How To Stay Healthy On Vacation: 6 Essential Things To Focus On
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“How to stay healthy on vacation and avoid ruining your health with bad choices?”
Summer is the perfect time for vacation, but sometimes a fun vacation can turn into an unhealthy fiesta of choices that leave you tired, instead of rested and refreshed.
However, this can be controlled with a few essential tips that can help you have fun and stay healthy too.
Staying healthy on vacation necessitates a balanced blend of smart eating, regular physical activity, and diligent hygiene practices.
If you’re traveling, hopping from plane to plane, or simply choosing to enjoy the sun on the beach, here’s how to stay healthy on vacation and take proper care of yourself.
1. Hydration is a must
Hot weather is stressful for your body.
When temperatures rise, it tries to cool itself with increased sweating so you lose water a lot faster, which can lead to dehydration.
Along with that, hot temperatures also make your blood a little thicker, which is another reason to drink more – it keeps your blood flow normal.
Carry a water bottle everywhere with you and increase your water consumption to stay healthy, especially on the beach.
Be aware – in many places, tap water might not be safe to drink.
Use bottled water, even for brushing your teeth in such cases.
You can also opt for light mineral water which also helps you to restore electrolytes that are lost due to heavier sweating.
2. Make Sunscreen Your Companion
Even if it’s cloudy outside, the sun is very intense in the summer months.
To prevent sunburns and protect your skin from harmful rays, apply a liberal amount of SPF50+ sunscreen in the morning, and reapply every few hours to keep your skin protected.
If you’re sweating profoundly or if you enjoy water fun, reapply more often.
You can also use sunscreen sprays that make reapplication faster and easier.
Neutrogena Beach Defense Body Spray Sunscreen, Water Resistant with Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Also, if you don’t like the stickiness the sunscreen leaves on your face (I mean, who does, right?) check out this post: Top 5 affordable sunscreens that won’t leave you sticky and shiny
3. Watch Out For Bugs
If you’re spending a lot of time in nature, you might be a target for various bugs and some of them can be pretty dangerous.
Ticks, for example, are extremely dangerous because they can carry Lyme and other serious infections that can leave lasting consequences.
It is advisable to wear light-colored clothes while spending time in nature and take a few looks at yourself every once in a while so you can spot an unwanted bug if it happens to land on you.
Avoid tall grass, lush forest greenery, and bushy places because ticks and other insects love to hide there.
Additionally, use protective sprays (insect repellents) that keep ticks, flies, and mosquitos away, and light anti-mosquito candles around your camping site or hotel balcony.
If you’re traveling to places that have a malaria problem, make sure to get a professional consultation regarding proper protection.
Sky Organics Organic Bug Spray
4. How To Stay Healthy On Vacation: The Hygiene Part
Hygiene is paramount, particularly amidst the lingering concerns of various viruses.
Here are the most important things to remember.
- Regular hand washing with soap for at least 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer when soap isn’t available is key to preventing the spread of germs.
- If you’re traveling in areas with questionable water quality, consider drinking bottled water and avoid consuming uncooked food.
- Touching surfaces in public places can also be a source of germs, so carry sanitizing wipes to clean surfaces before touching them, particularly in places like hotel rooms or rental cars.
- Always pack your own personal hygiene items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, and soaps (you can never be sure of the quality of such items provided at your accommodation).
- Try to avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.
This can reduce the risk of transferring germs from your hands to your body.
- Eat at clean and reputable places. If you’re traveling to a region where food and water safety is a concern, avoid uncooked foods, prefer cooked meals, and consider peeling fruits yourself.
- Always take a shower after swimming in a pool, the sea, or a lake to rinse off any potential contaminants.
- If you get a cut or scrape, clean it promptly, and cover it with a bandage to prevent infection.
Remember, learning how to stay healthy on vacation doesn’t mean you are being paranoid about hygiene – it’s simply ensuring you can enjoy your vacation without falling ill.
5. Rest properly
While moving your body is important even on vacation, taking exercise too seriously can have unwanted effects.
That is, traveling, road trips and long itineraries can leave your body tired.
Make sure to spend enough time resting – take naps, have a good night’s sleep to keep your immune system robust, do some yoga stretches for tense muscles, and set some time for a restoring meditation.
This will help your body recover in between traveling fun and prepare your muscles for the next itinerary (or a dance night!).
Proper rest is especially important if you want to avoid injuries that come with overworking your muscles, ligaments, and joints.
A vacation should be refreshing, and maintaining body balance is an integral part of ensuring you enjoy your trip to the fullest.
6. Don’t get too loose with nutrition
Vacation often tempts us to let it all go and stuff our stomachs with every tasty thing that’s on the table.
Wash it down with a few glasses of wine and you’re on the way to jeans that (“somehow??”) don’t fit anymore.
While it’s completely OK to enjoy yourself once in a while, if you mostly eat unhealthy throughout your whole vacation, you will come back tired and lethargic.
Now, enjoying food on vacation is not wrong, but the problem arises when we stuff our gut with foods that are hard to digest.
It can create an unpleasant imbalance in your gut, which can further affect your mood, energy levels, and overall health significantly.
To keep things balanced, try to eat mostly healthy meals, but leave some room for tasty exceptions.
When it comes to meals, prioritize fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, keeping in mind portion sizes.
This way, you can stay healthy and enjoy your vacation meals too.
It’s all about harmony!
How To Stay Healthy On Vacation: The Summary
While you’re on your vacation, remember these 6 essentials:
1.
Stay hydrated;
2.
Wear sunscreen;
3.
Avoid bugs;
4.
Follow hygiene rules;
5.
Rest properly;
Most importantly – wash your hands often and have a good time!
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