Hi blog! I am writing this post from Hawaii!!! I am currently in Kauai and looking at a beautiful mountaintop with lush green on the sides, the clouds slowly drifting past the top of the mountain. There is a pristine blue ocean right below, with gentle waves crashing on to shore and plenty of surfers floating in the water trying to catch the next solid wave. I’ve wanted to travel to Hawaii for a while now, but since it is so far from home, I knew it had to be the right time. In October, I took my five year work Sabbatical, where I get 30 days off. I’m very grateful to have this benefit from my company, because it means I can do something I’ve been wanting to do for so long~ and that is travel to the beautiful islands of Hawaii. I will be in Kauai for 2 more nights…I am then headed to Lanai and finishing my stay in Maui. I feel truly so blessed to be here and soak up all of the natural beauty of Hawaii. The sun feels INCREDIBLE and the crisp ocean on my skin…even better.
Since the trek to Hawaii has been quite far, I wanted to put together a post specifically on hacks to avoid Jet lag and feel your best. Hawaii is the farthest I have ever traveled and I’ve learned some specific things to beat Jet lag and make the most out of your first couple of hours once you land, and so I figured it was the perfect time to share! See the tips below.
Support your Lymphatic System
Supporting your lymphatic system leading up to traveling, during and afterwards is a smart idea to feel as cleansed, alert and refreshed throughout the process as possible. Prior to my travels, I decided to get the 60minute detox lymphatic reset massage at the Tox on Newbury Street (read my review of the Tox here), and they gave me some lymphatic patches to wear on the plane. I wore one on my wrist the first flight and two on the bottom of each foot the second flight. It might just be Placebo effect, but I didn’t get any sluggishness/tiredness that I normally would from being in a plane for so long. I also stimulated and supported my lymphatic system by drinking a ton of water consistently (drink more water than you normally would, and do this during the flight as well!), walking around at the airport rather than sitting down before my flight, doing calf raises on the plane, and deep breathing exercises.
Sunlight and Movement
After a long time sitting on an airplane and dealing with the hustle/bustle of airports, I couldn’t wait to finally make it to Hawaii. It is important to get sunshine in your eyes as soon as possible once you get to your final destination. This means taking off your sunglasses when you get outside and ensuring sun gets into your retinas. This tells your body, hey, we actually aren’t supposed to be sleepy quite yet! Sunlight is what regulates are circadian rhythm, so this step might sound silly, but it is fundamental. If you can take a nice walk, dip in the ocean, or even get some light movement in, this will also help your potential Jet Lag symptoms quite a bit. These can be done while waiting for your room to be ready, for example. I had a few hours before my room was ready, so I caught some rays and took a dip in the ocean while my room was finishing up. That evening, the exhaustion was starting to set in, but I decided to take a restorative yoga class instead of a nap. This was simply glorious. We were in very comfortable, resting postures throughout the class, which turned my body into rest and digest mode (parasympathetic nervous system). At the same time, I got to stretch out my hips, lower back and shoulders which felt wonderful after being stiff on the plane for so long. After that restorative yoga session, I had the best sleep I’ve had in months.
Sleep
Sleep is obviously very important when you land because you are probably very tired and deprived of rest, especially if your flight was overnight. I don’t know about you, but I find it very difficult, if not impossible, to sleep on planes. I was very lucky for this trip because my best friend recently moved out to Los Angeles. I was able to fly direct from Boston to Los Angeles, stay a night with at her beautiful apartment and then fly out to Hawaii the next morning. If you do take a long flight and it is daylight when you get to your destination (lets assume that your body thinks it is night time) it’s actually best to not take a nap upon your arrival. The ideal thing to do instead is try to fit in some healthy activities and a nourishing meal. When night falls, get into bed maybe an hour or two earlier than you normally would and fall asleep for a full nights rest. This will help your body adjust to the time zone difference easier and not feel so out of whack. For example, Hawaii is 6 hours behind Boston. I had already acclimated slightly to the Pacific time zone, but I still gained 3 hours when I got to Hawaii. It was 12 Hawaii time when I landed, which is 3pm Pacific time and 6pm Eastern time. I was feeling very tired, but by the time I got to sleep around 9:30 that night, I slept until 7:30 the next day. Your body will be exhausted and sleeping through the night in the new designated time zone will help you adjust. A benefit is that you may naturally be waking up earlier and can therefore take advantage of the day more!
Diet Choices
For your first few days and ideally throughout the entire trip, choose nourishing and fresh foods. It may sound obvious, but doing this while traveling is very important to feeling your best. I know it is tempting to break healthy habits and drink a lot while on vacation, but try to avoid this on your first day or two. Instead, think lots of high quality protein (eggs, steak, chicken, fish), fresh fruit, green juice, nuts, vegetables etc. I had this delicious breakfast of eggs, sourdough toast, bacon and sweet potatoes on my first day. I also had a green smoothie. Your body and your mind go through and process a lot of stimulus and exhaustion with the traveling, so be sure to choose good food that will refill your tank. Try to avoid alcohol, a lot of salt, processed food and super greasy foods the first couple of days. This will make you feel heavy and sluggish, which isn’t great after so much traveling.
These are the four core principals that have helped me avoid major Jet Lag symptoms and make the most out of my trip so far. I hope it is helpful and I hope you have a vacation planned soon! 🙂 If you are thinking about taking one, DO IT. You won’t regret it and you deserve it.
Let me know what you think!