LIFEAID is proud to introduce our new on-the-go collection for HYDRATION + VITAMINS YOU'LL ENJOY DRINKING, perfect for wherever life takes you!
Always made with only the good stuff, each packet of GO has just 5 calories and ZERO SUGAR, naturally sweetened with monk fruit & Stevia. Now you can throw a packet in your pocket, backpack or bag—just add water—and GO!
NOW AVAILABLE:
Workout Recovery + Hydration on the go
45mg Natural Caffeine | Flavor: CITRUS
5 calories | Naturally Sweetened
Immunity Boost + Hydration on the go
No Caffeine | Flavor: ORANGE
5 calories | Naturally Sweetened
Try FITAID GO and IMMUNITYAID GO!
Now available at LIFEAIDgo.com
COMING SOON:
Natural Energy + Hydration on the go
100mg Natural Caffeine | Flavor: MELON
5 calories | Naturally Sweetened
After-Party Recovery + Hydration on the go
No Caffeine | Flavor: Berry
5 calories | Naturally Sweetened
Rip. Replenish. GO!
Because life never stops.
> > > Stay well.
Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman | All images courtesy of @marissareeds
We all love a good hike when the weather is warm and everything is blooming but it takes a real die-hard hiker to strike out when the snow is blowing and the temps are dipping. There is nothing like stepping out into an abundance of flurries and some beautiful winter scenery but not being prepared can definitely ruin the experience. If you’re a first time winter hiker, take these tips with you on your next cold weather adventure:
1. Layers, Layers and More Layers
Dressing in layers is key for a comfortable winter hike. Typically you’ll warm up quite quickly but start off quite cold. Being able to have control over your wardrobe will make the hike more comfortable as you’re able to take off a hat or put on some gloves. Taking a lunch break during your hike can cool your body down quite quickly so be sure to throw on your outer layer to keep your core warm. Having a Merino wool base layer offers a lot of versatility in that they stay warm in cold temperatures but it offers breathability once you get warmed up.
2. Have a Camp Layer
While not super vital, it can just be nice to have something special that you wear only when you make it to camp. Similar to throwing on some camp shoes, there is just something nice in being able to peel off the clothes that you wear while you were trekking and putting on something warm and new. Keeping a favorite hoodie or sweatshirt buried deep in your bag that you can throw on when you’re done for the day will warm you up mentally and spiritually as well as physically.
3. Keep Items in Your Possibles Pouch or Hip Belt
If you’re an experienced hiker, you know that there are definitely things that you’ll need along the way that often times people don’t think to bring. Keeping things like aspirin, vaseline, sunscreen (you can get sunburned in the winter!), lip balm, tissues, etc. are very important in making your hike a more productive and positive experience. If you have a hip belt, keeping these items tucked away to where they are easily accessible is best so that they you don’t have to stop and dig them out of your pack. However, if you don’t have pockets on your hip belt, keeping a small waterproof bag in the top portion of your pack with your “possibles” can help to make your hike more comfortable in the long run.
4. Stay Hydrated
Even though you might not feel like it, your body is still sweating and exerting energy under all of those layers and sometimes we forget to keep hydrating. Keep drinking water and you’ll feel more energized to keep going on your hike! You’ll also feel more clear headed and alert. Becoming dehydrated can cause cramping or could cause hikers to become confused. It’s easier to feel the typical signs of thirst when your body is warm and sweating, but the first sign of dehydration is thirst. Take care of your body before it starts sending you distress signals.
5. Communication Is Key
As with all hiking, make sure someone knows where you are and when you plan to return. Especially when it comes to winter hiking, it is very important to communicate to someone back at home. Whether you’re going on a day hike for a few hours or a multi day out-and-back, let someone know.
C O N C L U S I O N
Winter hiking can be a fantastic and rewarding experience that can lead to longer and more technical hikes in the future. Be sure you’re prepared before you go and it’ll be sure to be a more comfortable and exhilarating adventure!
All images courtesy of @marissareeds
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Live well.
You’ve got a competition coming up and you’re deeply invested in your meal prepping, training schedule and water intake but you’ve also got some intense travel sessions booked. You have all the best intentions of keeping to your training schedule but a few hours of waiting around in the airport and some questionable airplane food later, you’re wondering whether you really want to make the leap to your phone to call a ride. It happens to all of us!
Next time you’re on the move, take these tips with you to help you out along the way.
Think of it as your nagging gym friend who keeps telling you to go to the 9am Saturday WOD.
Recovery Is Key
Focusing on your range of movement exercises and recovery stretches can help out big time after being jammed into a small airplane seat all day. While you’re waiting for your flight, take some time to stretch it out. It’ll help you feel less beat up and slightly more rejuvenated and get you ready for your next flight. There are several apps on the market these days that can run through some movements ranging anywhere from a 10-minute stretch to a full-on 45-minute yoga session. You might get some looks but you’ll be the one feeling good!
Pack It Out
Be prepared for any sort of food situation by bringing in your own meal preps and snacks. This can be especially helpful if you’re on a long car ride or in a town where you don’t know or have access to a grocery store. Bringing a cooler full of your favorite training foods and drinks loaded with turmeric and BCAAs can help out with your recovery as well as just make you feel good after hours in the car. A lot of Airbnbs will let you use their kitchen, so bringing your own ingredients can definitely help out when you’ve just gotten into town and you’re ready to tuck into a heaping meal.
(Image courtesy of: Anna Kirkpatrick)
Pre-Commit to Training
Something I like to do before I travel is research a local CrossFit box and send them an email letting them know I’d like to drop in on a certain day and time. Finding somewhere you’d like to train beforehand helps you to take the guesswork out of the where and gives you a why! Why are you going? Because you’ve already contacted the coach and committed to going! Also, training at a different box is pretty exciting.
Focus on Sleep
This definitely goes without saying but sleeping is important in recovery and general wellness. If you’re traveling to a different time zone, try getting on that schedule as soon as possible. Eat meals when you’re supposed to eat (even if that means you have two dinners) and sleep when you’re supposed to sleep. That’ll help your body align with your new time. The temptation is to sleep until the afternoon or to crash as soon as you open the door to your hotel, but resist the urge! You’ll be glad you did.
CONCLUSION
Traveling is one of life’s greatest pleasures so don't be afraid to live in the moment! There is something in being prepared but also in not being too rigid. Try to do what is best for you and your health in that moment. Always remember that, above all else, it’s about doing what makes you happy.
Image courtesy of: @the_goodish_traveler
(Cover image courtesy of: Robert Smith)
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Live well.
Article by: Michelle Schwartz | May 9. 2019
I feel like I’ve been traveling non-stop these days. My trips range anywhere from a short 2.5 hour drive to a flight across the states. No doubt traveling is one thing I truly love, but how do you make it healthier? I feel as there is a negative connotation tied around traveling with many people because they aren’t exactly sure how to tackle it in a healthy way. After literally years of driving back and forth from CT to Philly/DC/NY/everywhere imaginable, I’ve come up with top travel essentials to make my trips healthier, more enjoyable, and easier to handle!
ATHLETIC WEAR/SHOES
Preparation is everything. I always pack a few workout sets and sneakers so I have no excuses when it comes to workouts. My advice is always to workout first thing in the morning or when you land. This helps you stick to a schedule and move your body before you can feel fatigued or caught up in other plans. A cute outfit always helps me want to sweat - look cute, work hard. This actually works for me! My go-to outfits are Fabletics, Bold Body Apparel, Lilybod, and Old Navy.
IMMUNITYAID
Raise your hand if you have traveled and gotten sick? Maybe it was the tight airplane seating, or the lack of sufficient sleep, or even just being outside your normal food/vitamin routine. Trust me, it seems like I was there more often than not. It wasn’t long before I realized there were ways to combat sickness and stay on top of your game - cue IMMUNITYAID. Aka a refreshing, bubbly can of vitamins that is sure to help you combat any sign of sickness/fatigue. For real, this bad boy is delicious and just what I need - don’t tell him, but I have to hide them from my husband because he drinks them on the regular before I can even stand a chance.
PROTEIN BARS
This goes without saying, really. Protein bars are such a handy snack to bring because they are packed with nutrients and pack well in your bag. I always need some healthy fats, protein, and complex carbs to get me through a trip so I don’t completely binge at rest-stop or overpriced airport food. My go-to bars are Simply Protein, Kindbars, RXBars, and SquareOrganics Bars. to name a few. I always pack multiples because my man always asks for food.
HAND SANITIZER
I cannot travel without this stuff. Airports, hand rails, stairs, bathroom, all freak me out - germs galore. This has made such a huge different in preventing illness. Plus, I can’t even tell you how often I eat on the plane when I have just touched the seat, tray table, elevator rail, travel bag, and everything else you can imagine. I love hand sanitizer because it cuts the germs and travels well in a little bottle for convenience.
BOOTY BANDS
This is like a workout secret weapon. I do not travel without one in my bag. These stretchy bands of goodness up your sweat game because who has room to pack dumbbells. Most weekends I perform band workouts and plan my week accordingly. Although “booty” is in the name, these bands can be used for a total body workout, too. I recently switched to a thick fabric band because it is far more challenging and doesn’t slide at all when you wear them. I highly recommend AthElite Lifestyle’s bands which you can find here.
WATER BOTTLE
Our bodies are made up of 60%+ water. That is the majority of our beings. It can be so easy to miss your water intake when you’re traveling for a variety of reasons, but staying hydrated makes a huge difference in my skin tone, under-eye bags, digestion, and energy levels. You will not find me without a water bottle in my hand. I bring my reusable bottle to the airport and chug it before I get through security. Then I fill it back up as soon as I’m through the line. When on driving trips, it can be easy to drink less in fear of needing to pee every minute, but it is worth it! I always bring a bottle to keep me alert and hydrated.
FITNESS PLAN
It is important to move your body when you’re traveling. I completely agree that you don’t need your normal rigorous gym schedule - especially on vacation - but having options for travel-specific workouts is one way to stick to a routine and remain healthy. I have many workouts on my Instagram that require little or no equipment. You can also find 15+ types of these workouts in my 8-week fitness & faith guide - Dumbbells & Devotions 2.0. Look for the Airplane icon on the top of the workout pages.
What are your top travel essentials? Leave a comment below to share with us.
About the Author
Michelle Schwartz is a wellness warrior searching for ways to live healthier and happier with a focus in the areas of Fitness, Food, Faith and Fun.
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"I believe that everyone can get healthier and happier with small changes while still living their lives. I share my expertise via Instagram and my blog. My goal is to empower women to find a love for health and taking care of their bodies. I am determined to prove that getting healthy can be done without hours in the gym or tons of money spent on health foods. I provide fitness tips and videos, quick and delicious recipes, health advice and faith questions to help you achieve your goals."
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Visit FitstagramMichelle.com for more info | Follow Michelle on Instagram at: @fitstagram.michelle
> > > Live well.
The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes plenty of crowded planes, trains & automobiles!
Dr. Allison Brager tells us about the clean, active ingredients in ImmunityAid which can help boost your immune system.
I travel often for my profession, and I travel across many time-zones, so I know firsthand about “jet lag”. I have studied jet lag and its many awful side effects in the lab. In these studies, I mimicked worldwide travel in rodent models in order to study the effects on the brain, physiology, and genetics. From these studies, I've found that the rodent brain is overactive even seven days after a bout of travel. These animals were also more prone to sickness and had lots of inflammation. Sure these are rodents, but there is actually a lot of symmetry in the brain and physiology between mice and men.
I was very pleased to see that the active ingredients in ImmunityAid are plant-based medicines that have been widely studied and utilized in recent years to ameliorate jet lag.
Three of these ingredients have been widely studied in neuroscience and are thought to be essential for protecting the brain against neurodegenerative disorders: Turmeric, Valerian Root and Ginger. Each has a unique contribution to neuroscience research.
TURMERIC:
Turmeric is a major export of India and is found in many curries. Its cultivation is dependent on heavy rainfall, which lends support to its biochemical significance. The active ingredient of turmeric is curcumin. Curcumin is a very attractive antioxidant candidate in Alzheimer's research. It suppresses certain genes and biological factors that are increased in expression with stressors such as time-zone jet lag.
VALERIAN ROOT:
The biochemical powers of Valerian root have been known for many centuries. It has been widely recognized as a hypnotic (i.e. sleep-promoting agent) and anxiolytic (i.e. anxiety-alleviating agent). It is so biochemically powerful because it increases activity in one of the major inhibitory systems of the brain, fine-tuning the system and ensuring that the system does not overreact to stress.
GINGER:
Ginger (much like turmeric) is thought to be an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It has been widely studied in the treatments of nausea and arthritis—two conditions that can be exacerbated by travel.
To conclude, I have spent ten years studying why and how animals adapt to stress in their environment. The science fascinates me but practical application of this science fascinates me even more. We know travel is inevitable and necessary for many professionals and athletes.
So, what can you do to reduce risks of sickness when traveling? Drink ImmunityAid, to start.
—Dr. Allison Brager, Neuroscientist
Source: Original June 20, 2016 product review
> > > Live well.
