Baby boomers, do you think things have been a little quiet around here for the last two weeks? If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve certainly noticed my absence. Ever since returning from a Chicago weekend attending BlogHer and Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX), I’ve been coughing, sleeping and slugging down the meds. How did a healthy baby boomer like me come down with such a nasty throat and sinus infection? I didn’t follow my healthy living routine. That’s right, I threw caution to the wind and pretended like I was a 29-year-old. Here’s what I did to sabotage my own health:
Not enough sleep
I found the noise level at BlogHer to be over-stimulating, which meant it took a long time for me to wind down at night. I stayed up till midnight each night cruising the internet, waiting for sleep to come. By 6 a.m., I was up taking care of blog business before attending daily conference sessions. A better choice would have been to turn off the computer, read a book and forget blog business for the weekend.
No exercise
No, I didn’t pay to visit the hotel’s gym. And, I didn’t skip out on an afternoon BlogHer session to walk the vibrant streets of Chicago. Instead, I took a nap in the room when exercise would have been a better choice.
Poor nutrition
What possessed me to think that appetizers and a glass of wine would make a good substitute for a healthy meal? No matter, now you know what I ate each night. The conference food was loaded with carbs and empty calories plus too many cups of coffee, which I drank endlessly because “it was there.” What about the bag of vitamins I brought with me? Got busy. Didn’t take them.
Inadequate hygiene
With 1500 participants touching handrails, shaking hands, passing out swag, how many times did I wash my hands? Obviously, not enough. Alan always has a small bottle of sanitary hand wash with him. Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m embarrassed when he pulls it out in a restaurant. Well, not anymore. From now on, I’ll be packing a bottle of my own.
So, what does this have to do with baby boomer travel? It’s easy to make these same mistakes when you’re on that trip of a lifetime. You want to see it all, eat what you shouldn’t and not miss a moment. Before long, you’re postponing or skipping your regular routine. But, you know what? There’s only so much that our aging bodies will take. So, learn from my mistake. Keep up your healthy living routine while on the road.
These sites might keep you healthy too:
Healthy Travel Blog
Healthy Travel – Preventing Illness
Travel Medicine
Do you have a healthy travel routine? Post a comment. I’m turning over a new leaf.
