THE LIFESTYLE ENTREPRENEUR

Read time - 3 minutes

Making Travel Great

I’ve just survived 72 hours of non-stop travel without feeling like garbage. Here’s one way I’ve made that possible.

I’m not the most experienced traveller in the world - I know plenty of people, and I’m sure many of you, have travelled much more extensively than I have.

I do, however, have an opinion about everything :) And I’ve also travelled enough to establish a few rules to make it sustainable, more enjoyable, and not derail any wellness plan I’m on.

I’m also on the back end of a big trip so it’s top of mind. I went from MN-LAX, stayed overnight. Had an EOS session the next day from 9-4pm, then flew the redeye from LAX-Boston to meet my 15 year old jack. We spent a day in Boston before dropping him off for his 5-week Ballet intensive (I miss him already), and then fly home back to MN.

There are many nuggets that can be shared from any frequent traveller, but I’ll share my most important one along with some arguments and ideas for complying.

My most important travel nugget?

Move your body as much as possible.

That’s it? Not wear compression socks, or avoid alcohol, or bring an eye mask?

That’s it - there are many tactics that can make travel more comfortable, productive, and enjoyable, but my many years of experience has convinced me that lots of movement will give you the most return on effort of any activities.

What did that look like for my trip this week?

1. First day of travel I lifted, did a sauna/cold plunge (not movement but important), and went on a 30 minute walk.

2. 2nd day of travel in LA I rented a surfboard and wetsuit and atempted to surf for an hour at 6am and walked on breaks in my client session.

3. 3rd day of travel, when I arrived in Boston on the redeye, I booked a session at a sauna/cold plunge studio, checked in and went for a run down to the water and did a circuit workout for 15 minutes (box jumps, pushups, and 50m sand runs) before my sauna/cold plunge session. Jack and I also walked about 3 miles.

4. In all airport transitions I chose walking instead of standing - stairs instead of elevator at all times - and got up and paced whenever I was on a call or took a break from reading or working.

5. Stretching, short mini movements, and quick walks were done frequently on breaks between work/fun activities throughout the weekend.

We all know the benefits of movement and exercise in general, so no need to dig into generalities. But why is adding movement during travel specifically worth prioritizing and making part of your plan?

1. Travel wellness neutrality - Travel is exhausting. If we don’t take care of ourselves it’s even more exhausting, and we end up feeling like crap after trips. Repeat this over a long period of 5-10 years and we train our brain that travel = exhaustion, which can develop anxiety and fear around travel. This anxiety can cause us to avoid certain trips, and have anxiety when we take them - reducing our enjoyment of travel and life.

Adding ample movement to trips lessens their negative impact and creates a more positive feedback loop around them.

1. Meal fatigue and nutritional management - Movement counteracts the fatigue associated with overeating and eating unhealthy or over-rich foods. Food is a central part of traveling to fun destinations - hello new england clam chowder - and we want to enjoy it guilt-free while travelling.

   Rich foods can also exhaust us and reduce our enjoyment of activities we’re fitting in. The simple answer? Move and burn those calories off more efficiently. You’re not likely to have a caloric deficit during these trips, but unless we’re talking about a week or more of a trip, you don’t need to.

   There are infinite ways to move, but the main thing I’d recommend while travelling is going for a walk after every meal (I’d recommend this in general in life). Benefits of walking post-meal:

   -Metabolic - walking post meal regulates our blood sugar and insulin spikes, improves digestion, and improves nutrient absorption.

   -Energy - walking reduces the post-meal crash that occurs after eating anything, which is especially vicious after a rich meal at a restaurant while travelling

2. Jet lag management - Jet lag is related to large time-zone shifts in air travel. While this is mostly anecdotal, I believe exercise can alleviate the effects of jet lag and ease the transition to a new time zone. My solution is to do a simple workout after getting off the plane, before going to sleep after a big trip.

3. Exploring the city - I’m not a runner. I’ve never liked running. I don’t think distance running is even a top 5 exercise for optimal health and wellness. But when I go to new cities I almost always go for a run in them. Running (or biking) is a great way to explore more of a city than you otherwise would. You’ll also see parts of the city you weren’t planning on exploring, and likely spot a few places you want to pop back into during your trip. The ONLY time I’d recommend anyone go for a distance run - is when travelling in a new city.

4. Mental clarity & stress management - Travel is stressful, period. It’s not sexy or romantic to get from one city to another via air-travel. Visiting new places is also stressful, with the logistical demands of route planning, transportations planning, and the headaches that come with it. Because of this we need to apply our suite of stress management activities. And the best one available? Exercise.

   Moving our bodies will alleviate stress better than anything out there - we need it more during travel than any other time.

I’m thankful movement is a core part of my life, and while I’ve definitely tried trips without substantial movement - I can say definitively that adding short workouts along with consistent walking and low level activity simply makes travel more enjoyable. Let alone making it more sustainable in the long run.

It also doesn’t need to be overwhelming - remember the universal truism, something > nothing.

Now, let’s put our money where our mouths are - if you see me riding the escalator at the airport anytime soon, please call me out on it.

Talk to you next week,

Mike