“Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels”~ Dr Charles Majors
Ever felt sick on a trip?
I’m sure we can all think back to a time when the sunshine of our adventure was rained out by the woes of a compromised immune system… aka: feeling sick.
Whether you’re daydreaming of travelling or preparing for an upcoming trip, we all know how much it stinks to feel yucky. So, before we move one more finger in our packing efforts for the next trip, let’s all stop right where we are and do our secret handshake in agreement that we’re all going to pack a little differently from now on. You know, to better outfit our arsenal of “I am NOT getting sick on this trip” goods.
Deal?
Secret handshake?
Okay.
Here are 4 of my top ways to say sayonara to feeling cruddy when traveling
Stress - “The American Institute of Health estimates that 75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. Some of the latest negative stress statistics causing illness as a result of toxic thinking are eye-opening. 75-98% of mental, physical, and behavioral illness comes from one’s thought life. This staggering and eye-opening statistic means only 2 to 25% of mental and physical illnesses coming from environment and genes.” - Dr Caroline Leaf
Solution - how about we look into how to better handle stress if we want to stay healthy, yes??!! Want more? Check this out: https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-immune.html?fbclid=IwAR0Nw8fhfOR32Q9WcJyUvX8u4js2AF7hrmbNa5CGnRYLlNnA-kgkkhyNVs0
Sleep - The body needs sleep in order to rest, restore, heal, repair and detox.
The average American is lacking in not only quantity of sleep but also quality of sleep. GOOD sleep is IMPERATIVE for a healthy immune system.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256323/
What can we do about it??
- Consume a diet lower in sugar so we don’t deplete our supply of magnesium and B vitamins
- Decrease screen time before bed. The blue light from the screen mimics the bright light rays from the sun which confuses our circadian rhythm. If you do want to enjoy screen time before bed, turn the screen to a yellow tone or use blue blocking glasses
- Expose yourself to bright sunlight in the morning
- Keep your thermostat lower than 70 degrees. Studies show the optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 to 68 degrees F
- Sleep in the buff (all those celebrating this one, you’re welcome!)
Studies have also found sleeping in the nude has several other health benefits, including improved metabolism and blood circulation - Lessen or eliminate EMFs whenever possible, wherever you’re sleepingTurn off the wifi at night and either turn off the wifi from your phone, put it in airplane mode or better yet, keep it outside of the bedroom at night
- Go to bed earlier so your body can benefit from a higher percentage of the glymphatic system process
Your body (particularly your adrenal system) does a majority of its recharging between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into your liver, which can further disrupt your health
*American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 177, Issue 10, 15 May 2013, Pages 1027–1037, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws420
Vitamins & Supplements - are a key factor in supporting our body’s immune system and our overall health. One we’re all familiar with - at least by name: Vitamin C.
Vitamin C helps to stimulate both the production and function of many types of white blood cells. It also helps your body to produce important antibodies. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant. Because our bodies cannot manufacture vitamin C, we can benefit by consuming this daily. One of the biggest mistakes people make with Vitamin C is that they don't take enough. There is an endless supply of research and info on how Vitamin C supports a healthy immune system, so please go do some research.
Nourish well - we all KNOW we’re “supposed” to eat foods that are good for us. And if you’re like most we find ourselves in this adult space of “I’m an adult, I can eat what I want!” mixed with a side of, “Whoa, my body is holding things differently than how it used to. Maybe I shouldn’t eat a whole sleeve of oreos in one sitting.”
Add in that many who travel or go on vacation, well, they GO. ON. VACATION. Out with the routines, out with the better-for-you choices. You’re now counting the wine tasting tours as your recommended servings of fruit for the day and justifying the chocolate bar in some round about way that really you’re not even tracking anymore.
Yeah, I see you.
Look, enjoy your wine, eat some stevia-sweetened chocolate and set yourself up for a great rest of your trip by supporting your immune system.
If we want to heal and thrive we need to eliminate the offenders first. Processed sugar has been scientifically proven to suppress your immune system for up to five hours after consumption. So while quality supplements and the salad you had for lunch one day last week are great and helpful 
, they’ll take you a lot further in your immune system support journey if you get rid of the oreo-munchin’ elephant in the room!
There ya have it. The first four ways to support your body and immune system while traveling, in preparation for travel, and shoot… really, every day.
Bon voyage!
Janelle