Still on a different Time Zone? Here's how to Beat Jet Lag

Ahh...the pains you have to go through to get to paradise (Corn Island, Caribbean).

Published by Action and Fitness Magazine

You’re back in Manila, but your mind and body clock is still in New York. That’s not a good thing when there is a night and day difference between cities. Everyone around you is getting up and at ‘em, while you walk around in a daze, ready to crash any moment. You got the travel bug, and it’s not the good kind. It’s called jet lag, the kind that punishes your body for the 14 hour long haul flight and the 12 hour time difference. There’s is no way you can turn back time, but there is a way to squash the bug. Here are a few quick turnaround tips:

 

Quick fixer-uppers
 

Hydrate – drink lots of fluids before, during, and after the flight. The dry cabin air can leave you dehydrated and can make you feel more tired than you already are. And when we say drink lots of fluids, we don’t mean the complimentary in flight beer or vodka on the rocks.

Rest – make sure you’re well rested before your trip. If you’re tired before you travel, jet lag will even be worse. Get a full night’s sleep before you take off.

Exercise – a no brainer, don’t you think? Staying in good shape in general can do lots of wonders. Stick to your exercise schedule. Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean your fitness routine should be on leave too.

Stretch - Athletes stretch and warm up before the game. You can benefit from that as well. Stretch out your limbs before the flight. Doing so helps your muscles and joints endure the hours of inactivity. You can also do it during the flight.

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Fly fully equipped – bring a neck pillow, a blindfold, slippers, and earplugs. Wear loose fitting clothes so your body can breathe. Your feet may swell up while in transit; avoid high heels or snug footwear.

Freshen up – while in flight, wash your face, brush your teeth, or even change undies. Freshening up can be rejuvenating.

Go decaf -   After the equivalent of 1 P.M. in your destination, refrain from drinking coffee.  Caffeine can greatly affect your snooze time and will make it more difficult for you to adjust to the new time zone.

Eat up – on the first few days of your trip, eat light snacks every few hours. Doing so will help keep your metabolism cranked throughout the day. It will also help prevent possible food coma from overeating.

Adapt - upon arrival, follow the schedule of the time zone you are in.  Even if you don’t feel like it yet, eat when the locals eat. Same goes for your sleeping schedule.

Shower – take a nice cold shower if you arrive in the morning. A shower after you’ve landed will make you feel refreshed and will help stimulate circulation. If you arrive at night, a hot shower or bath will help you relax before bedtime.

Readjusting your clock

According to the National Sleep Foundation, it will take you about a day to adjust for each time zone travelled.  Adjust your snooze button before your departure.  Several days before your flight:

Westward:  always wake up an hour later and sleep an hour later

Eastward: always wake up an hour earlier and sleep an hour earlier

You can also pre adjust by regulating your light exposure before your departure. If you’re heading:

Westward: expose yourself to light in the late afternoon and evening, and stay away from light in the morning 

Eastward: expose yourself to light in the morning, and stay away from light in the evening

Anti-jetlag diet  

Follow the following diet days before you’re scheduled to leave:

4 days before – start the Argonne Diet by consuming large meals. Opt for a high-protein breakfast and lunch. For dinner, stock up on the carbohydrates. Coffee intake should be limited between three and five in the afternoon.

3 days before – eat small. Total calorie consumption should not be more than 800 calories. You won’t be running a marathon so easy on the carbohydrates as well. Again, limit caffeine intake between three to five P.M.

2 days before – Gobble it all up. Eat large meals. Again, prepare high-protein meals for breakfast and lunch, and a high-carbohydrate dinner. Limit caffeine intake between three to five P.M.

1 day before – eat small and light. Total calorie consumption should not be more than 800 calories. Similarly, limit carbohydrate consumption. If you’re westbound, caffeine should only be taken in the morning. If you’re heading the opposite direction, coffee should be limited in the evenings.

Departure day – If it’s a long haul flight, sleep until breakfast time at your destination. Consume large meals with a big, high-protein breakfast.  

 

To pill or not to pill

Taking sleep aids may help you get a good sleep, but incorrect sleep medication, can only make jet lag worse. Here are some things to consider before popping the pill:
 

-          The National Sleep Foundation does not recommend over the counter sleep aids as they may cause a severe hangover effect.

-          If you are considering melatonin, a hormone produced by the body to induce sleep, take a pill at the time you wish to sleep at your destination, beginning three to four days before your trip.

-          Drink 0.5 to 5 mg of melatonin no earlier than three hours before you wish to go to sleep.

-          Taking melatonin with a light therapy box is known to reduce the effects of jet lag. A light therapy box gives off light that mimics outdoor light. It is often used to treat depression and other conditions caused by exposure to bright artificial light.

-          For a good four hour sleep, consider Sonata.

-          For long haul flights, you may want to take Lunesta. This sleep medication guarantees about 8 hours of sleep.

-          If you’re using Ambien, avoid taking it for a flight that is less than 8 hours long. Also, do not take with alcohol.

-          Remember that taking sleeping pills can cause nausea, dizziness, confusion, headache, vomiting, and dry mouth.

-          You may also want to try antihistamines and motion sickness pills to induce sleep.

-          Consult your doctor before taking any of these medications.

 
Get moving in-flight

If you’re not getting any sleep, might as well get moving. Combat discomfort, poor circulation, swelling, cramps, and lethargy by exercising in flight.  
 

-          Walk around the aisles when seatbelts signs are off.

-          Squeeze a tennis ball or even a balled up sock with your hands until they’re tired.

-          You derrière gets the most beating during long haul flights. Exercise your gluteus muscles by flexing and holding as long as possible.

-          With the balls of your feet planted, raise your legs using the calf muscles. Place your hand carry on your knees for more resistance. Repeat until tired.

-          Do repetitive, head, shoulder, and arm rolls.

-          Stretch your arms and legs constantly. Arch your torso forward and backwards like a cat.

 

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Our Greatest Journey - Winter 2014

 

 

 

 

Winter has been so kind to us this year. It has gifted us with many days of sun, days of blissful 70s weather occasionally gloomed by the “teens” (with a pretty dusting of snow as consolation) as if to remind us that winter is still very much present. But then we can’t complain. In a few days we are off to Tulum, Mexico for our yearly winter escape.

 

Wake me up when winter ends.

I know I’ve said this before, but every year, we decorate the foot of our Christmas tree with Christmas books before Santa comes in to replace them with presents. I’ve collected over a dozen Christmas books and was going to feature one of my son’s favorites. But at the last minute, I’ve chosen The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s book, as the winter book for several reasons. First, I’ve been very pleased with how my son has taken to reading. We read every day, twice a day (before naptime and bedtime) at least two books every time. Sometimes he’d try to prolong going to sleep with an emphatic “one more” or “last one” until we’ve read about 4.

  

Our first Christmas in our new home.

There is always a favored one every week, one we’d read over and over again every day and one of them is The Very Hungry Caterpillar about  -you guessed it – a famished insect who ate through the whole week. Written and illustrated by Eric Carle, the picture book is a fun tale for toddlers that teaches them about what happens when one overeats while learning about the days of the week, counting, and different foods. I had gotten a small board book but it got waterlogged when I set it by the fish tank, so I moved the fish down to the kitchen, also because his bookshelf is starting to get really crowded (Because of the flurry of activities, I had failed to mention that we had gotten a dragon scale betta fish last spring for our son and had parked the little aquarium in his bookcase. The fish called Una is almost a year old now. We’re very surprised he survived this long).

One of our new Christmas books is The Night before Christmas

a Little Golden Book specially printed

by my husband’s company for the kids.

 

As replacement for the board book, I found this coloring book version of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I thought it was perfect, because we’ve been staying indoors a lot this season. Christmas and winter are all about crafts, trying to keep an ever curious and restless toddler busy with paste, paints, and crayons. You will find the book on the banner, opened up to the butterfly page in anticipation of spring.

 

Christmas (and the entire winter) was all about crafts.

 

Also on the desk is a tulip, part of the Valentine bouquet from my husband, because Tulips are very significant to us. Many say that tulips are symbolic of perfect love and eternal life. This spring blossom is also a favorite flower of someone very dear to me, my angel, who was lifted up to heaven a long time ago.

 

Una is surviving winter.

 

Several years back, I had asked St. Therese for a sign to know if my boyfriend then (now my husband) is the one I will be spending my happy-ever-after with. And when I received a bouquet of roses (St. Therese’s sign of an answered prayer), it was wrapped in paper printed with Holland tulips. Call me nostalgic, superstitious, and a romantic fool, but I thought it was almost like my angel was telling me: “go and move forward. He’s the one.”  And so I walked down the aisle to meet my best friend with a bunch of burnt orange tulips held tight. I’ve never let go since.

 

My bridal bouquet of burnt orange tulips, heralds of spring.

 

On St. Valentine’s Day, we renewed our vows in a little chapel along with about a dozen couples, a majority of them were elderly couples, and we were probably the youngest pair. I found it meaningful, to be surrounded with older couples who still strive to strengthen their marriage even after all these years. The Rev. Bishop Patrick Zurek officiated the Celebration and Recommitment of Sacramental Love. For our marriage to be blessed by a bishop no less made the ceremony even more significant. He said that there is something liberating about committing to love, to one person. How ironic but true. It then occurred to me that on the day that I tied the knot, I was freed.

 

With my Valentine and Ever-After.

 

The place card on the desk is from the dinner after the service. Last year, we celebrated valentines on the beach, under the stars, with a Swiss couple. I hope our Valentine’s celebration next year will be another unique occasion (not that there is anything wrong with the usual wining and dining).

A little greeting from my cupid.

 

I usually feature a travel item/gear and for this season, it’s my favorite winter tote. It’s an oldie from Michael Korrs, a metallic silver tote with leather straps. It’s light and roomy enough for my personal effects, my camera, and diapers (which I hope to be rid of in the next few weeks). And because it’s silver, it’s a great accessory to brighten up my outfits this winter.

 

This metallic MK tote brightens up my winter wardrobe.

 

And finally, the paisley notebook is my journal for 2013 as I say farewell to another beautiful year. It sits on the National Geographic magazine to welcome Our Greatest Journey yet: 2014.

 

Here's a to a blessed and beautiful year ahead!

 

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As the seasons change, so will my desktop banner. I will be adding little touches to it, moving the items around, and customizing it for the season. I will archive its transformation on My Desk. 

Read more about how I put the banner together and how my real writer's desk looks like at My Desk. And tell me how your desk looks like, and I will tell you who you are.

 

 

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Better Blocks in OKC

From my TravelOKCity Column

Living in the city, I have always been drawn to creative dynamic districts. Instead of going to the hippest nightspot, I prefer places alive not with blaring Lady GaGa but with folksy local tunes. I love places of diversity where owners of pop-up businesses can share artisan coffee with conglomerates and talk about homegrown art. A thriving place that offers a wide variety of options for the craving palate and the hungry soul seeking self-expression and stimulation. A green society that creatively benefits from the environment without taking advantage of it.

Better Block OKC is in the process of building these communities, street by street, block by block.  A city movement, Better Block OKC is a community revitalization project initiated by Urban Land Oklahoma Institute (ULI), an organization that advocates the responsible use of land and supports in creating and sustaining thriving communities. In alignment with ULI’s commitment, Better Block OKC aims to change the way we live in an urban landscape by temporarily demonstrating how to improve an area with pedestrian and public infrastructure combined with art, culture, pop-up businesses, and street life. I’ve heard a few call it the dream of the Millennials, a place similar to the plazas and markets in Europe where people can lounge, commune, and be inspired. 

 

Indeed, wouldn’t it be wonderful to step out of your home into a block party or a town fiesta? Or to have a buzzing market with fresh produce and affordable crafts just a walking distance away? I’d like to have a used bookstore and a café just next-door where I can take a break from my writing without breaking the bank.

Last month, I stepped into this aspired world at NW7th and Hudson where Better Block OKC launched its first project, transforming an area that would have been otherwise just another region in the city into a hub of activity.

 

 

Trucks lined the streets selling all sorts of food fare from waffles to eggrolls.  Establishments took their café tables and chairs out to join the party. Makeshift stalls sold fresh fruits and vegetables. Shops like OUI showcased handmade and one of a kind jewelry, paper garlands, weavings, and ceramics from independent artists and designers from LA, NY, and OKC.

A pop-up flower shop bloomed with rainforest-certified, free-trade roses from Ecuador. Farm-direct flowers like ranunculus, jumbo hydrangeas, Starfighters, and white Oriental lilies filled the air with the smell of spring and the promise of a blossoming summer.Art installations also decorated the sidewalk, adding to the festivities.  Recycled bottles were used as planters and hung in strings forming a “green” curtain against a brick wall.

 

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While lining up for Belgian waffles, I witnessed street art in the works. Two young men busied themselves with spray paint, one balancing on a small ladder, the other on a bicycle. Their masterpiece expressed the sentiment of the entire state: a bright yellow thunder rumbling over the opposing team.   

The whole process was art itself, including the spectators taking it all in with their eyes and their camera phones. They gathered around in an almost perfect half circle as the artists moved, in sync to the music, sometimes in unison, sometimes in response to each other’s movement as if they were in a standoff. Their agile bodies swayed this way and that, stretching their arms as far as they could reach to bring forth color.

 

 

Better Block OKC was also Better Bark OKC. The 2 day event encouraged furry friends to come by as long as they were on leashes.

 Everything inspired creativity and community to urge the people to get more involved.  An interactive chalk wall encouraged revelers to share their thoughts about community building or simply have fun by making up their own once-upon-a-time –stories by filling in the blanks.

 

 

Little notebooks were handed out for visionaries to write their ideas and suggestions for the city.   “Think big and broad. Now and later. Detailed and big picture. But most of all, remember that your ideas matter,” encourages the first page.  “Be a player in your neighborhood; champion its needs, and help us build a better OKC.” Pages are like worksheets or activity sheets where people can draw, doodle, or simply dream.

I don’t know when the next Better Block party is, but soon as I hear about it, I’ll let you know and we’ll have a party.

 

 

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Coming home (Fall 2013)

 

 

The first banner taken in my new office.

 

Fall had escaped me too quickly. I’m now facing the first days of January from my  new office window, watching the snow start to melt under the bright sun. I am going to ask the same question I asked from summer: where did the autumn days go? To moving and unpacking. To settling in and repainting. To welcoming a steady stream of visitors and showing them around town. To making new friends and coming home. And so I apologize not only to you but to one of my favorite seasons for not giving it a proper tribute. And although we’re in the midst of winter, I am still posting the fall banner as My Desk is really just my journal and milestone tracker. And if you just happen to drop by, you are more than welcome to take the tour.  

A fall find I failed to share last year.

 

When we first came home to our new property, we found a card sitting on a little housewarming present from the previous owner. “I hope this home makes you as happy as it has us. We have made some of our best friends in this home and neighborhood,” it read.

And then the last line made my eyes well up –“Love abides in this place!” This is exactly how I feel about our old home, and it gave me great comfort to know that we are moving in to a place filled with love.

Love abides in this place.

 

I didn’t think it would be possible, but I had fallen in love with this house. It is in another historical neighborhood with lots of trees. This house is a little bit younger, built in the forties, but the little remnants of history from the milk door to the antique keys you see on the banner (don’t you just love old fashioned keys? I got one made into a necklace by a local artist in Oklahoma) gives the house just as much character as our starter home. It is also twice as large as our old abode with 4 bedrooms split on two floors, a basement, an attic, a laundry room, a walk-in pantry, a shed, huge front and backyards, and a dog run.  Each bedroom has an adorable window alcove, including the bathrooms which are almost twice the size of our old ones. The eat-in kitchen is spacious enough to accommodate our pub table. We painted the dining side of the kitchen red to make it look just like our old breakfast nook.

The living room before we moved in (photo borrowed from the real estate site)

 

Our living room now.

There is more than enough space than we know what to do with. In fact, now that I have a good sized walk-in closet, the closet and the dresser in our bedroom are practically empty (the TV room is also my husband’s dressing room, in case you’re wondering). There are two big closets in my office. One is almost empty while the other is where I temporarily store my books. Floor to ceiling bookshelves are underway.

I can't ask for a better office view.

 

I no longer have the three large windows that faced the backyard in my previous office, but I got a great trade off: three tall windows facing different sides of the house- the street, the backyard, and the side of the house overgrown with ivy and foliage, making it look like an enchanted forest according to my husband. He had planted a bird feeder by the window and most days, little chirping visitors (over a dozen of them when the feeder is full) would come to say hello. I couldn’t ask for more.

Speaking of windows, they’re everywhere. My kitchen is surrounded with them and the living room and the formal dining room feature beautiful bay windows. It is important for lots of light to come in and bless us every day.

I’m also happy that the house is a walking distance away from schools and a 10-minute drive to my husband’s workplace. After all, what’s the point of a beautiful dwelling place when you can’t come home early enough to enjoy it?

I enjoy decorating the house with pumpkins!

And so the past few months had been spent unpacking, cleaning, painting, staining, hammering, looking for specific things in the dozens of boxes, bickering (I want it red, he wants it to remain gray), exploring, discovering (I found an old fashioned pencil sharpener in the attic and he found a vintage fireplace poker in the basement!), sitting back and enjoying what we’ve done so far, and envisioning the many joyful days in this house.

We started exploring the Canyons this fall.

Featured on the desk is the door knocker from my husband’s childhood home. My in-laws had given it to us as a housewarming gift. Meaning and history make presents even more special, don’t you think? It has our last name engraved on the face and making it even more special is the fact that they think only my husband (amongst the siblings) would appreciate such a gift.

For the longest time, I had referred to our son as a “winter baby” but technically, he is an “autumn child” as he was born on the last day of fall. But then he was a newborn throughout winter, so I guess we can say that he is a child of both seasons. Time flies quicker than the falling leaves. He’s walking out of my heart too soon and his first little pair of shoes are on the banner (a gift from friends). Just recently he has taken to calling me “mom” instead of “momma”. There is something sweet and funny about that, but it’s also sad.

The fall festivities also kept as pretty busy.

 

We now know our ABCs (although we trip on the letter J or the letter Y every now and then), can spell our name, and can count all the way up to 40 when guided (1-10 is a piece of cake). He loves tea sets as much as he loves cars and can navigate through the iPad better than his dad can.

Speaking of Apple products, I recently switched to a different phone provider on an iPhone just because it’s free. I still maintain what I said before about Apple products. I don’t see what the fuss is all about. It’s actually a bit of an annoyance sometimes, because the displays are so darn small that most times I would need my glasses just to read a text message.

Also on the desk is a Build-A-Bear dressed in Marine Dress Blues.  My husband’s nephew Ben had had it made when he was much younger in honor of his uncle serving in the Military. Now that Ben has outgrown it, he’s passing it on to his uncle’s son. I find it a sweet gesture which is why I’m including the marine teddy on the desk also to commemorate Veterans Day. I feel so blessed knowing that my son has such a great role model.

I've taken an interest in chalkboard art lately.

 

The first quarter of the year is when we usually go for our vacation abroad, so we’ve been  looking around for a new destination. Guatemala or neighboring countries in Central America were in the shortlist just because it would be an easy flight (which explains the Lonely Planet guide on the desk). The major consideration was the distance. It has to be a short and easy flight as we are taking our toddler with us. But our search eventually brought us even closer to home until we landed on the Mayan Rivera.

I painted a whole panel in my son's room this chalkboard in the hopes of sparking creativity.

 

Mexico has never been in our radar. I hate to sound like a snob but to us, going to Mexico is synonymous to say, a trip to Las Vegas or L.A., overly commercialized tourist traps. I would more than likely have fun in these places, but they would never find a spot in our itinerary. Then we discovered Tulum, not quite as trampled and trodden as Cancun, but offers us the Mayan Ruins, the Riviera Maya white sand beaches, the ecological parks, the colorful markets in the pueblo, and all the tamales we can eat. The tickets have been bought and the beach side hotel has been booked. We’re counting the days.

An Amarillo autumn

 

Finally, the book for fall is Middlesex, a Pulitzer Prize winner by Jeffrey Eugenides. Urged by the old adage “don’t judge the book by its cover”, I endeavored to plow through it although it looked like heavy reading (remembering my bumpy trip On the Road) based on the somewhat somber looking book cover. It was far from gloomy though even with the story starting at fire- and war-ravaged Smyrna.

Middlesex is an engaging light read, a telling of a family saga, ala telenovella, only retold masterfully and cleverly, deserving of the prestigious award. Aboard the ship to the United States, the reader is taken on a history lesson on the Balkan Wars, the Nation of Islam, the Watergate Scandal, and the rise and fall of Detroit in the 60s, events that I would have otherwise little interest in. The story also explores gender identity and ultimately, the search for one’s true self. After all, isn’t that every one’s quest in life?

Just a few months in the house and we were already receiving guests.

 

Someone close to me had recently disclosed that she is finding her purpose yet again. She is over 10 years my senior, and she’s come upon this selfless but unsettling stage in her life when she gave everything until all she can hear is the echo of tired laughter. Even at her age, I understand her longing, because I feel that we are constantly finding purpose, otherwise we remain complacent and stagnant. I believe that we need to keep moving, keep traveling. Didn’t Pico Iyer say that “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves?”

Relocating had forced me to reevaluate my purpose as it somehow derailed my path to my goals. But in the end, the aim is always the same: to be happy. Because it is when we are happy and content with ourselves that we become more useful to the world. At least, that’s what I believe.

Don’t listen to me. Just go keep moving, find your happiness, and then come home.

And this is home.


 

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As the seasons change, so will my desktop banner. I will be adding little touches to it, moving the items around, and customizing it for the season. I will archive its transformation on My Desk. 

Read more about how I put the banner together and how my real writer's desk looks like at My Desk. And tell me how your desk looks like, and I will tell you who you are.

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