Beat jet lag with a 30 minute workout

The following piece seen on the web yesterday gives a 30 minute workout to help beat jet lag and also repeats the information on what food to eat to keep you alert.

Jon Denoris, a fitness expert and consultant at Club 51 in Marylebone, specialises in helping business people get the most out of themselves through fitness and nutrition.“I work with a lot of people who can’t afford to suffer from jet lag,” he says. “I’ve found that 30 minutes is the magic time period to get people in the best shape possible for the day.

It needs to be done as close to arrival time as possible, and in daylight, as natural light combined with exercise is a powerful resynchroniser.”Denoris finds that a brisk aerobic workout – depending on how fit you are – is the most effective way of stimulating catecholamines, the hormones that bolster alertness.

You don’t have to be a regular gym-goer to reap the benefits of Denoris’s programmes. One, which caters to business travellers that complain they never see the cities they travel to, is called Beat Me Back. You walk 15-20 minutes away from your hotel, then retrace your steps, trying to return faster than you walked out.

If you’re going to use the unfamiliar hotel gym, Denoris has created an easy programme called 4,5,6 Reverse. You walk in, choose three cardio machines, and do four minutes on the first, five on the second, six on the third; then reverse and repeat, with six minutes on the first and so on. Do this twice and you’ve kept it interesting for yourself and your muscles, and fit a 30-minute cardio workout in.

Finally, interval training is the most intense and effective: warm up for five minutes, then alternate periods of five minutes high with five minutes low intensity for a total of 30 minutes. You can sprint round the park, or treadmill, or even swim for life in the pool.

To supplement your daily 30-minute cardio workout, Denoris recommends thinking about diet too. A carbohydrate-based meal can help induce sleep, while protein-based meals wake you up and will help with alertness. If you’re flying in from a night flight, go for bacon, eggs and yogurt for breakfast. If you need to sleep, go for pasta. “You can never eliminate jet lag,” reminds Denoris. “But combining exercise with the right mix of protein and carbs can make a big difference.”

For more information on jet lag and how to stay healthy whilst flying regularly go to www.passport4health.co.uk.

"...don't let your health fly away. We provide a safe landing."