 How to Travel and Practice Ayurveda at the Same Time
Ayurveda Salt Lake City Holidays can be tricky, when we’re trying to eat a healthy diet and stay on top of basic, self-care routines, like quality sleep and regular exercise. We all know these are the building blocks of a robust immune system and lifelong vitality, but throw in parties, tempting foods, and travel, and everything can seem to fall apart, quicker than you can say, “Happy Holidays.” Over the last several years, Tim, Stewie the dog, and I have been taking longer trips around the holidays to visit family and friends down South. We’ve been able to figure out a few things around how we like to travel, like staying in short term rentals instead of hotels in order to have all the conveniences of home (like cooking and preparing our own meals). I’ve much more easily been able to secure many of my lifestyle practices around just that. If you’re familiar with Ayurvedic lifestyle, you’ll know that there are lots of practices, oils, and herbs that go along with it, and it’s not always easy to figure out how to bring all of that on the road (or fit into a carry-on). So I’ve compiled a few tips and tricks that have helped me over the last several years stay fit and healthy and adhere to my Ayurvedic daily routines and practices while traveling, even for a month-long road trip. Every single one of these Ayurvedic practices is absolutely FREE! So staying healthy won’t cost you a dime. Hope you enjoy! I’d love to hear about what you do to stay well during travel. -Keep at least a 12-hour fasting window, preferably from 7pm – 7am (or later). Ayurveda teaches us that our liver is most active, performing detoxification duties, from 10pm – 2am. If we eat too close to bedtime, food interferes, and the liver will have to perform digestive duties instead. When this happens, we often toss and turn all night or wake up really hot around 2am. To avoid all of these issues, finish dinner by 7pm so that you have ample time to digest your meal before a 10pm bedtime. You’ll sleep SO MUCH better and avoid weight gain from late-night eating. If you do overindulge at night, you can prolong your fasting window into the later morning, waiting to eat your first meal closer to lunchtime. -Avoid overeating – eat until you’re about 70-80% full. Ayurveda teaches us that we can be “satisfied” without being “stuffed,” if we aim to feel about 70-80% full at mealtimes. The Japanese call it “hara hachi bu” (“belly 8 parts [out of 10]”). This can take some practice and trial and error, but if you get it right, you’ll be able to easily find the appropriate weight for your frame and avoid putting on extra pounds over holidays and trips. Two tips Ayurveda gives for getting this right for you is to 1) eyeball your portions—if your meal will fit into your two, cupped hands, that’s about right for you (everyone’s hands are differently sized, after all) and 2) eat without distraction, chewing your food thoroughly, so that you can notice the “first burp.” What is this first burp, you ask? It’s really subtle, and you have to slow down, put down your phone or book (or turn off the TV) to notice it. -If you do overeat, take a walk to aid in digestion and decrease blood sugar fast, AND, most importantly, don’t eat again until you are actually hungry. Fasting is nature’s solution to overeating. Your gut will tell you when it’s done taking care of your last meal by sending your brain the chemical messages to start that rumbling (hunger pangs) that say it’s time for food again. Honor that process by waiting to eat, even if it means going to bed without dinner. -Avoid needless snacking; leave at least 3-4 hours (or more) between each meal for proper digestion. If you eat an appropriately-sized meal (see above for what that feels like) with a moderate amount of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, it takes about 3-4 hours for your food to make it through the stomach and most of the small intestines, which then signals you to be hungry again (“hunger pangs,” stomach “growling,” etc.). For many of use, we can prolong the fasting window between meals to more like 5-6 hours. This allows the body to use up stored sugar (glycogen) and even some fat. If your blood sugar drops around this time more dramatically, however, you’ll probably need to go head and eat instead of trying to stretch out your fasting time (don’t be that “hangry” person, please). -Take walks! I aim for 5000 steps a day, even when traveling. This is my “magic number” for much easier weight maintenance. (Studies have shown that health benefits plateau around 8000 steps a day, but you’ll certainly burn more calories if you aim for a higher number, especially if you’re regularly overindulging while on vacation.) We try to stay places that have a park or easily walkable neighborhoods nearby (especially since we always travel with Stewie the dog). I try to build in at least one good walk each day or a few shorter ones after each meal. This helps with digestion, blood sugar spikes, and prevents unneeded weight gain during travel. Bonus: you get to see the sites that you might miss in a car, and it’s free! -Move your body in different ways. When I travel, I usually have extra time to workout. I don’t do anything elaborate, but I love to start my day with 20-30 minutes of yoga, Pilates, or calisthenics. I often start with some gentle stretching, then do a few push-ups, variations on lunges and squats, some mat Pilates exercises, and few sun salutations or yoga poses to work up a little sweat and clear my head for the day. We travel mostly by car, so I always bring my yoga mat, but you can grab a hotel towel or two and put them down on the floor as well. This also helps prevent pain from prolonged sitting in the car or on planes. -Don’t ditch your morning practices…but move them around / be flexible as needed. Again, if you’re familiar with Ayurveda, you’ll know that the morning routine is where it’s at. Over the last 10 years of practicing, studying, and teaching Ayurveda, I’ve developed a 3-hour morning routine that I really enjoy. I stick to it on the road…but I’ve become a bit more creative about when and how I do it, due to necessity. Tim likes to drive…and drive…and drive. We often pull a 14-15 hour day on the 1st or 2nd day to get to where we need to go. So I shift around my routines a little to accommodate.
Meghan Hays Ayurveda [email protected] Ayurveda Salt Lake City
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |