I truly believe there is a lot you can do to beat the ‘lag’ and get yourself ready for a dreaded long haul flight or maybe even two! We’ve all heard it before, but I will say it again. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Long haul flights aren’t enjoyable (well unless you are lucky enough to turn left rather than right onto the plane!) but poor planning can make a long haul flight less agreeable yet. So below I have out lined some of my top tips to help make the journey a more enjoyable one.
EXERCISE – Get your body moving, whether it is a pre flight stretch, yoga, half an hour walk or even a run. I think it is very important to make a point of getting your body moving. Let’s face it, sometimes with the dreaded flight time we are unable to get to the gym, waking up 20 minutes early and spending some time stretching and breathing on your living room will still provide you with a host of benefits. Moving your body and breathing is a great way to de-stress, relax and get your body mobile before being crunched up for a long period of time.
HYDRATE – Try and start hydrating your body the day and even night before your flight. Once you have gone through security, go and buy yourself a coconut water which is packed full of electrolytes and minerals as well as a 1 litre bottle of water for the flight. Research states you should drink half a pint of water every hour whilst on a long haul flight. Try and stay off the alcohol and limit your caffeine in-take as this will only dehydrate you. Long haul flights are like a drain, they suck all the moisture out of your skin, body and leave you feeling tired so make sure to consume as much water as you can on the plane – it will also encourage you to get up to go to the toilet and get your body moving.
PLAN- I don’t know anyone that likes plane food, it’s never good and its always full of hidden nasties! I like to pack some healthy snacks and a little lunch box bag with some ice packs in it with a nutritious meal – Try and pack at least one nutritious meal to save you from giving into the airplane food! Before the flight eat a delicious nourishing meal before which will leave you full for as long as possible. A lot of people struggle to go to the toilet after a flight due to the compression, eat lots of fibre rich foods pre, during and after the flight as well as packing a probiotic to help support your digestive system (I love traveling with OptiBac probiotics as they don’t need refrigerating)!
The airport is full of chocolates, sweets and tempting treats so rather than neglecting yourself from these buy yourself some healthier alternatives like raw balls, healthy bars and a fruit and nut mix so you don’t feel deprived!
ENTERTAINMENT – Download some podcast that you enjoy listening to before you board the flight, you will be surprised as to how fast they can make time go! Buy a book and some magazines of interest and always make sure you have charged the battery on your phone and tablet/laptop before the flight!
OTHER TIPS – Here are a few other tips which I find help:
- As soon as you take off set your watch to the local time of your destination, try and get into the swing of things straight away and into that timezone.
- Hydration is key as mentioned above but I also like to pack eye cream, toner, hand cream and other some skin care products to help rejuvenate my skin mid-flight.
- When booking your flight, try and limit the amount of time you have in transit.
- Always book your seat if you prefer aisle or window, that way you won’t get stuck in the middle!
You really don’t have to do all of the above, people who know me know I am very organised. Try and plan ahead next time and do a few of the above things as I can guarantee you it will make traveling more enjoyable.
