Being good at your favorite sport comes with lots of benefits. Sometimes you get to be the star of the game, you possess a physique and stamina many people envy, and best of all, you get to travel and see new sights and build memories with new experiences.
However, you might be finding that traveling isn’t always easy for your health. That’s because you may not be aware of how traveling impacts everything from your digestion to your metabolism. Here are some tips to help you manage your health during away games.
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Downtime
Your body needs downtime to recover from everything that happened to it during the day. A lot of the recovery happens at night, so it’s also important to ensure you get a good night of sleep.
Instead of spending every free minute trying to take in the sights in new cities, spend some time for yourself. You can often find something relaxing to do at the hotel where you’re staying.
Many hotels, such as the Marriott Providence, offer spas where you can treat yourself to a nice relaxing massage. Splurging a little on yourself will help you feel better during game time than spending hours in the hot sun in a theme park.
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Healthy Eating
What you eat during an away game can have a big impact on how you function. Dining out can make you feel heavy. Eating lots of ice cream can cause you to put on extra pounds.
When you travel, pack plenty of healthy snacks and supplements to make up for the nutrition you lose by eating out. When you do eat out, which is inevitable, be cognizant of meal portions. You may benefit from learning how to reset your metabolism if you often feel unwell after your meal.
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Acclimation
Depending on how far you travel, your body may need to acclimate to its environment. If you are traveling somewhere with a higher altitude, different time zone, or severe temperature fluctuation, arrive early so your body can adjust. It may not need to be said, but just in case it does, pack appropriate attire for the weather at your destination.
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Sleep
Whether you find yourself in a different time zone or you just find it more difficult to fall asleep when traveling, you need to make sure you get plenty of sleep. Especially when visiting out of your timezone, pack some melatonin so you won’t find yourself lying in bed with your eyes wide open.
Melatonin is naturally released in the body when it senses bedtime is imminent. It is most often triggered by low light. Try to avoid electronics an hour before your bedtime if you opt to not take melatonin supplements.
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Stretch While Traveling
As an athlete, you’re an expert at stretching before any high-intensity workout, but you also need to stretch when you aren’t preparing to exercise or practice on the field. Traveling can cause muscle stiffness and joint pain from being sedentary for long periods of time.
Whether you’re flying, riding a bus, or driving in a car, be sure to take breaks to stretch. You can stretch in your seat, or you can stand up to stretch. Keeping your body limber will not only make you feel better upon arrival, but it will help you avoid injury during your game.
Managing your health during away games is simple and requires little time. If you haven’t been tending to your health needs while traveling, you may be losing out on the ability to optimize your performance. After all, everything you do and eat during your day has the potential to impact you during your game.
