Tips, Tricks, and Tools for Health on the Road, Part 2: The Airborne Edition

Hi, lovely!

Did those tips for healthier road trips last week help you out in any way? (Or inspire you for upcoming long-hauls on the road?) Let me know! 🙂 I’ve been using them myself – even though our epic road trips are over, the epic LA-San Diego traffic over here can make any drive feel like a road trip!

We are officially in the Dixon birthday month – David and I are both November babies! I get so excited about this time of year: so many celebrations, time with family, and festivity of all kinds. I’m already getting ready to fly to Dallas for our family Thanksgiving in a few weeks – partly because I’m so excited about it, and partly because advance planning is a peace and sanity-saver – especially from a wellness standpoint!

So you can bet I’m also already thinking out what to take and how to handle the 3 hour flight!

 

I love flying – I’ve always had a fascination with flight (which gave my pilot husband extra appeal when we were dating, I have to admit! 😉 ). And believe it or not, I adore airports. I think they are so interesting – always promising travel to somewhere exciting, unknown adventure, making you wonder where everyone is going, what their stories are, and even how you could make a rather stressful time more pleasant for them through your brief interaction.

Plus at this time of year, there are shops to walk through for gift ideas, holiday music and decorations, and a general air of anticipation…

OR…stress. I have come to understand that I may be one of the few who really loves frequent flying – let alone navigating airports at this busy time of year! And, admittedly, after a few hours in the air, even I’m ready to get back down on the ground, breathe fresh air, and move around unrestrained.

So! I take it as a challenge in this post to give you a handful of tips to at least lessen the irritations of air travel. I’m going to break this down into phases, so you know what to do as you’re prepping for the airport, standing in line at security, getting ready to board, on the plane, and once you land.

Let’s do this thing, airborne babes:

AT HOME:

– Grab your healthy snacks. Just like for a road trip, nonperishables are best, unless you’re positive you’re going to eat that little carton of fresh berries as soon as you get on the plane. I like to be sure to have at least one form of serious protein like jerky, a bar of stevia chocolate (with extra for David’s inevitable ‘husband tax’ if he’s with me!) and a favorite energy bar or two.

I don’t haul more than I need for the flight and the few hours after landing so my carry-on doesn’t get too heavy. If I will need more for the trip itself, I do pack plenty – I’ll cover that in depth next week!

I also don’t bother to pack things I know I can get at the airport, like black tea, coffee, usually jerky, and gum. The exception to this is if I know I’m flying out of a dinky little airport that may not have a shop – or may have one that isn’t open before I takeoff if it’s a very early or late flight.

– Get a lighter workout in. Again, like with the road trip, I try to move a bit before I head to the airport. Usually a moderate walk is prefect pre-flight. That plus the mini-workout of hauling bags through the parking lot to the gate can be enough to add up to a good bit of movement for the day. The last thing you want to do is overtrain before being crammed into a little seat, unable to stretch!

– Bring a little sweater, jacket, or scarf. It’s a real bummer to be stuck under an airplane draft and feel your throat flare up before you even get to where you’re going! Even if your departure city or destination has super warm weather, the US is well-known for creating a mini-artic inside with it’s omnipresent AC, so I bring layers no matter where I’m going. We can’t exactly ask them to turn down the AC on the plane, so come prepared!

– Bring that filtering water bottle. I fill it up and drink it on the way to the airport – having to finish it before security is a great little tactic for hydrating!

– Bring something to do. Download podcasts or music you like, and bring your ipad/phone/notebook for dreaming, planning, journaling – whatever you choose to do (more on this below!)

BEFORE SECURITY:

– Finish that water and tuck the bottle away.

– Finish any snacks that may be considered liquid if you have brought them – BUT only eat if it fits into your current hunger. DON’T force yourself to eat something just to finish it! If you don’t think you’ll be hungry before security, only bring non-liquids so you can take them through and finish them later.

PAST SECURITY, BEFORE BOARDING:

– Refill your water bottle or buy a big bottle of water if that’s your plan – when I don’t have my filtering bottle with me, I buy the biggest bottle of water I can find, or several small ones. This forces me to drink (to lessen my load!), and the little cup or two of water they give you on the plane is never enough. Flying is very dehydrating!

– Grab a big tea or coffee (or both!) Consider which beverage you want to have plenty of and buy that one, then get a second little followup from the drink cart on the plane. Again, remember – no sugar or fake sweeteners, and unflavored, unsweetened cream! You can carry a few little packs of stevia if you like sweetened drinks.

– Buy any healthy snacks you’re craving if they are available. Remember that if you are stepping straight into a more rustic setting, a hectic schedule, etc, you may want to grab things for the hours or even days to come after landing.

– Grab a magazine if you want one. I rarely do this now, as I love to write, listen to podcasts, read the Bible, or work through online (pre-downloaded!) courses instead, but flying used to be my little ‘indulgence’ time to buy a glossy fashion mag and flip through for inspiration – especially if I was headed toward a party or vacation I wanted to glam up for!

– Grab Airborne or – if they sell it – vitamin C – if you are at all feeling weak, and at least have it on hand if you start to feel worse while flying. This can be a lifesaver when everyone and their coughing toddler is jammed onto a plane for hours, and you are heading into a few days of high-energy socializing.

– Use the restroom. Seems obvious, but be ready to drink water throughout the flight!

– Decide how you are going to use your time. You’ve seen my little list above, but as you’re waiting to have your boarding pass scanned, mentally plan out how you want to use these precious uninterrupted hours. For a much-needed nap? Frivolous reading? In-depth life planning? Studying or working? Dreaming, visualizing, and prayer? Use these last few minutes of cell service to download any podcasts or videos you want to watch.

ON THE PLANE:

– Get comfy. The air temperature may change several times during boarding, taxi and takeoff, so keep your jacket in your lap until it’s clear you won’t need it.

– Get organized. Put whatever you don’t need up in the bin above you and remember that once the plane has reached cruising altitude and you are allowed to get up, you can reach for whatever you need and use it as a great minute or two to stretch. Tuck what you want to have during takeoff around your body in the seat or in the seat pocket. Most airlines now let you use your phone during takeoff as long as it’s in airplane mode, so at this point, I’ve already got my podcast playing and my planner on my lap.

– Dive into whatever you planned to do, or whatever you change your mind and want to do instead! Flying is a luxury – so enjoy it! Don’t forget to spend at least a little time just looking out the window – flying gives us a perspective on the world that nothing else can. I often find my best time with God and my best life and priority planning happens in the sky, when I’ve been lifted out of the world and gain some clarity on what really matters.

– Rock the drink cart. Avoid the juices, soda, and alcohol, and stick to water or unsweetened tea or coffee. Don’t be afraid to be specific and politely ask for what you need. If you’re like me, it takes a little courage to go back to the flight attendants or ring the bell and ask for an extra cup of hot water, but they are happy to oblige, so just ask!

– Suss out the snack options. Peanuts, pretzels, and trail mix are all fine; not ideal, but good enough if you’re hungry and want to take advantage of the amenities you paid for! Just remember you can also take them and eat them later; don’t mindlessly snack if you aren’t hungry.

As when driving, you are sitting on your behind all day or afternoon if you’re flying, and unless the hassle of dragging luggage around the airport was a major workout in and of itself (which it may well have been!), you don’t need that many calories on travel days.

AFTER LANDING:

– You’re still at the airport! If you want one more tea, coffee, or healthy snack before you leave because you know you won’t be able to get to a store soon, grab it now.

– Do the mentality shift. After some quiet time working on your favorite projects, sometimes we can be so energized and ready to interact with people, we are just filled with love! And other times, it’s a bit of a jolt to suddenly be thrust into awkward introductions, inefficient ride pick-ups, and the hassle of multiple people with multiple plans and priorities colliding. Get ready! Get into an intentional mindset of peace, patience, joy, and high energy to jump into what’s next, grateful for the time you had to yourself, but ok with the fact that it’s over.

– But not the whole mentality shift! The chic appeal of flying always gives me a leg up into what I call ‘the model mentality.’ When I’ve explained what I mean by this to people, it seems that they haven’t heard of a health frame of mind explained this way, so I’m going to make a pretty little pdf and send it out as a free early holiday gift to my list. Jump on it below if this interests you – if you’re already on my list, you’ll receive it in the next week or so!

Well! This was long, and I hope it was helpful! Are you flying somewhere over the holidays? Are you looking forward to it a bit more now, or feeling a little more prepared? Let me know!

As always, Love and Freedom,

Jackie