Tips for Staying Healthy on Your Travel Assignment

Liz Grima | posted March 18, 2009 |

Starting a new travel assignment can be exciting and fun, but learning your way around a new building, new people and a new city can also be stressful. With all your new responsibilities, you’ll want to make sure you stay healthy so that your travel assignment can be as rewarding as possible for both you and your employer. In order to keep your immune system strong and your body healthy, you should make maintaining a healthy lifestyle a priority.

Get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep allows you to be alert and refreshed for your shifts, and the National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours of sleep for adults. While consistently getting this amount of sleep may sound like a luxury, you should try to stick to a normal sleep routine, even on your days off.

You may be working a night shift on your assignment, and if this is the case, make sure that you are able to get quality sleep. Take measures to keep your bedroom cool, dark and free from distractions, including televisions and telephones. Make sure that people know not to disturb you during certain hours unless it is an emergency.

Eat well. Part of staying healthy is making sure that your body has the fuel it needs. Even though pre-packaged foods are easy to grab in a hurry, they are often full of refined sugar and unhealthy fats. This can lead to spikes and crashes in your blood sugar levels, which will only leave you feeling sluggish. Try to keep healthy snacks on hand, such as almonds or pre-cut vegetables. You can buy these in bulk and portion them into individual servings for grab-and-go options later. On your days off, minimize your trips to restaurants and cook some healthy, simple meals consisting of lean protein, vegetables and whole grains.

Exercise. Exercise not only helps you stay fit, but it also helps relieve stress. Aim for 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week. If you’re staying in an apartment, check to see if they have an onsite gym. You can also walk around your neighborhood to find nearby shops and activities for your days off.

Taking care of yourself benefits not only you but your patients as well. It doesn’t have to take a lot of effort to feel great and live will.