TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Adjusting to local time for me is switching my watch as soon as I board the plane, getting in a workout first thing in the morning, and taking an early afternoon nap.

I savor each meal and eat what I want (including all the bread and pasta I desire). I chalk it up to a diet break and walk a lot.

After all–life is about pleasure and experience!

WHY

If you’re traveling this year or planning a staycation, here are some strategies I employ and have found to be incredibly useful when acclimating to a new time zone and being thrown off my regular comforts of home.

WHAT

Jet Lag
Depending on the degree of time change, you can start slowly shifting your internal time clock up to a week before your flight. As the saying goes, flying “east is a beast” and flying “west is the best.”

When I fly to the West Coast, it is incredibly easy for me to wake up early in the morning (sometimes TOO early in the morning!) and have a hard time staying up late. This works well for my lifestyle though, and I don't often struggle when flying west.

When I fly east it is often to Europe where there is a minimum of a five or six-hour time difference. If I’m not able to change my sleeping patterns the week leading up to the flight, there is a small but mighty trick I do.

HOW

Sleep
As I’m boarding the flight, I change my watch to the local time of where I’m flying.

I don’t know why this works. But it does. Without fail and every time. If someone has the science to explain this to me, I’m all ears. I don't even know how I stumbled upon this trick, but here we are, wondering together.

I try to sleep as much as I can on the plane and bring a few travel items with me to sleep well:

• I take Qualia Night as soon as I board so I’m ready to sleep a few hours later. (Use code STEPHANIE for a discount.)
• An eye mask to shut out the lights from the plane
• Noise-canceling headphones
• Extra pair of woolly socks (What can I say? My feet are almost always cold.)

When we arrive at the local destination, it’s often still too early to check into our room, so we drop the bags off and immediately go get a strong coffee and head to a local gym to work out. I always research local gyms beforehand so we know exactly where we are going.

After the gym, I’ll find a local market and buy bottles of water, and snacks for our hotel room, like yogurt, fruits, and usually a tub of protein powder.

Once the room is ready, it is usually early afternoon by this point. I unpack, put the water and snacks in the hotel fridge, and take a nap.

I set a timer and do not let myself sleep for more than an hour, and never past 4 p.m. local time. This nap (both the timing of it and the length) is crucial to adjusting to the new time zone I’m in.

This first-day routine works like a charm for me every time:

• Exercise first thing upon arrival.
• Take an early afternoon nap.

Fitness
While I’m on vacation and depending on where I am, I will join a local gym, usually with day passes or a week pass). It’s super fun to work out in a new environment, with new people, and even more humbling when you have to switch lbs to kgs! More often than not, the hotel gym will be mainly cardio equipment and a few weights. For me, it is always worth looking into gyms with weights. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just machines, a variety of weights and I’m good!

The last time I was in London, I joined a gym called The Gym Group and it was awesome. They ticked off all the boxes I was looking for:

• Easy to sign up.
• Easy to cancel.
• Great hours of operation.
• All the weights and machines I needed to get the job done.

I get all my cardio in by walking. I rack up easily double, sometimes triple my baseline of 10-12K daily steps. This requires packing comfortable clothes, and of course, comfortable footwear that doesn’t give me blisters.

I opt for some cute workout outfits or summer dresses with sneakers. I’ve linked my favorites from Amazon here.

Food
I usually don’t fret too much about food while on vacation and generally eat what I want. I look at it as a diet break. I eat until I’m just about full, and I try to eat slowly and savor the food.

My only overarching rule is to try to have protein with every meal.

The only time this presents a challenge is breakfast. Europeans love their croissants, cornettos, and other sweet morning treats! I don't usually find it too hard to source eggs, or cured salmon and if all else fails, I have my backup tub of protein powder to mix in water.

For lunch and dinner, if we are near the water, I usually opt for fish, and if we are more inland, I get steak.

Many people, including myself, find that wheat products like pasta and bread are less inflammatory outside North America, so I enjoy bread with almost every meal. I also take advantage of pasta if the mood strikes me. I love to walk after dinner to aid in digestion, especially if I’ve had a particularly rich meal.

My only other concern on vacation is staying hydrated. Walking or even lounging at the beach can be dehydrating so I make sure I bring my LMNT electrolytes with me.

NOW

Planning ahead can be a game-changer for vacations.

• Pack your necessities for the plane ride itself (eye masks, headphones, and download the latest Better! With Dr. Stephanie podcasts ahead of time).
• Search online ahead of your trip for local gyms near your hotel.
• Search for local grocers and markets to pick up items like water and snacks when you arrive!
• Pack your supplements.
• Opt for some cute but functional clothing; summer dresses are always my fave and I pair them with sneakers.

Question of the Week

Q: Why do you also need BEAM Minerals if you're drinking LMNT throughout the day? Isn't this doubling up?

I got this question about supplements from Christi in response to Mini Pause #27. Since I also mention LMNT in my travel routine this week, it’s a great time to offer some clarity.

The short answer here is both are necessary as they do different things.

While they are both minerals, they serve different purposes. If you listen to my conversation with Caroline Alan from BEAM Minerals on the BETTER! podcast, you’ll see how she speaks about humic and fulvic acids being important as antioxidants, helping with nutrient assimilation, and also being natural detoxifiers.

Salt, on the other hand, is very tightly regulated by the body. It’s lost in large quantities when we work out and physically exert ourselves, especially when it is humid.

Salt helps us stay hydrated by helping the body hold onto water. This is why if you are working out, it isn't enough to simply drink water. Whenever you sweat, you also lose salt and other electrolytes.

YOUR TURN!

I’ll be answering your questions every week right here in the Mini Pause! Let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll be checking for both questions and feedback at support@drstephanieestima.com.

What I Recommend: Qualia Night

Between changing hormones, busy work schedules, and taking care of family, my Bettys often struggle with sleep. Knowing what you’re juggling, I’ve searched for options that can help you get to sleep and stay asleep.

Qualia Night is a different kind of sleep support. You take it at dinner time and it helps your nervous system naturally wind down at night. And, it doesn’t make you drowsy. When I take it, I can feel myself getting calmer, not groggy.

Because so many of you are high performers during your waking hours, you’ll like that Qualia Night enhances your sleep performance, too. Qualia Night’s unique blend of ingredients enhances BDNF, promotes GABA, and balances cortisol levels.

This means you get deeper sleep that helps your body systems heal, recover, and regenerate. (I mention Qualia Night as part of my travel favorites, too, and take advantage of these same benefits while I’m out of my regular routine.)

Since I’m getting better quality deep sleep regularly, I wake up feeling recharged and refreshed. I want you to start sleeping better, too, so you can show up in your life with vibrant energy.

Visit Qualia Night to learn more about how you can improve your sleep. Use code STEPHANIE to get 15% off.

P.S.

Here in the Bettyverse, we focus on Meals, Muscle, Mindset, and (Peri)Menopause. When an opportunity comes along that I know will offer you benefits that complement the content I provide, I always want to share that with you.

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