Here’s a peek into my schedule at the end of next week. I’m taking a trip to Miami, Florida, in the middle of a packed weekend of coaching clients.
Friday: 8 hours of coaching clients and students
Friday night: A red-eye flight from Seattle to Miami, Florida
Saturday: 8 hours of coaching clients and students upon arrival in Florida
Sunday: 8 hours at the Inner Game of Abundance Mindset Retreat with Fabienne Fredrickson
( Find more info about Fabienne here.)
Sunday evening: 8 hours of coaching clients and students
Monday: A full day at the Mindset Retreat
Tuesday: A full day at the Mindset Retreat
Here are the issues that I am most concerned about when I travel:
1. Getting a sore throat. I’m going to be talking a lot over the phone, and there are always opportunities to cheer at these retreats. With 8 hours of dry airplane air, there’s also a possibility of a sore throat right from the beginning.
2. Looking haggard. I don’t actually mean that I will look haggard. It’s more about the way I may feel, especially if I get exhausted. Have you ever risen early for a meeting, and felt so tired that you also feel ugly? You don’t actually look bad from the outside, but the inner feeling of exhaustion makes you less confident in your interactions throughout the entire day. The conference I’m attending will have about 300 important people, and I want to feel radiant. There will be chance encounters with the perfect guests and dinner invitations. If I feel too sleepy, or have a headache, I know that I’ll be less of a bright light in the room, and I may also lose my confidence to reach out to new people. This is why it’s incredibly important that I look after my health on the trip.
3. Slow digestion. When we travel, it’s hard for the body to adjust to the time zone differences. We each have unique digestion rhythms, and these can be thrown off even after one flight, or if we miss our personal prime opportunity to go to the bathroom.
Here’s how I’m changing my diet one week in advance to feel the best that I can for next weekend. If you know that you have a tight schedule, or have planned a few days away from home, I invite you to also make diet changes that are specific to you.
1. Only very small amounts of dairy will be in my meals. Even though I can tolerate goat dairy, it sometimes leaves a slight tickle in my throat. Cow’s dairy gives me a sore throat within 10 minutes, and that’s why I don’t consume it. This time around, I’m also limiting the goat dairy to a small piece if I choose.
2. Minimal sweetener will be used in my food. Sweets dampen immunity, and I definitely don’t want to get sick. Illness can easily happen toward the end of a trip, after the body has used up important energy to have fun.
3. There will be more raw fresh foods in all of my meals. I need more waking and productive hours in each of my days, and I know that with raw foods, the body needs fewer hours of sleep. This is how I will be able to stay up past midnight on Sunday for coaching calls and still rise in time for an 8am start of the conference the next day. It can take a little while for the energy from raw foods to become apparent, so this is why I have already begun adding more fresh foods into each of my meals.
4. I’m also packing a collection of fruits, veggies and superfood powders so that I will have access to the best food possible while I’m away. The food I’m bringing may take up half of my carry-on bag, and it’s completely worth it.
© 2011 Ava Waits
