I’m sitting here at my favorite espresso bar in the Athens Airport eager to get this blog written and out to you! 😉 I wanted to share some travel tips I’ve been stockpiling for some time hoping maybe one or two will really hit home with you and make your life / travel easier and healthier in the future!

So here’s the quandary…

In order to live a lifestyle that keeps you moving toward health and away from sickness your actions must not only be strategically calculated to build the health you want but they must also be consistent. You know where I’m headed with this because travel is ANYTHING but calculated and consistent. With astronomically long security and customs lines, last minute gate changes, flight connections from one gate to the next leading you through miles of underground tunnels, dozens of elevators and escalators, and then… more lines, no doubt traveling could be stressful but in the end, the experience you have hopefully FAR outweighs the stress or inconvenience of any of this.

So, how do you create calculated action and consistency when you venture off to see the world and your control seems limited? This is what I do… not right or wrong just what works for me! Hopefully you’ll find some value in this too!

What I prepare:

Eat By Design

Snacks: The trick is to plan ahead. Since your travel could take many, many hours, you are looking for foods/snacks that are healthy but stable. Some of my favorites are below.

• Long trip snacks: Paleo Scones, Grass-fed beef jerky, my favorite snack bars, Paleopuffs (my newest obsession;), Ketocafe (if you start your day with Bulletproof coffee, this is a great instant alternative).
• Short trip snacks: fresh fruit, fresh coconut meat, cut and tupperware-stored veggies, and all the above.
• WARNING!!! DO NOT go to the airport without having recently eaten a proper healthy meal or without one in hand to eat at the gate or on the plane.

Move By Design

Clothes… Think space saving with the biggest impact.

Minimal soled sneakers: thin, flexible, perfect for exploring a city or going for a hike (if you’re into minimal sneakers) Nearly all major shoe makers have a line.

Athleisure-type clothes that double from hard-core workout appropriate to travel and exploring appropriate.

Exercise tube/band or jumprope: versatile and space saving

Apps: Love these two!

• Kineticoach: Designs workouts for you and allows you to enter in your limitations: Goals, Intensity, Equipment on hand, Time limitations
• Brainwave (35 Binaural Programs): Influences brain patterns to help initiate desired moods: ie: Focused and alert, Positive Mood Boost, Deep Relaxation (Some of my best work/relaxation comes when listening to these:)

My Air-Plane 7 (Stretches) (note: I tried taking pictures for you demonstrating these but they ended up looking a little, well… awkward (ie. me squatting outside the restroom door 😉 So alternatively… descriptions are below.

#1 Quad Stretches: While standing, pull your leg from behind and stretch your quad muscle (front of upper leg muscles) then, lean back and stretch your hip flexors.

#2 Deep Squat w/ Side-to-Side Sway: Squat as far down to the ground as possible with legs a little more than shoulder width apart. From here, sway side to side feeling stretch in groin and hip rotators (outside of hip).

#3 Neck Extensions: (Dr. Rob’s obsession;) Standing/Sitting, you name it, it’s all fair game. Shoulders back and neck in full extension.

#4 Shoulder Rolls: Sit forward in your seat and roll your shoulders forward and backward through full range of motion.

#5 Standing Marches: Find the back of the plane and make friends as you march away in your own one-person parade. Bonus points if you get someone to join you;)

#6 Lift and Tucks: In your seat, lift yourself off the seat by pressing against the arm rests. In this position, tuck your pelvis slightly in and out, rotate, and laterally flex your lower back.

#7 Heel/Toe Lifts: Circulation, Circulation, Circulation. Help your heart by pumping that blood back up!

General On-board Tips:

• Roll Blanket/sweatshirt/hoodie behind your lower back vertically to help prop you forward. Like car seats, airplane seats are usually not designed for proper spinal support.

Think By Design

Travel Journal: Brainstorm before your trip: What do you want to get out of this experience? If you were to design your absolute perfect experience, what would it look like. Make a Checklist and start checking away! I use The Things app as my life-list checker-offer! Also the Wunderlist app is great and it’s free!

Hope this will help you in the not-so distant future!

Remember the most important part of traveling (vacation travel) is to reset physically and mentally!

Happy, Healthy Travels!

– Dr. Rob