How to Stay Healthy When Travelling for Work
My whole life, I have always been someone who thrives off routine. When I started modelling after high school, the lack of this played a big toll on my health. I was struggling to find time for workouts, I was always eating take away, and my sleep quality was poor from hardly ever being in my own bed.
After living in London last year to pursue my modelling career, I learnt a lot about how to manage travel, work and my health. Below are five tips I follow religiously when I’m away from home.
1. Make your meals instead of ordering in
My request to my agent whenever I travel for work is to book accommodation that has a kitchen. I suffer from bad bloating from a lot of foods, so eating the right meals is key, especially for my job. My diet also impacts my skin, my energy levels and my mood so being able to cook is a necessity for me.
When I used to order take-away when I was away from home, my digestion was really impacted. A lot of the time, these meals contained gluten or dairy. This caused me to bloat majorly as I suffer an intolerance to these foods. Cooking my own meals allows me to know exactly what I am eating, and it is also a lot more affordable.
2. Go for walks and explore the new area
If you are lucky enough to travel for work, make the most of it and go explore. I really enjoy seeing a new place like this, and it’s a great way to get some exercise in before or after work.
If you are going to take my advice and cook your own meals, it also encourages you to walk to the nearest supermarket. This forces you to get outside and reach your step count goal. I highly recommend making a steps goal for yourself, it holds you accountable and makes you more likely to walk that little bit more each day. Mine is 10,000 steps a day.
3. Bring a booty band in your suitcase
If you don’t already have a booty band, go and get one ASAP! This band is all I take with me when I travel. I can complete a full body workout just with this, and it is so light, it won’t add any extra weight to your luggage.
I aim to do a 30 minute circuit style workout either before or after work, depending on my call time.
4. Drink an extra litre of water if you are flying
Flying is extremely dehydrating, and hydration is key for digestion, glowing skin and just overall health. I often have to fly to and from a different state in one day. On these days I will make sure I’m drinking an extra litre of water.
My tip is to bring a big bottle of water on board; this holds you accountable to finish it before the plane lands.
5. Have a night time routine
This last tip was one that took me what feels like forever to work out. I struggle with sleep, so combined with hardly ever being in the same bed for more than two nights led to many terrible nights for me.
My night-time routine is everything to me now. It helps to send signals to my brain that I am preparing for rest.
My routine looks like this:
I don’t look at my phone for at least 30 minutes before I go to bed.
I put my legs up against the wall; this helps to calm my nervous system, as I get anxious when I’m not in my own bed.
I will write in my journal my goals, any thoughts on my mind and ten things I am grateful for.
I will read books by authors who inspire me. I currently love “Living the Healthy Life” by Jessica Sepel.
