Hi all,

Welcome to another Monday Motivation. I’m fresh back from my trip to Australia and now consider myself a health expert for long haul travel! So I thought I’d put together a guide to help those of you with a long flight coming up, or even a long car or train journey – any trip where you’ll find yourself sitting down for a decent amount of time.

My trip was two ‘get it done’ flights to and from Oz – yes, that’s 2 x 23-hour flights and as a family of four (my kids are nine and 11 years old).

Essential preparation

Before the trip, I work on the theory of eating clean - no big heavy meals and good hydration. I know the temptation for a pre-flight beer might be great, but do try to keep alcohol to a minimum before travel.

It’s also a good idea to flush the circulatory system before a flight, so go for a long walk, bike ride or run as close to take-off as you can. It might be wise to skip the heavy weights though, as DOMS seems to hit harder during long haul travel.

If, like Mr T from the A-Team, you prefer the knock-out method of travel, make sure you pay a trip to the GP pre-flight to get some meds, or try some more natural methods of relaxation, such as guided meditation, pre-travel yoga or a good book.

Essential equipment

I have a few items that I can’t get by without, which are based around circulation promotion, relaxation and hydration. Here’s a list and some links.

• Compression socks or go the full compression tights.

• Noise cancelling headphones – not cheap but totally worth it! I went with the mini in-ear headphones for better sleep comfort.

• Eye drops

• Lip balm

• Empty water bottle – depending on the destination, some airlines won’t let you take liquids on board even after you’ve passed through customs. However, they’ll allow you to take an empty water bottle on board – I just ask a flight attendant nicely to refill it once I’m at my seat.

• Spikey massage ball

• Neck support wrap – to attempt to stop that crick in the neck while sleeping.

Essential activity during 

• Move – it’s really important to keep moving. Try and grab an aisle seat and set your clock/phone remind you to get up and walk to the back of the plane every hour. Do loads of leg wiggling and ankle rolling mid-flight.

• Drink – try and avoid the free alcohol and flush the system with loads of water.

• Sleep – at every chance you can, and use the neck wrap to keep your neck posture in control.

Essential recovery

If you’ve done everything above you should be in great shape when you land. Now all that’s left is to keep really busy until bedtime and at no time is an afternoon nap acceptable!

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks guys,

Craig