While traveling for business or pleasure your itinerary can get extremely busy, so finding time to exercise and stay healthy can be difficult. Other factors that may contribute can be fatigue, jet lag, lack of exercise equipment or extreme temperatures. If you travel a lot for work, or if you would like to avoid those extra holiday-kilos, planning and commitment is the key!
Here are some tips to staying fit while you travel:
Be S.M.A.R.T
Setting goals for while you are away is really important. SMART goals are:
Specific: set definite goals rather than vague ones
Measurable: know when you have achieved them!
Attainable: it must be achievable
Realistic: don’t over-commit, we want success!
Timely: set a time frame!
Be Flexible!
While setting goals and making plans is important, being flexible with your itinerary is also vital. Commit to rescheduling an exercise session if you miss one.
Hotels
Find out in advance whether the hotel you are staying in has exercise facilities. This will help you plan your exercise while travelling. Some good websites to check are:
www.healthytravelnetwork.com
www.fitforbusiness.com
www.airportgyms.com
If there are no facilities at your hotel make plans for alternative activity such as jogging, walking or in-room exercises. Don’t’ forget to check out local gyms as most provide day passes or single sessions for low rates.
Alternatively a resistance-band is easy to pack and makes resistance training in a hotel room simple.
Schedule Appointments
A good idea is to schedule appointments with yourself for exercise. Treat these appointments the same as you would with a client or business and be on-time and committed. Say ‘no’ to co-workers or customers whose demands interfere with your goals.
Enjoy Your Exercise
Plan for exercise that you know you will enjoy. If doing one type of activity seems like a chore, chances are you won’t continue it or achieve your goals.
Incidental Activity
· Think of all activity as an opportunity
· Avoid cars and taxis if possible and walk to restaurants or meetings
· If staying in the city, walk around and see the sights, it won’t even seem like exercise!
· Take the stairs instead of using lifts
· Get out of the cab or park a few minutes before your destination and walk the rest of the way; it saves you money too!
· If time permits, visit gardens or take scenic walks
· Utilise the hotel pool if available, add in a few laps to your relaxation time
Pack Appropriately
Make sure you pack exercise clothes that are comfortable and suitable to the weather and activity you have planned. Take a pedometer with you, it will count your steps throughout the day and provide an easy guide to your activity levels. Walking is often the most convenient activity while you’re away, and recording your steps each day makes it simple to measure your goals.
Acclimatization
The human body has a built-in mechanism that can optimize performance at higher altitudes. While it is still not entirely understood, it is known that if a person ascends slowly enough, the body will increase its respiration, as well adaptations at the hormonal and cellular level.
Altitude sickness
There are generally three types of syndromes: acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE).
Symptoms
Acute Mountain Sickness:
· Headache
· Nausea
· Vomiting
· Dizziness
· Malaise
· Insomnia
· Loss of appetite
· Fatigue
The headache can progress from mild to excruciating. The fatigue can progress to extreme exhaustion.
At some point when the symptoms are severe enough, the syndrome becomes known as high altitude cerebral edema. This is usually diagnosed when there is:
· Changes in consciousness
· Presence of muscle un-coordination (without significant muscle weakness)
HACE can progress rapidly to coma and death
High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) presents with symptoms such as:
· Decreased exercise tolerance progressing to severe breathlessness with exertion and ultimately to breathlessness at rest
· Cough, although this is quite common at altitude and so not used as a diagnosis tool
Some people develop swelling of the extremities, affecting the face, hands and feet. Although this is harmless by itself, it does mean the person is not acclimatizing well and should be extra cautious of developing other symptoms.
Three Rules For Traveling at Altitude
1. Learn the early symptoms of altitude illness and be willing to recognize when you have them
2. Never ascend to sleep at a higher altitude with any symptoms of altitude sickness
3. Descend if your symptoms are getting worse while resting at the same altitude
Treatment
Descent remains the critical treatment of all altitude syndromes. Descent invariably improves altitude sickness, and must continue until clear signs of improvement are recognized.
Bottled oxygen, pressurization bags and some medications have expanded the treatment options. Oxygen is heavy and difficult to carry on treks, as well as being expensive. It has shown to be effective, but will last only up to 6 hours. Pressurization bags effectively mimic descent by controlling the pressure inside through a valve. People generally tolerate being placed in the bag, it is easier to transport than an oxygen bottle and can be used indefinitely. It is a good tool if descent is not possible due to darkness, cold, storm or difficult terrain.
Eating Out
Once you are at a restaurant consider these practical suggestions.
Request a glass of water upon being seated
Focus on sipping the water instead of nibbling on the bread or having a high-kilojoule cocktail.
Customize your meal
Be assertive. Don’t be afraid to order what you want, prepared the way you want; you are paying for the meal. Request that the chef use little oil in cooking your meal, including your vegetables with no butter or oil. Ask for cream, dressings or sauces to be held or at least put on the side. Beware not to use all the on-the-side dressing as this amount is often more than the amount normally placed on your meal.
Foods to go for
Boiled, baked, braised, grilled, poached or roasted.
Foods to avoid
Avoid fried, basted, scalloped, pan fried, sautéed, stewed or au gratin.
Cream
Watch out for the “cream of…” dishes. Cream sauces, cheese sauces, gravies, hollandaise sauce should be avoided as they are high in fat.
Breakfast foods
Avoid the traditional high fat breakfast items (eggs, bacon, sausages) and order fresh fruit, lean ham, cereals, low fat and natural yoghurts, bagels with jam or reduced fat cream cheese.
When choosing steak
Choose lean steaks like fillet mignon, flank steak or sirloin and choose smaller cuts.
Potatoes
Order a baked potato and then use low fat toppings.
Side orders
Refuse side orders such as chips if you don’t really want them. Save the kilojoules.
Desserts
Avoid desserts, but when you choose to include a sweet with a meal try to include items low in fat. Try sharing your dessert with someone else.
Take some home
If the portion size is too big, request a take home container and put the extra food in the container before you start eating.
Eat slowly
Eat slowly to fully enjoy your meal and the atmosphere. Try eating half your main course and then taking a break. After the break, if you feel full take the other half home with you.
Eat safely
Make sure that you eat at a restaurant that looks clean and safe. If you are unsure, avoid foods that are potentially dangerous such as creams, milks, cheeses, chicken, eggs, seafood etc. Ensure that food is thoroughly cooked.
Drink safely
If you are unsure about the safety of water in your travels make sure you carry bottled water or boil it before drinking if that is possible. Take drinking straws so that you do not have to place your mouth on bottles that may be unsafe.
Snacks
Take healthy snacks to work while you’re at home and away traveling so you can avoid the vending machines.
For more information
Wesley Corporate Health
Suite 3/19 Lang Parade
Milton Qld 4064
Phone: 07 3377 7800
Email: info@weshealth.com.au
http://www.topendsports.com/fitness/travel.htm
http://ciwec-clinic.com/altitude/alti2.html
http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/illness/altitude_sickness.html
Disclaimer
This Fact Sheet is provided for your information only and does not replace qualified medical advice. The information provided may not apply to every person or all situations. A medical practitioner should be consulted for all treatment and medication.
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