you find a quiet place to sit and read uplifting writings or write in a journal for 10 minutes. Meet a friend for a walk or a cup of coffee/tea.

Even if you are traveling alone and have no friends or family where you are staying, do something you enjoy, such as visiting a museum or taking a nice walk. Create a way to get outdoors and give yourself the gift of feeling and sensing how calming and clearing nature can be. 

Pack and use bath salts or essential oils that feel relaxing and smell great, then give yourself a 15-minute soak in the tub at your hotel. Stay hydrated and rested before and after travel. Both will strengthen your body’s ability to compensate when you are traveling. The key to healthy travel is resiliency and balance—and this includes your state of mind. 
Take a minute to reflect upon the following questions.

• What is your support system like?

• Who helps support you?

• What do you do to stay balanced?

• What do you do to get happy?

• What do you do to get out of an emotional funk?

• Do you have a system or regular method of decompressing emotionally?

There are so many ways to support yourself when you are traveling or working long hours at your home base. Here are my Foundational 4:

1. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water (i.e., 150 lbs. = 75 oz. of water). Water supports everything and you will look better!

2. Eat or snack every two to three hours. This helps your body stabilize blood sugar levels. Choose and pack your snacks wisely: raw nuts, apples, citrus and low-sugar protein bars (less than 12 grams of sugar). Minimize sweets and treats, white bread, pasta, rice, alcohol and desserts. This helps you keep a trimmer waistline and sleep better.

3. Get seven to eight hours of sleep each night. This regenerates, replenishes and resets your healthy balance by supporting growth hormone production/secretion and adrenal health.

4. Move, stretch, walk or exercise 20 minutes each day. This keeps you flexible and bright, and stimulates healthy circulation and lymphatic flow.

Let’s focus on physical activity, as exercise and movement are some of the best ways to feel better quickly. This happens when you use your muscles, because you produce important biochemistry that brings balance through better mood and emotions.

Related Article: From Work-Life Balance to Work-Life Blending

Yoga. This could be a regular class in your neighborhood, a self-paced home practice, a CD/DVD in your laptop, a YouTube video while at home or traveling or a membership website-based class.

Bicycling. You may have a great setup at home, a stationary bike, a bike to get out onto the roads or bike paths or a trainer that turns your bike into a stationary bicycle. Hotels will often have stationary bikes in their gyms and you can make some adjustments to suit your body size. Another bicycling option when traveling is the bike-sharing programs that are in many cities. This is a relaxing way to escape the stressors of the workday when traveling.

Walking/Running. This is the easiest activity to do without the need for equipment, facilities or gear. Safety is a top concern when running or walking alone, and women have a greater need to be spatially aware of surroundings. Properly fitting shoes that are not too old or worn are the highest priority here. Runners usually replace shoes at around 300 miles and walkers at around six months.

Weights/Weight Bearing. When traveling, most hotels have some kind of gym/workout facility and will have a free weight or machine setup. An alternative to packing extra clothing and shoes might be to use tubing and door anchors to secure the tubing and work out in your hotel room. Use extra towels on the floor and then get right into the shower, minimizing time needed to find the gym and get a workout in, followed by packing damp clothes and shoes.

Dancing. Like yoga, this could be a neighborhood class, a disc in your laptop, YouTube videos or website-based classes. Jazzercise is still around and offers an annual membership that allows you to visit other studios when traveling. It’s so fun to meet women who share your same interests.

Less active, yet very supportive, movement options, especially when stressed and/or traveling, include the following.

• Stretching/restorative yoga

• Listening to music/nature sounds

• Meditation/prayer time

• Journaling or reading

• Talking with a friend or close family member

Conclusion

Upon your return, recuperate, replenish and be gentle with yourself for one to three days. Focus on building yourself back up and re-instituting those healthy choices and habits.

Your environment may bring you happiness and joy or angst and stress. When you have developed ways to feel supported, it is easier to keep your head in the game and stay balanced and resilient when traveling.