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Health Habits: Stay Fit In High Places

Guest post by: Michael Hume

Article Overview: When you take your body to a place significantly higher than it's used to, you need to modify your daily health habits to maximize your energy and reduce your chance of contracting altitude sickness....

Health Habits: Stay Fit In High Places

Summer Travel Presents Adjustment Challenges One of the benefits of internet business ownership is that you're free to travel whenever you like. As long as you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can do business from anwhere. So this week, I'm enjoying some time in my high-altitude vacation home in the Colorado mountains, and I'm planning several short trips to high places in the coming months.

There's nothing like the Rockies in the summertime!

Of course, whether you own a business or not, summer is a time when most folks travel at least a little, and high-altitude spots are very popular summer vacation destinations. If you're new to high-altitude travel, you might not be aware of the challenges presented to your health and vitality by visits to the mountains.

Every day, you should protect your energy and vitality by taking personal responsibility for the five key health habits I call "The NEWSS:" Nutrition (eat good, fresh stuff and cut the crap), Exercise (get your heart rate up to its aerobic zone at least three times a week, and 5-6 times is better), Water (drink at least two liters a day), Sleep (get your eight hours), and Supplements (you need to give your body the things it needs but can't get in our modern convenience-oriented lives).

When you take your body to a place significantly higher than it's used to, you need to modify your daily health habits to maximize your energy and reduce your chance of contracting altitude sickness.

This week, I'm hanging out at around 10,000 feet above sea level. Though my Colorado home is around half that, this is definitely a significant change for my body (and even more of a change if I travel from my sea-level California home). So I've learned from the experts the importance of protecting myself from altitude-related problems.

The biggest thing to be aware of, naturally, is that there is MUCH less oxygen up here than you have back home. Some people notice the difference right away (especially those with respiratory challenges to begin with), but others think they have nothing to worry about because the change is gradual and your body doesn't revolt at every lower-oxygen breath. Don't be fooled! Your first day or two at altitude are a good time to do some exercises to slow down your breathing. These days, you can also travel with portable oxygen you can inhale, sort-of like the type of inhalers used by folks with asthma. And the real adjustment is to your exercise routine. Don't expect to hit the same speeds on the treadmill you hit at home, and if you're doing rigorous outdoor activities, let yourself skip a couple of your standard workouts and "ease into it" (no big exertions for the first 24-48 hours at altitude).

Of the five health habits of The NEWSS, you might be surprised to learn that the most important one during your first couple of high-altitude days is Water. You MUST drink your two liters, and for those first couple of days, three liters is probably better. And take it very easy on alcohol and caffeine up here in the high country. You might want to skip those goodies altogether until you've had a chance to adjust by about the third day.

Don't leave home without your supplements, and you might want to consider slightly upping your dosage of CoQ10 and other nutrients that help your blood get its oxygen. My favorite liquid nutraceutical works great at high altitudes.

Finally, don't plan too much of a "Type A" vacation, especially for the first couple of days, even if you're pretty fit. You will want to sleep more than you're accustomed to, and having a day or two to relax before you hit the hiking trails and rafting creeks is not a bad idea.

Come on up! The weather's been a little unusually-cool these past couple of days, but otherwise, the mountains are wonderful, and we're waiting for you to join us on the slopes and in the towns. Just remember to take it easy, especially at first, and give your body some time to adjust to the opportunity to hang out with your friends in high places.

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Article Tags: health habits, health wealth and happiness, personal responsibility, successful entrepreneurs



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