I Fly to Work

Dry Airplane Air and Your Health

Continuing yesterday's thread of staying healthy on the road....Road Warrior Tips posts a study showing our biggest risk in that germy plane is actually the ultra-dry air:

Even though we’ve mostly made it past this year’s prime flu season, every frequent flier knows the despair of being seated right next to a frequent sneezer. And who hasn’t found jet lag morphing into a ticklish throat or achy body and grumbled about that recycled, germy airplane air? Well, although the germs are certainly major players in the cold and flu game, according to a 2004 study by University of Victoria researchers, the major culprit is not germy airplane air but rather the plane’s dry air—the result of pressurized cabins.

via www.roadwarriortips.com

They list 4 strategies to stay healthy in spige of the air -- it's a blog post worth reading.



Staying Healthy on the Road

Extensive travelers are 260 times more likely to rate their health as fair to poor, according to a Columbia University study quoted in The Economist.

That's right, 260 times more likely. 

It gets worse. 

Among my fellow road warriors obesity is 92% more common than for light travelers.  Blood pressure and cholesterol don't look much better.

Is this a surprise?  Not to me, and not to any business traveler who's lived the life for more than a few months. 

Staying healthy on the road doesn't happen by chance.  Without planning we'll fall to the bad-health trifecta of inadequate nutrition, exercise, and sleep.

We CAN maintain our health on the road, if we want to. 

Nutrition:

Carol Margolis posted a video yesterday showing all the healthy foods she packs for a 7-day trip.  She's motivated me to add protein shake mix and some baggies of nuts to my suitcase. 

I already pack a few meal bars and a bag of my favorite teas from Adagio.  I try to eat salads at least every other day, and stopped drinking alcohol entirely a few years ago.  (Yes, it is possible to be successful in sales while drinking club soda.) 

There's a slew of opportunities to eat sugar and grease on the road: just say no.

Exercise: 

Business travelers who exercise consistently don't rely on well-stocked gyms.  Some own a membership to a Y or a gym chain, but we know better than to assume those gyms will be available. 

I've tried using the exercises in Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym.  It's a good workout, though I have challenges performing some of the exercises in my room. 

I also subscribe to My Yoga Online:  I can stream a variety yoga videos (from relaxing to vigorous) to my laptop and iPhone.   

Sleep: 

Of the three, I find sleep the toughest.  My goal is seven hours sleep a night.  When traveling I probably average five. 

• Planes arrive late. 
• Time zones steal away hours. 
• Customer dinners run long. 
• Project tasks go awry. 
• Email stacks up

I haven't found a good answer for this one, except to continuously remind myself I'm aiming for seven hours.  If someone has some suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Fellow road warriors, what are your stay-healthy tricks?

 

[exercise image from Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net]

One of the Best Perks of the Road Warrior Life

Yes, there’s at least one great reason to work on the road.  Really.

Let’s face it: life on the road can be tough.  Some road warriors take to it like ducks to a pond, not able to imagine life without the swim.  Others barely tolerate the time away from family and the morning “what town am I in” confusion. 

What’s the perk?  Location independence!  I’m working today in Albany, NY.  Albany is not my home town.  I’m three time zones away from my own comfy bed and the pugs who greet me at the door.  My TomTom iPhone app tells me my nearest customer is a 10-hour drive away.

I’m in Albany to visit my 3-week old granddaughter.  I flew in on a mileage ticket (thanks to a partnership between Alaska and American airlines), took 3 days’ vacation, and am working remotely from Albany this Thursday and Friday. 

My customers are happy wherever I call them from (obviously this only works if I don’t have an onsite customer visit scheduled).  My manager still enjoys the benefits of a productive employee.  And most importantly, when I hold my granddaughter in the living room of my proud son and daughter-in-law, our family is together.

Free airfare to my cross-continent family, and the ability to work from there when I’m low on vacation?  Priceless