It’s the morning after my journey from the Andes to Ireland. Four planes, a 12 hour transatlantic flight, 7 hour time difference, 11k foot altitude change, 3 countries, complete culture shock, all after battling altitude sickness + food poisoning.
I sent a pic to my mom and you guessed it, she said her baby boy looked healthy, happy, n handsome
**Here’s how** (3 min read where I confess all the weird shit I did on the plane, + how to recover from jetlag and be productive when you land)
1) Coffee. Max two (big) cups daily. I try not to overdo and whack my adrenals or have any late afternoon. When I hit a wall and can’t see straight I usually pop in a podcast, go for a walk or do a micro-workout (air squats, stretches, lunges, a 5 minute meditation or sun-salutations). My body is saying “stop staring at the computer dude” not “more caffeine dude”… Yes I take Bulletproof coffee with butter and coconut or travel size MCT oil. I can’t wait for the world to know about this so people can stop giving me weird looks…like you’re not weird putting soy or cream in your coffee?
2) Water. Be that guy on the plane. Get up. Stretch. Keep the blood flowing and go ask for more water. Tell them you are dehydrated (everyone is!) and they’ll take you more seriously.
3) Compression. Everyone knows your blood doesn’t flow where it needs to on a plane. If you are recovering from workouts or just wanna keep from tightening up, get compression socks, shorts, or pants. I usually wear my long compression socks, but this week I got some Reebok Crossfit pants. Fellas, you don’t know what the ladies have been hiding from us when it comes to yoga pants. Get some. But please, wear some shorts or even jeans over them. Nobody wants to see your ass. Shout out to Donny Gallegos from CrossfitLodo Denver for upping my compression game.
4) Airplane food, or Lack Of. Come on, just don’t eat it. Read up on intermittent fasting or bring your own food. Fine, I’ll admit I ate the protein (packed w preservatives, hormones and antibiotics most likely) but pick your poison. I felt a slight scratch in my throat yesterday, so I did NOT need the carbs or gluten. It’s just gonna turn to sugar which hurts your immune system.
5) Duty free bitches! So what did I eat? CHOCOLATE!! But not just any of course. Every country I go to I buy the best dark chocolate money can buy, without paying taxes. 80%+ cocoa or better, packed with antioxidants and good fats which are straight brainfood. 50g of dark chocolate has just a few grams of sugar. By the way, people think drinking OJ is good for you but it’s not. It’s like eating the sugar from 10 oranges. Who would do that?
6) Vitamin C. I pop ‘em like Trinidad James pops molly. The Mayo Clinic says you can take a couple grams per day (look it up). Since I was in three countries yesterday my immune needs it. That’s a shitload of germs don’t ya think??
7) Supplements. Okay I’m not a doctor so I don’t overdo it here. Vitamin B gets me going every morning. I don’t take it on the plane, pre-sleep or pre-meditation. I don’t need the slightest chance of a buzz but it’s proven to make your brain work better. Land off a red-eye? Chug your water and pop these bad boys. The only other thing I take religiously is Magnesium before bed to improve sleep. Have your bedtime ritual and do it on the plane to trick your body into sleepy time.
8) Sleeping pillz. Yeah, no. I’m anti-drug so I’m not gonna support anyone’s Xanax habit or the pharmaceutical companies who profit from it (just look how it’s spelled, that’s pure marketing). But I will trick my body into thinking it’s time to sleep with Melatonin. It’s a naturally produced hormone in your body that regulates your Circadian Rhythm. Again, it’s a hormone so I don’t really f with that, but I will break one in half and take 1mg on a redeye and the first night of jetlag. It’s produced by your body when the sun goes down and it’s time to rest. Production of this hormone is blocked by the blue lights in televisions, iPhones, and computers, so I don’t f with that before bed either.
9) Snacks on Snacks on Snacks. Yeah, I eat dark chocolate and yes, it makes me popular with the ladies. Since our travel company Under30Experiences is like grown up summer camp, I always have this stuff on hand. When our crew from Bodeefit did a trail run in Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica I gladly skipped cardio and showed up with breakfast. The almonds, mixed nuts, organic granola and water was devoured post workout. I bring this stuff everywhere and should probably own a fanny pack.
10) Meditation. I took off at 11:45 am in Lima, they fed us, and they told us to go to sleep… not happening. What’s neurologically proven to put your brain waves into deeper levels than sleep? Meditation. My combo: Bose Noise Canceling Headphones x Holosync binural beats. Dave Asprey finds 1hr of meditation can replace 2hrs of sleep. If you sleep on your right, always choose the right hand window seat. Hat tip to Andrew Mercier for this one.
11) Other assorted weird habits you need to try… then I’ll stop ruining your life:
–Ashtanga yoga sequence with no mat required in my bedroom
–Organic green tea bags in my backpack and I ask the flight attendant for hot water
–Try a new yoga studio in every city I go
–Currently looking if they have a float tank / sensory deprivation chamber in Dublin
–I bring Athletic Greens or something similar because it’s nearly impossible to get these nutrients when you’re on the road
Whew, okay.
In closing, it’s time we started doing more good stuff in real life and less crap. In fact, it’s time we started eating more good stuff in real life and less crap.
This is my gift to you. If you don’t need it or want it, pretend it’s Christmas and gift it to someone who does by sharing.
Image credit: CC by Ronald Sarayudej.
