My Pre and Post Travel Routine
This summer I’ve had 5 destination weddings so far (and 3 more to go!) and 3 destination work trips, so let’s just say I’ve had my fair share of travel for one summer. For so long I felt like I was living such an unhealthy lifestyle, unpacking and packing, not buying groceries, not having a proper weekly workout routine etc - that’s why I teamed up with Ellie Sethness from NAO Wellness to come up with a pre and post travel routine to keep me on track the rest of the summer. I am a WHOLE NEW WOMAN because of it! I used to treat travel days as Monopoly days, meaning everything I ate or did wouldn’t count in my mind, because I was traveling, but in reality what you eat before, after, and during a plane ride counts 10 times much more.
7 Tips to Maintaining a Healthier Travel Day
Movement! I make sure I always break a sweat before getting on and off a flight. This could mean going to sit in an infrared sauna for 25 minutes or going on a 30 min run at the hotel gym. Get some light to moderate movement in before and after a travel day. If you can’t get to your favorite exercise class before a flight use your waiting time at the airport as an opportunity to walk around!
Bring your own food! For Ellie, Sweetgreen is her go to - “my favorite option for an airport/road trip lunch or dinner. Get the dressing on the side so the lettuce doesn’t get soggy! And if you are at the airport don’t stress your salad will get through security just fine!” For me, I always try to grab some kind of spring roll or turkey sandwich of some sort. I know it sounds strange, but those are the only healthy options I crave when flying. I usually pick up from Lovely Day, a local Thai restaurant in SoHo. So curious to hear all of your favorite airport go to meals!
Bring your own snacks! After working with Ellie, I’ve learned how important it is to pack your own snacks for travel days. Some of her “must haves” are to pack rice cakes and single serving packet of sunflower butter, a Kind Bar, or pre-cut fruit and veggies (apples, bell peppers, celery or carrots are some of my favs). This is something that has helped me tremendously, because I’m always that person grabbing all the salty and sugary snacks at the airport.
For flights that require two meals (for example anything in Europe, or even to LA HA) Bring an oatmeal pack and just ask the flight attendant for hot warm to make my own breakfast. This is something I’ve been doing for a few years now, and it really changes the game.
Keep hydrated! When flying be sure to drink LOTS of water! Bring a refillable water bottle with you to the airport to use at water filling stations. Or buy the biggest bottle (or two) of water you can find at an airport and be sure to drink all of it while onboard the plane. Planes dehydrate us due to the fact that there is a lack of humidity in the air so be sure to drink up before, during and after flights… I used to be terrified of being stuck in a plane bathroom, and no one would hear me, so I wouldn't drink water or anything for that matter. Boy has that changed!
Compression! For longer flights make sure to get up throughout the flight and move around to keep your blood flowing. I’ve recently resorted to wearing Bandier leggings, and compression socks because they are key to help keep your feet from swelling! Who knew?!
Avoid Alcohol! Try as best you can to avoid alcohol on planes, and 24 hours before take off and after landing...while this can be fun and help calm our nerves it will only cause more dehydration. This has definitely been hard for me because I’ve been traveling to mostly weddings, but TRUST ME it is okay to take a night off from the party.
Remember a travel day isn’t an excuse to eat anything...trust me you will feel better when you get to your final destination if you stick to your normal routine!
Some of my favorite airport finds: