Summer is synonymous with travel, from beach getaways to exploring new cities. However, these exciting journeys often come with their own set of challenges, particularly with one’s immune system. Being on a plane or in other crowded environments, sleep disruptions, and changes in diet can all put stress on your immune system. Anyone who has ever returned from a life-changing adventure to find themselves under the weather—or worse, felt a tickle in the throat upon landing at their destination—knows how sad being sick during or after travel can be. The good news? There is a way to prevent this: the art of immune boosting. This vital technique is basically just building up your immune system in anticipation of it needing to withstand more than usual. It will change your jet-setting life for the better, and we’re going over it all today.
Why Immune Boosting Is Essential for Travel
Travel exposes you to new environments and people, which can increase your risk of encountering germs and viruses. Air travel is a hotbed for potential pathogens due to the confined space and shared air circulation. Moreover, the disruption of your regular sleep patterns and the change in diet that comes with enjoying delectable local eateries can affect your body’s natural defenses. Immune boosting strategies help prepare your body to fend off illnesses, ensuring you stay healthy and energized throughout your trip.
Tips for Immune Boosting Before and During Travel
Prioritize Sleep
Quality sleep is foundational to a strong immune system. Aim for at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night in the weeks leading up to your trip. Consider using a sleep mask and earplugs to ensure you get restful sleep once you are in unfamiliar environments.
Another pro tip we love is to schedule a “buffer day” before you leave for your trip. Too often, we spend the final day before leaving in a state of high stress. We’re juggling packing, planning, double-checking details and reservations, and wrapping up this work project and that. Try to get all of that done two days before your trip begins and spend the final day beforehand relaxing and doing just a few of those tasks.
Maintain a Balanced Diet
Eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains provides your body with essential nutrients that support immune health. Foods high in vitamins C and E, zinc, and antioxidants are particularly beneficial for immune boosting.
A fun idea is to invest in a BlendJet and bring your PlantYourDay protein powder on the journey! With so many of the aforementioned nutrients, it can help to bolster your immune system before and during your travel. It’s also formulated to contribute to a healthy gut, which is essential to immune health.
Stay Hydrated
Yes, the celebrities who say hydration is their ultimate wellness secret and share videos of them hydrating from their jets are onto something! Hydration is crucial for maintaining a healthy immune system, and a few factors about travel make it harder to keep up with. First, the plane is very dehydrating, because “about 50% of the air circulating the cabin is pulled from the outside, and at high altitudes, the air is almost completely devoid of moisture.” But that’s not all! Consider the fact that many restaurants and especially fast food establishments use an excess of salt in the preparation of those delicious dishes. When you aren’t drinking enough water, salty food can be very dehydrating.
Our advice? Start by ensuring that you are getting enough water throughout the days and weeks leading up to travel—you want to be doing this all the time anyway! Then, once you are nearing your trip, start drinking things with electrolytes. We love coconut water (this makes for a fantastic plane drink), but Liquid I.V. pouches are also a great move. To take it all a step further and improve your skin quality over the long-term, consider adding our SkinCapsule HYDRATE+ supplement into your routine!
Exercise Regularly
This is another one of those tips that is just good in general. But when we talk about immune boosting, exercise is important because it keeps your body healthy and increases its resilience to activities to come. If you are completely unaccustomed to a lot of movement, that four-mile uphill hike to see an amazing view on your trip is going to put a ton of strain on your system. That said, as we mentioned, exercise also just contributes to a strong immune system. This is because it reduces inflammation over time and stimulates the movement of immune cells.
Practice Good Hand Hygiene
We know, we know ... we’re giving you unwelcome flashbacks to 2020. But seriously, if there is any silver lining to be had from that dark time in our society, it might be the renewed focus on what it means to properly wash your hands. For travel, we do recommend keeping hand sanitizer on you. But in your immune boosting prep process, take care to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
Manage Stress
Ah, yes. Stress. This is maybe the most difficult element of immune boosting, because it is a challenging thing for anyone to manage. For many of us, stress is unavoidable and almost impossible to quell once it has taken root. Still, chronic stress can weaken your immune system, among many other adverse health impacts. Techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and spending time outdoors on a daily basis can assist you in managing stress. Prioritize this always, but especially leading up to travel!
Take ShieldUp by Hush & Hush
Yes, we’re giving this an entire section of its own! We specifically formulated this powerhouse of a supplement to help you live your best, healthiest life. It is an immune boosting technique in and of itself! From organic Matcha Leaf extract and Maca Root to Korean Red Ginseng and Elderberry fruit, each component of ShieldUp was selected for its immune-boosting properties. It also has our Environmental and Anti-Pollution Complex. Each little capsule makes a huge positive impact. Start taking it now and be sure to pack it for all of your travels.
Plan for Rest Days
Remember our tip to include a buffer day between prep and finishing up work and your travel? Well, we also think you should build rest days into your trip, if possible. Don’t pack that itinerary too tightly! Of course, maybe your entire vacay is the relaxing sort (good for you!). But if you are adventuring, be sure to give yourself some downtime to recover.
To Close Us Out
Traveling during the summer should be a joyful and rejuvenating experience, not one marred by illness! By incorporating the art of immune boosting into your pre-travel routine and while on the go, you can ensure that your immune system stays strong and ready to tackle all of your adventures.