12 hours on a plane ! Help !

[Iron-T]

I am facing an overseas flight next month and I am already horrified about being trapped in my seat for 11 hours @!!@@% It's been a while, since I traveled that long ! PLEASE, if you have any tips for me...from preventing headaches, to snacks, to exercises....please share your ideas !!!
I am taking a resistance band with me on board, hoping to come up with some moves to do in tight quarters...:0 For snacks...bagged whole grain cereal, pre-cooked chickenbreast ( have a small cooler ), wheyprotein ...

[MsFit]

Ok, I made this trip to Alaska and it was very tiring. First, invest in some good quality protein bars to munch on and bring a bodybuilding magazine to keep you mentally pumped and occupied.

For a quick workout, do eyeball exercises; strain......and relaxxxxxx........., strain........and relaxxxxxx...........ahhhhhhhh....Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Following the eye exercises, pop all your knuckles one at a time, be sure you irritate everyone around you. Next, crack your neck, back, and so forth.

For your basic throat exercise, gargle your complimentary drink.

Make sure you specify to the flight attendant that you are on a high protein diet, limited grains and require substantial fibrous vegetables, plus adequate water.

The large water consumption will enable your bladder function, speeding up your meatbolism and require you to use the latrine often; hence, cardio.

For muscular work, lift your lap try up and down; this action works the entire arm muscle and indirectly, the chest.

If you get sick on the plane and up-chuck, debit 100 calories that day and start over in the morning.

Hope this helps, and have a safe trip Iron-T. ;)
MsFit

[ctgblue]

Eat a LOT of cabbage and beans, this will enable you to have a row ALL TO YOURSELF, and it will keep you warm. :D

[Iron-T]

..ha ha..you guys are killing me !!#!% All very valuable advice..MsFit you are a riot ! Except that I can relate to some of those tips..at least the frequaent bathroom trips for cardio..I am good at that ! I just wish they wouldn't always decide to block the aisle when I have to go ..!!
I guess i could always get really drunk..I don't drink..so i could pass out after just one and miss the entire flight..problem solved..except i would be in awful shape upon arrival !

No, seriously !!! Any ideas ????? At least i am flying business class, so the seat is more comfortable and reclinable..

[MsFit]

I take quality, low-carb protein bar, pre-measured whey protein in ziplock bags and a bottle of water. I eat the "good" food served on the plane, such as nuts, fruits, meat, and veggies.
MsFit

[RedHedd]

You can ask ahead of time to be served a "specialty" meal--which can be anything from vegetarian to kosher to moslem (which I really wouldn't recommend actually...LOL) Depending on the airline there are quite a few alternatives. Ask your travel agent what options are available. Usually the specialty stuff is far better than the regular crap. I'm not a vegetarian, but I usually ask for the veggie option. You usually have to request this ahead of time.
Try and get up and walk around every couple of hours or so to keep the blood moving in your legs. Bring an eyemask and try to sleep some. Hope to god you have an airplane that has the entertainment systems in every seat so that you have a wide variety of movies you can choose from--and that the one in your seat works. Bring books--one magazine won't last very long--but let them be books you're willing to leave behind so that you aren't lugging them around for the rest of your trip after you've read them.

[cambgirl]

You know a lot has yet to be said about the blood moving in your legs.. I have read in papers about blood clots etc and law suits... but this is so funny... I had a pt. who has spent the past 13 days in our ER getting tx for a blood clot and yesterday I said to him what do you do for living he says I am a flight attentdant.. I am get out... is that how you got your blood clot... he says no I was a passenger on vacation from aussie and sat the whole time ane when I got home, pain in my calf.... just figures eh... does it for a living and cannot claim WCB>>>>>>

[Hibiscus09]

Two Simply Sleep & a couple of glasses of wine. :) Sorry! I'm scared to death of flying & this is the prescription that works for me!

[MsFit]

Originally posted by Hibiscus09
I'm scared to death of flying
Tranquilizer......... :D
MsFit

[Danielle]

Originally posted by MsFit
Tranquilizer......... :D
MsFit

What kind? Horse Tranquilizer? If so, please send some this way...

IRON - T: Don't forget your discman or walkman...

[Iron-T]

you guys..thanks for your input...if any it was very entertaining to read !!...yeah, just hit me over the head and wake me up when I am there !$@!%
Ha ha...tranquilizer..beans and cabbage..my god you people are creative !
I could start a pillow fight with fellow travelers...that'll take care of some fast twitch muscle fibres ( the throwing action )..ha haaa...

okay, seriously. My walkman is with me..that's standard in my flight-survival kit. Then I take a resistance band, I am sure I can come up with some biceps curls or something ... ( people will look at me funny, but who cares !? I don't want to feel like I got run over by a truck upon arrival ).
I just hope I don't have some sweaty, huge person next to me, who I have to climb over every time I have to go to the toilet ( and with the amounts I drink....that'll be pretty damn often ! )....

Ah..airplanes..isn't it fun !? I think great comedies always involve some kind of airplane slapstick..and it's so funny, because there is truth to it...! Just think of those vacuum packed snacks...you see people try to break them open using their teeth....ha hah..and then POP and the entire aisle is covered with peanuts and someone else with step on it and have it stuck on their socks ! And those toilets..AAAH..I am always afraid it sucks me in ...

..ha ha..I love this thread ! Maybe I should write a book while on the plane about my observations on a long-distance flights or something like that... :)

[Danielle]

Iron- T check out www.ivillage.com - they have exercises for those people are at work with no time to exercise and are in small spaces so that should help ya out

[Iron-T]

@ Danielle
thanks for the tip . I know the site...it's great.. there is a lot on everything on there.. . I'll check it out

[Amanda]

Travel is my hobby, so here's a couple of things I've learned -

1. Always ask for an aisle seat.
This means that you can stretch your legs out into the aisle & be a bit more comfy, plus if you want to get up you don't have to crawl over others.

2. Request the vegetarian meal.
Airline food is pretty ordinary as a rule, but in business class hopefully you'll get a better meal. Even if you don't, we always say we won't eat the meal, but when it arrives, you'll eat it, more out of boredom than anything else! So the vegetarian is usually a better option.

3. Get up every hour & stretch your legs. Obviously you can't go far, but it will keep your circulation going.

4. Take something to entertain yourself.
I often find that whatever they're showing on inflight entertainment doesn't interest me! So take a good book, a book of crossword puzzles, or writing materials to catch up on your correspondence or something.

5. Whenever you are seated, have your seatbelt done up.
If you put your blanket over yourself, have the seat belt on top. This will stop the stewardess disturbing you to tell you to buckle your belt. Plus turbulence doesn't show up on radar or anything, so if it hits suddenly, you could be hittling the ceiling before they light the seatbelt sign. This is what has happened when you hear about people who are injured by clear air turbulence.

6. Do your homework on your destinations!
Knowing about a country, & what you want to get out of your trip beforehand can make all the difference to the enjoyment of your trip.
Some websites to check out are...
http://www.oratory.com/travel/ is an excellent site for advice on packing & what to take. They even have a printable checklist.
http://www.fodors.com/ which is the online site by the people that do the Fodors guidebooks.
http://www.frommers.com/ is the online site of the Frommers travel mag (& I think they might do books too).
http://www.wtgonline.com/navigate/world.asp is Worldtravelguide.net. This one is really good for very clear, concise information on destinations.


Have a fabulous trip, & let us know how you go!

[Iron-T]

@ Amanda

unfortunately this is no vacation...I have a one-way ticket !!! In short ( because otherwise I'll write a novel ) : I am originally from germany. I lived the States 11 years, never went back there since. Now i reached the end of the line in terms of work permits / visa, so I HAVE TO go back !! I'll probably spend my time crying half the way...
:(
I will have to start ALL OVER...job, apartment, etc...my god my english is better than my german...I mean EVERYTHING will be different. At least i have my family to fall back on, so I'll stay with my parents again for starters...