Give Me Bananas

My upcoming trip to Japan has made me think of how to stay healthy while travelling long distances – in this case on airplanes. Most of you are probably familiar with the bad air in planes and the less than stellar food (however, that depends on which Airline you chose and which class you’re in) but think that you can’t do anything about it. Well no, you can’t. But you can make a trip as healthy as possible with a few little tricks.

My experience with long distance flights are a bit limited. I only know the Zurich-Osaka route but have often experienced how it’s like to be in a plane for more than 10 hours at a time. And to be honest.. I’ve had quite a history with health + airplanes.

When I was a kid I always had to throw up during flights. I felt awful and hated flying. I felt better as I got older – no more nausea, so much more fun with watching films that I could chose. Nevertheless, I still didn’t feel at top of my game. To be quite frank: I also never took care of my health. To me a flight consisted of drinking very little water, a funny feeling in the legs, bad air and food that got a bit better in the past few years. However, I ate what was given to me and drank the little water I had. I didn’t really think that you could actually help these things and feel better after a flight (even with the major jet-lag).

So this is what I’m going to do

From now until we leave for Japan:

• Cut The Crap challenge (which should be paid more attention to)
• More veggies and fruit (especially greens)
• Staying healthy

On the day we leave:

• Drink at least 1L water before we board the plane (not all at once of course)
• Pack fruits, nuts and bars for the journey (I’m planning on taking apples, nuts, dried fruits and homemade bars with me)
• Pack wheatgrass (you can also pack any other supplement that you have but I’m only taking wheatgrass…)

At the airport:

• Buy one or two bottles of water after they check your hand luggage. I know it’s pricey but so worth it! Being thirsty is not healthy and always asking for water is annoying, especially when they bring you these tiny 1dl bottles.
• Shop in the duty-free area (good for the soul )

On the airplane:

• Drink. Lots. Of. Water. (Probably around 23948234 litres so that I have to go to the bathroom all the time and disturb my fellow flight-buddies)
• Ditch the crap they serve you. (If something is not tasty or good for you then I’ll just leave it. I have snacks with me after all )
• Stretching

Also: Bring a blanket, pillow, moisturizer, lip balm, …whatever you need to make you feel comfortable. Wearing comfy clothes is also always a plus.

I really hope that will help and prevent me from feeling too groggy after the flights. I also hope that these tips will help you on your next flights!

Also: I am a huge fan of Miranda Kerr. Obviously she’s absolutely gorgeous but is also a health-nut, loves organic food and does yoga. (So basically she’s like me. But prettier. And more strict. And much cooler.)
Anyway, I just found an interview where she also talks about staying healthy on airplanes:

You travel, huh. Like, a lot. How do you alight from a plane then look glowy and Miranda Kerr-y later that night or the next morning? I look rank.

“I drink noni juice and lots of water before, during and after the flight, and I try to do some yoga on the plane if I can. I’ll also meditate and listen to Deepak Chopra on my iPod and just focus on my breath… all of this rejuvenates me.”

I think it’s pretty funny that she mentions Deepak Chopra because I just put some stuff of his on my iPod last night – along with approximately 2985738293 yoga and meditation podcasts.

Q1: What are your tips for long distance flights? (Let’s hear them! I’m really curious of what you think!)
Q2: Any recommendations for podcasts? (I’m still trying to find more good ones – don’t care what they’re about)

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 10:16 am and is filed under Travelling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.