Staying healthy on vacation

Do you know someone who tend to get sick or feel tired from vacation? Staying healthy on vacation is not the easiest thing. Getting back from a short beach vacation that also had some beautiful waterfalls (see photo), I'm so happy I used my optimal health strategies to help me stay healthy!

First, the plane ride can be stressful with the altitude changes, crammed seating, and the nerves of flying. And if you have time zone changes, that's more stress on trying to manage your sleep! (If you need help with sleep strategies, do a search on my blog for sleep). In addition to my normal optimal health nutrition, I brought my bottle of astaxanthin, one of the newer and super-powerful antioxidants. Have you thought about how much closer you are to the sun when you're flying? That's a greater amount of radiation exposure which can cause cellular damage known as free radical damage (and I feel it as tiredness and lower energy). Astaxanthin really helps me stay closer to optimal energy as I get through flights and time zones, with NO JET LAG! It also has great anti-aging properties and encourages healthy blood flow. Well, my feet tend to swell uncomfortably on flights and I had hardly any swelling on this trip, as I've been regularly taking my astaxanthin almost every day for the past 8 months. I'm pleased to report my skin recovered faster from my mosquito bites than my old self and my traveling companion who had not been taking astaxanthin regularly. Read more about the reasons to take this super antioxidant here.

I was careful to bring a wide-brimmed sun-shading hat and put on my special sunscreen lotion. As Environmental Working Group has done some studies on safe sunscreen products, I prefer a zinc-based sunscreen, rather than the more conventional drugstore versions that have oxobenzone and other petrol products. I like Green Babie's Zinc sunscreen but you can choose any of the zinc-based sunscreens I found in the link. I think anything that's good for babies will be made with a higher safety standard and more gentle on my skin.

Even though I put on my sunscreen, I might have missed the window to leave the beach before noon when the sun is super strong, so I had a slightly pink and itch sunburn spot to my collarbone area. To combat sunburns or simply dry skin, I love my ultimate aloe gel! Not just any aloe gel, this one has emu oil which is usually expensive, squalene, and super-concentrated aloe. Immediate itch relief and the pinkness in my sunburn went away in just one day! (My results are unique to me and my body's responsiveness, but there is plenty of evidence in the science tabs of the links I've included.)

I also brought aloe powder and probiotics to keep away any grumpyness of traveler's tummy and a stronger immune system. No tummy problems at all on this trip! Success!