I Fly to Work

Dry Air on Airplanes: red eyes without flying the redeye

It never fails.  The morning after a plane flight I wake up with tired, dry eyes.  Every. single. time.

According to The Dry Eye Zone, I'm not the only one.  Airplane air is notoriously dry.  As well, the fresh air vents seem to aim directly at our faces.  And of course, we travelers tend to consume more caffiene and alcohol that we likely should.

I'm going to see if I can wake up tomorrow without sore eyes.  (I'm currently on a 2-leg flight from Spokane to NYC).  Here's my plan:

• Only one time through the Starbucks line and no additional coffee on the plane.
• Drink at least two glasses of water on each leg of the flight.  (The Dry Eye Zone says internal dehydration contributes to dry eyes.)
• Apply artificial tears before and after each leg
• Turn off the direct air vent

If this doesn't work I'll try using lubricating eye drops instead of artificial tears on the return flight.

I'll report in tomorrow with the results.

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]

Healthy Eating on the Road: Some Tips over at Examiner

Tired of 'travel bloat'?  Cheryl Murphy at The Examiner posted some good tips last night for eating healthy while on the road.

It's tough to eat well, particularly in airports.  Portion control is key.  Those of us who eat out all the time have to break from the "eating out as a treat, let's have lots of food" mentality.  Non-travelers can get away with that, we can't.

I carry almonds when I travel for a quick pick-me-up.  And if flying out early in the morning, my new favorite "road breakfast" is the oatmeal at Starbucks.  (I get it with the dried fruit topping.)  It's hot, it fills me up, and beats the heck out of a pastry or muffin any day.

Have some road-tested healthy eating tips?  Please share them with the rest of us here in the comments!