Jet lag, restaurant meals, lack of sleep, not being at home… all of that makes us feel out of shape, tired, bloated. Not the kind of energy we want to have when we are traveling to amazing new places!
When we arrive at our destination after a long flight, we want to see everything! But our tired body doesn’t necessarily gives its best. Why would he? Did we treat it right?
There is a lot of tips to beat jet lag, and you can read them all in 12 Tricks to Beat Jet Lag. Number 6 is my favorite, and this is what I am talking about here: move around and let’s get physical.
When our body is in bad condition, our mind is taking its toll too. Not the kind the shape I want to be in when I am traveling to my dream destination, go on a once-in-a-lifetime safari or on my honeymoon (that was 16 years ago!).
Exercising, on the other hand, not only provides a short-term endorphin hit, but there’s also an accompanying buzz from increasing physical fitness that gives the brain a boost too. That’s the kind of shape I want to be in!
How can we achieve that on the road? Well, you can go to your hotel’s gym, but that’s time consuming and takes a lot of discipline. Instead, I have two solutions for you.
First, walk! Walk around town, walk to the next attraction, do the walking tour from your guide book. Walking is easy and accessible to almost everyone. You only need good shoes, but even then, not so much. I always visit cities in flip flops! (This is what a real vacation is for me: walking everywhere in flip flops 😉 )
Second solution: do some T’ai chi! You can do it almost everywhere: your hotel room, at a park, at the beach. T’ai chi is slow meditation in motion, a mind-body rejuvenation in slo-mo action. You won’t even get sweaty. Or you could just stretch. Everything that gets you moving is good!
The goal here, with walking and T’ai chi, is not to get in shape. It’s to stay in a decent shape, feel good, have energy and stay mentally fit.
And there’s no better way to get to know a place and its people than to stroll around the busy streets, watch locals work and play.
You could also bring your running shoes and jog around your hotel’s neighborhood. There’s nothing like jogging in the early morning, right after sunrise. The air is fresh, streets are not crowded yet.
Anyway, the point is: let’s get physical! Walk around, jog, stretch, practice T’ai chi, anything to make you move! Only then you will be in a proper shape to make the most out of your trip!
