Your Hormone-Friendly Summer Travel Guide

Warmer weather is finally here and that means longer days, more socializing, more sunshine (and natural vitamin D!), and more travel.

It can all feel exciting and energizing. But the more you get out — and especially the more you travel — the harder it can be on your hormones.

When you travel, your sleep schedule tends to go sideways. Healthy eating can feel difficult, if not impossible, in airports and train stations. You might skip the key supplements you usually take, and crossing time zones can mess up your internal clock. Exercise becomes an afterthought and hydration often goes out the window… at which point constipation can become the norm. And when your GI tract is backed up, excess estrogen gets stuck in your system and wreaks havoc.

Needless to say, all these shifts are hard on hormones. Actually, that’s an understatement. Sleep, food, supplements, hydration, exercise are the essential components that keep your hormones working for you and not against you. When you have these lifestyle strategies locked down, you put an end to period problems like acne, bloating, PMS, severe cramps, heavy or irregular periods, hormonal migraines, and irritability and moodiness.

But when you travel and your hormone-supportive strategies get thrown off track, you can feel rotten quickly. And who wants to be bloated, moody, and covered in zits on summer vacation?!

I’ve gathered my best strategies for keeping your hormones healthy and happy when you’re traveling. A few small tweaks can keep you feeling great when you’re on the move. Follow these tips and your hormone health doesn’t have to go out the window when you go on vacation.

Travel is dehydrating, especially plane travel. But no matter how you get around this summer, make sure you are drinking enough water, especially all-natural electrolytes and herbal tea. (Skip caffeinated tea, though. Say no to coffee, too. Caffeine is devastating for hormone health.)

One of the best ways to stay hydrated is to bring a stainless steel water bottle with you on the road. Empty bottles will get through security at the airport, and once you’re at your gate you can fill your bottle from a water fountain or with bottled water. A good guide for how much water to drink on any given day is half your body weight in ounces.

So if you are 150 pounds, you’d want to drink 75 oz of water that day. You’ll want to aim for a bit more when you’re traveling. Mixing in nutrients to your water actually helps to amplify your hydration. I know so many of us feel like drinking plain water can get boring, so that’s another way Mixhers drink powders come in handy. They’re super nourishing, but they also help make your water more hydrating, especially Herhydration.

One of the biggest things I hear women complain about when they travel is how their normally regular GI system comes to a screeching halt. How many of you can relate?! I used to think it was because my body was a little shy and didn’t like to go anywhere but home. That can play a little part, but that’s not the main reason. It’s usually because many of my usual health habits get skipped, and I’m not prioritizing hydration and nutrition as highly as I do at home.

Take action before you hit the road! I suggest starting a fiber supplement a few days before you leave and continuing it while you travel. Along with that fiber, you need to drink fluids to help carry that fiber out.

Two other must-have supplements when you travel are magnesium and a probiotic. You can get take Herdigest for the probiotic and antioxidants, and Hermulti will provide you with highly absorbable magnesium. This will help with constipation and it will also keep your gut healthy as you encounter new foods.

Even if your packing space is at a premium and you opt to leave some of your supplements at home, don’t skip these two. They are a traveler's best friend when it comes to preventing symptoms, and it is worth making room for these little sticks for each day of your trip.

If you plan to engage in “vacation eating,” bring along digestive enzymes. Sometimes when you go to a new place, you want to engage in the local customs and eat foods you normally wouldn’t.

Let’s say you avoid dairy religiously back home because of its negative effects on hormone health, but you are headed to Italy and want to try some of the country’s famed pizza.

These one-time splurges are a treat emotionally and socially, but not so much physically. Your body is likely to have a negative reaction to foods you typically avoid. That’s where digestive enzymes come in to save the day! Digestive enzymes can help temper those negative effects. Hergreens provides an amazing digestive enzyme blend.

Airport and train station food is notoriously unhealthy. Unfortunately, so is most of the food available to you on road trips. Avoid getting hungry on the move by packing snacks that keep blood sugar balanced. I like to pack hard-boiled eggs, dark chocolate (70% or higher), almonds (or other healthy nuts), pumpkin seeds, and fruit.

Travel messes with your internal clock. Even going short distances can leave you feeling wide awake at 11:00 p.m. and dead tired at 11:00 a.m. Make sure you’re getting in that magnesium to relax before night and an eye mask an/or ear plugs to block out distractions on planes and trains. And if you’re really worried about a disrupted internal clock (international travel), the melatonin, chamomile and ashwagandha in Hernightly really help with sleep in your new time zone.

It stinks to get sick on vacation. So it is worth making room in your luggage for some rescue remedies if you start feeling crummy.

First, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say, which is why I always bring along Herguard and some all-natural hand sanitizing spray or wipes. They are good for hands and for wiping down often touched surfaces (like the touch screen TVs on planes).

It's so important to choose all-natural and avoid harsh chemicals that destroy all bacteria. Remember there's good bacteria too, and we need as much good bacteria as possible to help keep us healthy and immune. When people go crazy with disinfectant, they’re actually compromising their immune system more than helping it.

If you do start to feel a little off, make sure you double up on that vitamin C and zinc. It’s ok to take more than one stick of Herguard; it won’t hurt you. In fact, I personally recommend being liberal with the vitamin C: 2,000 mg per day or even more if your stomach can tolerate it, is very effective. Take 50 mgs of zinc each day to keep your immune system strong, and you can bump it up to 100mg if you’re traveling or if you’re sick.

I hope that you found these tips helpful. I absolutely love summer and traveling! Here’s to a healthy, happy summer filled with amazing adventures for all of us!

Love, Cody