How To Stay Healthy When Traveling?

So it seems like EVERYONE around you is sick this winter. How do you survive when traveling? Especially when all the usual suspects for sickness are present: stress, lapses in good eating habits, lack of time to exercise, lack of sleep and a veritable pantheon of sick people around you.  Here are some common sense tips to help you stay healthy.

1. Practice impeccable hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap and use a hand sanitizer. Check out this amazing DIY natural hand sanitizer recipe!

5-10 drops lavender oil

30 drops tea tree essential oil

1 tablespoon witch hazel

8 ounces 100% pure aloe vera gel

several drops of vitamin E oil (this is a natural preservative which will extend the shelf life of this sanitizer plus make your hands soft!)

Add the essential oils and vitamin E oil to a small glass bowl or container (mason jar works great) and swirl to mix. Add witch hazel and swirl again. Add this  mixture to the aloe vera gel and mix well. Remember to shake well each time.  If you’re not a fan of lavender you can use another antibacterial oil such as rosemary, sage, sandalwood or peppermint.  You can put this in clean 3-4 ounce pump bottles that had commercial hand sanitizer in it. You can get all these ingredients through: www.mountainroseherbs.com

Back to impeccable hygiene – that doorknob you touched may have been visited by someone who just hocked up half a lung into their hand! The primary gateway to disease is the holes in your head; stay away from them. Do not let your hands near your eyes or mouth. Do not inhale after someone has coughed in your face.

2. Get your rest. Sleep is extremely important especially during times of stress.  Rest allows your body to renew itself and the circadian rhythm to do it’s thing in healing and restoration.

3. Eat well. At least the best you can. Your body was designed to be a microbe killing machine. It manufactures antimicrobial agents daily given adequate raw materials. Where do they materials come from? Mostly fruits and veggies. If  you don’t think your eating well enough, consider supplementation.

4. Move your body. There is no doubt that our immune system responds positively to exercise. There are more than 800 studies that support this. I’m not talking about going crazy at the gym, which itself can be a breeding ground for germs. Try light workouts at home like a stationary bike, treadmill, Pilates, yoga, exercise ball, medicine balls mixing in some free weights.

5. Tip the scale in your favor with evidence-based supplements. Bridge the nutritional gaps with a good multivitamin and extra vitamin C. I make it my practice to take1,000 mg of vitamin C three times a day.  Also take vitamin D.  There are thousands of studies already and more are emerging in vitamin D’s effect on the immune system.  A recent Japanese study showed a 40% lower rate of children catching the flu when given 1200 iu of D daily. Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of it, the killer cells of the immune system (T cells) will not be able to fight off infections in the body.

This blog is an abbreviated version originally posted by Nutrionist and Blogger Christine Wokowsky at My Complete Nutritionist.