Jul 13

Jul 13 5 Hacks to Help Your Digestion While Traveling

Business, Mindfulness, Tips, Weekly Practice, Wellness, Food, Travel

“Forget about the freshman 15, I’m worried about the distributor 24!” exclaimed a colleague, referring to the number of pounds gained in the first year in a wine sales role. Life on the road with relentless days and weeks of entertainment, client hospitality and multi course meals can leave you feeling sluggish and your metabolism just plain stuck.

So here are five easy hacks to help your digestion stay ahead of your schedule.

1. Belly Massage

Before you get out of bed place your hands on your belly below your diaphragm and with firm pressure, make slow circular motions in a clockwise direction from the diaphragm to the left rib cage, down to the pelvis, right rib cage, and back up. Stimulating your internal organs with massage helps get things moving through your digestive system.

2. Gentle Twist

Lower back issues aside, do some gentle twists either reclined in bed (that’s a bonus) or in a comfortable seated position. Keeping your legs bent, twist your torso gently to the right, hold for five seconds, then twist to the left. This action acts like a sponge being squeezed, and stimulates your intestines, and stomach to wake up.

3. Hot Water and Lemon

A strong shot of espresso will get things moving. But far less acidic, and more gentle on your stomach, is hot water and lemon. Request a generous number of lemon wedges with your in-room dining hot water order, or venture to the hotel's breakfast room, and squeeze up to one whole lemon in a cup of hot water. On an empty stomach, lemon is known to stimulate the digestive system, and activate the pancreas. Then begin your normal morning beverage choices.

4. Go Easy on Breakfast

Eat as light as possible. Small quantities of fruit or protein are much lighter for your digestive system than carbohydrates. Cooked food is also easier to digest than raw, so if you prefer raw food, keep to smoothies or shakes. It takes less energy for your body to digest cooked food and liquids, which will leave you feeling less sluggish.

5. Use A Tongue Scraper

Residue of our indulgences can build up on the tongue. A simple plastic tongue scraper helps remove toxins and bacteria, and helps support the body’s elimination process. Available at your local pharmacy, or I like the $5 BreathRX pack from Amazon.

And when you finally get home? Cook up the wonder dish of kitchadi. A traditional wellness porridge of rice and mung beans, it is easy to digest, and considered dosha-balancing (vitta, pitta and kapha) which brings the body to a balanced or “satvic” state. Email for the recipe

Whether you are on the road for work, or enjoying a Summer vacation break, these simple hacks can help keep your metabolism moving, and maybe help you start the day with a little more spring in your step.

Please share your own experiences or tips, as we always appreciate your comments, feedback and ideas. We can’t do it without this community.

Namaste
Rebecca

P.S. We have decided to reschedule the ABG event in Brooklyn planned for September until early 2019. Thanks for the overwhelming support and new details to come.

Meet the Tribe!

Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.

Irene Graziotto, International Press Officer,

Studio Cru - La Buona Comunicazione (Italy)

Years In Industry: 8

My Biggest Challenge To Wellness:

Spending many hours communicating in front of a screen and on social media in a way that enhances real life and does not substitute it. As we say at Studio Cru, balancing press releases and tweets with handshakes, coffees and... glasses of wine, of course!

How I Keep It Together To Stay Well:

I do sports, from rock climbing to jogging, from skiing to canoeing. I love sport but above all, I love doing sport with friends. A good laugh is as beneficial as endorphins shots. I love sport because it teaches you how to cope with adrenaline.

Last but not least, I try to build up alliances - especially with women. Many women feel other women are a trigger. Until we stop perceiving a woman as a trigger in itself, the battle will go on and competitive stress will not decrease. We have to create alliances, not only with women but also with men. A few ladies have started the battle - Ellen Pao in Silicon valley, for example - and many are following her example. Daily life behavior is crucial - "Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo" wrote Roman Poet Ovid, which means "Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence".

You can connect with Irene through StudioCru or on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram

This Week's Reading:

There's no shortage of wine stories and media inundating our IN Boxes. Here's what has piqued our interest this week.

In Thai Cave Rescue, This Ancient Practice Likely Saved the Trapped Boys' Lives – Inc.com

" All 12 of the trapped soccer players and their coach have been freed from the flooded cave complex in northern Thailand. The one fatality from the incident was former Thai Navy diver Saman Gunan, who lost consciousness and died while delivering oxygen tanks during the rescue effort."

The Proof is in their Palates – New York Times

“At women-only wine tastings, these beverage industry professionals can show off and hone their strongest sense, without being undermined by male colleagues.”