Modern transport is a fantastic thing. The fact we can book a flight almost anywhere on globe with a few clicks of your mouse, is truly remarkable. As a Personal Trainer in Twickenham, many of my clients take off around the world every week. Whilst this is fantastic for business and leisure alike, it’s not always great for your body and performance. Below are a number of simple strategies for dealing with the effects of travel on performance.
Pre Travel
- Ensure you have sufficient sleep before starting your journey. Try to avoid sleep deprivation as much as possible.
- Begin to adjust your meal and sleep patterns before you fly. If you are going to be flying across multiple time ones, combat the time difference in advance.
- Gently reduce your training volume and loading in the last few days leading up to travel. Exercise fatigue added to travel fatigue can really take it out of you.
During Travel
- Ensure you take on board plenty of fluid and avoid dehydration.
- Unfortunately for those of you reading the above comment and dreaming of that glass of wine. Avoid alcohol & caffeine.
- Rest/sleep as much as possible when in transit, don’t expend energy you don’t need to.
- If you are awake, try lightly stretching or moving around the cabin to ensure gentle activation.
Post Travel
- Take 20-30minute naps to avoid over/under sleeping due to time differences.
- Afternoon exposure to light for an hour or so can greatly improve how you are feeling. In contrast, Try to avoid late evening light.
- Do some gentle exercise and activation to reduce muscle and joint stiffness.
- If you are travelling more than 4 time zones, avoid heavy/intense training for the first 3 days.
Final Note
If you have a personal trainer, keep them informed. It is our job to get the most out of you each and every session. Knowing your travel schedule will allow us to programme accordingly, failure to do so may result in us providing the wrong stimulus.