How wonderful is the feeling of being surround amidst snow-capped mountains, swift running streams, clean air of high altitudes and the vast open stretch of plains? Superb!! Right. But the same scene looks unpleasant when our health goes down. However, some simple tips can help us in the long trips to stay fit.
When the health strikes, we literally have no option, but to return. The planning of several months, all the gears and accessories purchased, the reservations, fight from the manager for leaves, everything seems hopeless and a waste of effort. Just not ourselves but our sickness becomes a burden for others too.
Staying healthy on the road is as important as the trip itself. We can try our best to avoid falling ill by following simple travel tips. Let’s take a look at the important factors responsible, for making us sick during the journey.
- Change in the climate/weather
- Change in food
- Fatigue
Yes, the list is this small. Preparing ourselves to defend the above factors is not enormously painful. So, what is the secret of being healthy when out on long bike trips?
Holding on to change in climate/weather is something which directly depends on our immunity. First and foremost question is to ask yourself that you are mentally prepared for the journey. This is important and it will certainly affect how we respond to situations.
If the answer is No. It’s better to postpone and prepare first. Being mentally prepared is as important as being fit physically. Prepare yourself with jogging, stretching and breathing exercises. This will help in boosting up the immune and increase the onset of fatigue.
Above was getting ready before the trip starts. Now, let’s focus on something which is very important during the journey.
1. Drink warm water
Chilled water causes unnecessary constipation which leads to laziness and boredom. Lukewarm or hot water is very much favourable. Hot water has lower surface tension and hence has the capacity to clean the corners of the bowel. Drinking hot water
not only make us active but also keep headaches and body pain away.
Sometimes in hot and dry locations drinking warm/hot water doesn’t quench our thirst if somebody is not used to. So, instead of taking in chilled water better is to drink water at room temperature. But make sure you drink lots and lots of water!
2. Go for less spicy
Spices are no less than medicines. That is the reason they are called aushadhi in Sanskrit. But spices makes us super active. Mind become restless leading to stress. This is not what we wanted right. After all, we are out in the open to forgo our stress.
3. Avoid Non-Vegetarian food items
This will save some roosters 🙂 Joking!
The reason is that the non-veg food takes much more than 24 hours to digest. That is the reason these items tend to make us lethargy and feel heavy.
Every moment we feel like stretching our legs. Body and mind start battling. Body says rest but mind says we are not here to rest. So avoid non-veg and enjoy your trip.
4. Eat Curd in the morning
Curd has natural antibacterial property. Once it reaches the stomach lining it clears out harmful bacteria and make us feel light. Moreover, it eases the inflammation. I prefer to have Curd rice or kadhi rice in the morning.
5. Make fruit as your one time meal
This is what I do on every trip. We all know fruits are a rich source of antioxidants. Antioxidants help us fight stress and make us feel fresh. Apart from this, they are easily digestible. Fruits are considered as sattvic in Ayurveda.
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You might be interested: Nobody dares to stay in the cursed village of Kuldhara. Do you know why?
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I make sure, I eat enough of them at least for a day during my rides. Many a time, I skip grain meal and take fruit as lunch or dinner.
This post is intended for long distance motorcycle tourers, hikers, trail trekkers, and travelers. Everything below is out of my experience. Since my experience is limited, I certainly need your help to make the list more precise and more helpful.
I would love to listen to your tips. If you have something very important learnt from your experience just write it down in the comment or Email to me at budgetyatri@gmail.com. I will surely append it to the list with your name 🙂
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