Ah, the glamorous life of business travel. Not exactly. To the outsider the jetsetter lifestyle may seem fun and exciting, but it takes a serious toll on health.
What’s Unhealthy About Hopping on a Plane?
Sure, there are some exciting elements of business travel. The ability to see new places and dine at nice restaurants, all on the company dime. Escaping the daily doldrums of office life can make traveling for work enticing. Also, all that time in the air and snoozing away at hotels can translate into some serious rewards and when you aren’t working, those points can be used for your own leisure.
Yet, nothing is free and there are some serious drawbacks to business travel. While a few trips here and there are fine, business travelers who are constantly on the go suffer from a variety of ailments from sleep deprivation and obesity to accelerated aging and stress. So, what’s the cause of all these issues?
Advanced Aging
New research shows that constant travel can actually accelerate aging. When our sleep is disrupted from a constant occurrence of jetlag and early hours, it can impact the body’s natural sleep pattern or circadian rhythm. When that happens, we age faster.
Sometimes it’s nearly impossible to get enough sleep when traveling. Early flight times and forcing the body to adjust to different time zones can really disrupt the sleep cycle. The result? Many people stop producing melatonin, which can lead to chronic fatigue and insomnia.
Weight Gain
Staying healthy while on the road is difficult. Fatigue can lead us to make unhealthy dietary choices. Travel means dining out often or snacking on sodium and fat-laden fare. In addition, business travel often involves entertaining customers, so extra alcohol consumption is usually a reality.
It’s also difficult to maintain a regular exercise schedule when sleep is erratic and you’re away from home on a regular basis.
Persistent Stress
Rushing to the airport. Attending meetings abroad. Being away from family. Sleeping in strange places. All of these elements of business travel can cause excessive amounts of stress, not to mention the regular pressures of work.
Furthermore, elevated stress combined with airport germs, recirculated air and lack of sleep can lead to a weakened immune system.
How to Stay Healthy on The Road
It may be difficult but there are ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle even if you’re a frequent traveler. One tidbit that many regular jetsetters stick to is exercising as much as possible. Sitting for long periods of time is unhealthy, so try to move whenever possible. That means, taking the stairs at airports or walking instead of using the people mover.
Also, take advantage of hotel gyms. Exercise immediately when you get to your destination and you’ll not only have energy but also sleep better and adjust to time differences faster. Pack a carry-on bag with healthy, easy-to-transport snacks such as almonds and apple slices. When eating out, look for healthier meals.
IV Therapy for Travelers
It’s key to stay hydrated when traveling, since flying at high altitudes makes you severely dehydrated. IV therapy helps provide maximum hydration with a dose of vitamins and nutrients that will keep you going for several weeks.
Adding more vitamins with IV Therapy can also give travelers a much-needed boost and ward off infections. Nenergy Boost offers an IV therapy formulation, called Jet Lag which is aimed specifically for frequent travelers. Additionally, the Running on Empty IV drip helps rebalance nutrients in the body due to poor diet.
Want to learn more about Nenergy Boost’s variety of vitamin boosts and IV formulations? Contact us for a free consultation whether you live in Los Angeles or travel here frequently for work.