THE BEST THING TO DO ON ARRIVAL

Whether you turn left or right into the cabin on your next long haul flight, the chances are you'll arrive feeling pretty unfresh. There's nothing quite as unnatural as sitting (or lying!) for eight-to-twelve hours in a metal container, 35,000 feet in the sky, sharing all that air with three hundred others. The environment has very low humidity (about 20%), causing dehydration and the cabin pressure reduces oxygen in our blood, leaving us sluggish. The other unforgettable sensation from being in the air is having bloated bellies! The lower air pressure causes gases in our digestive system to expand, which exaggerates our lethargy. 

Prolonged sitting anywhere reduces muscle activity and circulation, but add cabin pressure, low humidity, and a disruption to our circadian rhythm while crossing inter-galactic time zones, we arrive feeling dusty, heavy and jittery. Leave the journey behind - it is time to move. 

There is nothing quite as effective nor liberating as movement to bring us back to life after being vacuum-packed with so many others, for so long. Enlivening the body, oxygenating the blood, activating our metabolism and cleansing the skin with a sweat, all bring us back to good working order.

 
The single best way to map your body to your new time zone is to eat in sync with local meal times. Feel hungry after a long-haul? Not bloody likely, my body is too confused. Regardless of whether the next local meal time is coming right up or you have a few hours to prepare, nothing will set you up better to savour the occasion than some metabolic encouragement - move your body. 



Moving in your new time zone will promote better sleep when the time comes. Have you ever arrived at midnight and yet felt wide awake? Move! Have you ever arrived at 6am and felt like the night has been stolen from you? Move.

Movement reconnects us with our physical selves, restores balance throughout our bodily systems and reviatlises us for our time ahead.