Are you travelling over the holidays?

Getting ready to go away for the holidays can be stressful for most people. There’s always so much to do and get organized, right?

As you know, we haven’t been able to travel much over the past few years, especially internationally and this time last year our boarders were still closed! Now we’re able to travel again it can be quiet stressful organizing flights, accommodation and for some people, catching up with family over Christmas is an added stress.

The stress of flying can be huge especially if you don’t enjoy flying, or you're worried about the food and what you can eat as airline food can cause you to have an upset tummy. Flying with your family whether they are small children or teenagers can be stressful too and then there’s the possibility of flights being cancelled as well.

On top of organizing the behind the scenes things at home so that you can relax whilst away, there can be underlying health issues that you haven’t had a chance to see a health professional such as a Naturopath about.

The common health issues that I treat for my clients are:-

• Digestive issues – IBS and/or SIBO. Are you bloated, stressed about eating out and how your tummy might react? Do you suffer from constipation and travelling (especially flying) can make your tummy worse?
• Stress, anxiety and overwhelm - these conditions can flare up more with the 'excitement' of your holiday.
• Tiredness - Low energy, feeling flat and exhausted.
• Sleep issues – insomnia and do hot flushes, night sweats keep you awake at night.
• Urinary Tract Infections – these are quiet common for women when they are travelling.
• Headaches and/or migraines - these can be bought on by stress, hormonal imbalances or food intolerances.
• Summer colds and various viruses - do you find when you go on holiday, you pick up all those illnesses going around?

These conditions can flare up, as most of us can feel rundown due to a ‘busy’ lifestyle. This time of the year there’s a lot of end of year and Christmas celebrations happening where you’re eating foods that you may not generally eat along with having a few extra drinks. Some people are affected by bloating, diarrhoea or constipation for a few days after the celebrations.

All the extra stress can also lead to having tummy troubles as it’s one of the main reasons why people suffer from digestive issues, especially irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or long-term stress and food poisoning can lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

When perimenopause begins, alcohol especially wine and sparkling wine can affect your sleep. Do you notice that you’re waking during the early hours of the morning (3:00 am to 4:30 am) and can’t get back to sleep? You may also notice an increase in hot flushes and night sweats if you’ve been having a few alcoholic drinks.

The extra sugar in the wine or premixed drinks can cause this to happen along with the hormonal changes that happens during this transition. I usually recommend that my clients have clear spirts along with soda and lemon or lime as there is less sugar for your liver to process. If you are drinking wine, try and have a glass of water in between your alcoholic drinks.

I’ve caught up with one of my clients who has just come back from travelling to Germany and Italy for a few weeks and she said how energized she felt and didn’t have any jet lag whilst away.

“I felt so good, I wasn’t stressed leading up to going away this time as I was organized prior to flying out. I had so much energy to enjoy catching up with family and sightseeing. I wasn’t tired or exhausted like I usually am when I’m away, I felt so good. My tummy was okay most of the time although I wasn’t taking my supplements every day due to where we were staying and having a busy schedule.” My tummy is a lot better now that I’m back home again and my hot flushes/sweats have reduced now I’m regularly taking my herbal formula.”

This was so good to hear not only as her practitioner, but also how achievable an enjoyable holiday can be.

This is very close to my heart as it’s so important to be as ‘stress free’ as possible prior to travelling. I wish I had prepared a lot better than I did a few years ago. I was flying out to Europe for a few weeks in 2015 with my husband as he was having more of a working holiday.

I was busy working both in clinic and in my aged care job and my in-laws were travelling up to look after the girls and the dogs whilst we were away.

The stress of not being as organized as I had hoped due to there being a few delays in getting my ticket and also my in-laws didn’t drive so I needed to get extra things in for them. I was not able to take the day off from my aged care job, prior to flying out which was crazy to say the least. I was organized with my clients and their supplements so that they had their ‘top ups’ whilst I was away (we didn’t have online prescriptions back then!)

It was a jam packed week of sightseeing in Turkey and I was on the go the whole time and looking back now I was running on empty. We arrived in Portugal for four days and I was grateful to be in a beautiful apartment that was across from the beach. My mornings were fine and I was able to do a little sightseeing (walking along the beach and into Sesimbra - photo below) and by early afternoon I needed to rest. I slept each afternoon for at least 4 hours – I was so exhausted! 

The rest of the holiday was full of sightseeing and taking time out to rest when needed. I really focused on enjoying this opportunity of being away from ‘normal’ life for a few weeks and eating fresh, local food, drinking espresso coffee and having a glass of red wine. I also had a few early nights when I needed to.

What did I learn from this trip?

• Get organized a few weeks before travelling.
• Create a travel itinerary.
• Create a list of items that need packing.
• Practice mindfulness – incorporate this into your daily routine.
• Eat a healthy whole food diet.
• Check what foods are available on your flight, that way you can pre-order from the menu, such as gluten free or vegetarian.
• Pack some healthy snacks to nibble on whilst on the plane.
• Stay hydrated with water and herbal teas on your flight. It’s okay to have a few alcoholic drinks and remember that these are dehydrating so drink your water in between.
• Cut back on alcohol and coffee leading up to your trip as too much caffeine can make all of these health concerns worse.
• Take your supplements with you as most countries will allow you to bring them with you in your check in luggage.
• Take the opportunity to have an afternoon rest leading up to your holiday.
• Get out in nature when you are away – walking around and exploring is much more fun than relying solely on local transport.
• Most importantly, remember to enjoy yourself as you’ve worked hard to be able to go on your holiday.

 Don't let your digestive issues, stress and being tired be the reason that you don't enjoy your holidays this season as there is still time to get holiday ready. If you're going away next year, let's work together so that you can have your energy back and have you feeling vibrant once again.

These tips work well if you are travelling overseas, driving or flying locally or if you love camping and caravaning.

Please reach out to me and either book a FREE 10 minute 'Discovery Call' or book your consultation via 'Work with Me'.

You deserve to enjoy your well deserved holiday.

Yours in health and wellness,

Katrina xx