On Jet Lag

Gorgeous spring peonies are still in bloom in Colorado!
Gorgeous spring peonies are still in bloom in Colorado!

I just experienced the longest Thursday of my life.

I woke up at 4am in Manila, ready for a 19 hour trip to the US- the shortest, best connections ever!!  We were scheduled for a 2:20pm arrival in Denver, perfect for getting over jet lag quickly.  But what actually happened was that our plane turned around 3 hours outside Tokyo due to a “medical emergency.”  I put “medical emergency” in quotes because the reality was that some guy wanted to see what would happen if he took 2 Ambien on top of several or maybe 5 alcoholic drinks.  What happened is that he got to end his trip BACK in Tokyo, escorted off the plane by medical personnel for treatment (and maybe a fine from the airlines?) while the rest of us 279 people got to be delayed at least 12 hours on our international flights.  Thanks, dude!  When the kids and I finally landed in Denver, 34 hours later, it was midnight.

Still on Thursday.

I felt like I was stuck in “Groundhog Day.”  I saw 11:55pm on my watch TWICE!  And it was correct both times.

This is definitely NOT the way to get over jet lag, and I can attest to it by the fact that I am writing this post at 2:45am Denver time.  I don’t really know what day it is.

What does this have to do with health and fitness, you might ask??

Everything, because jet lag definitely makes it harder to exercise- no I did NOT go for a run today or play tennis with my son like we had planned.  I did go for a couple of walks (right past the pull-up bar) down to the park with the kids, but I couldn’t even fathom any real exercise.  Jet lag throws off my appetite in a big way too- I’m not hungry during the day, but right now at 3am, I could definitely eat whatever falls out of the fridge.  Maybe all those fresh berries and cherries I just bought will fall out first!

What’s the best thing to do in this situation of jet-lag-induced stupor?  As a good friend used to often tell me, “Be gentle with yourself.”  And so I am.  I shall:

Spend time outside in the sun.  This is easy because the weather is soooo beautiful here!

Drink LOTS of water.

Take walks.

Stretch.

Sleep when I can at night.

Stay awake as much as I can during the day.

Eat as many fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cherries as possible!!  (This won’t help me get over jet lag… but… North American summer fruit… yum, right??)

And know that it will pass in a few days’ time.

Cheers to being back for summer!!

 

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