3 Ways I Make An Airport Lounge A Healthy Experience

I have been back on the big tin can in the sky, quite a lot of late (my definition of frequent travel is every 3 – 4 weeks). This is great fun and I love to travel, but it does highlight the potential health risks to those who let the experience get the better of them. Send me a note if you would like to see me walk you through a lounge to show how the below can be achieved.

I have written in the past and released a YouTube video (my channel is John Purl Coaching), on how I stay healthy when travelling. Specifically, how I optimise my sleep, my movement, and the contents of my ‘health travel pack’. However, the last trip I took highlighted the impact, or potential health impact, of being in airport lounges frequently. So here is what I observed and my solutions for getting the most out of this experience and not allowing it to adversely impact your wellbeing.

1. You are in an airport lounge, not a 40^th birthday. What do I mean by this? Alcohol! Wow…….sometimes you would think people are celebrating a milestone birthday the way they throw back the drinks. Ok, so I know what some of you are saying….maybe they had a massive business win, maybe they are going on holiday, maybe they are going out on the town when they get home. Sure…..maybe, but on a Tuesday afternoon at 3:00pm you see people knock back 4, 5, 6 wines, I feel the aforementioned are the minority. Will I have a drink the lounge? Yes. I enjoy a wine with a meal if it is later in the afternoon or evening, but more than this it will:
2. 1. Inhibit my ability to drive home once I land.
   2. Will negatively impact the quality of sleep that evening.
   3. Will drastically reduce my productivity (if doing work) and most likely increase the chances of making errors.
   4. The obvious health impacts of excess alcohol. Unlikely this is the one day of the week they are drinking, so potential for significant volume consumed over the 7-day week.

Instead of consuming (excess) alcohol;

1. Choose soda water with fresh lime or a soda lime (still fresh lime) and bitters.
2. There will always be an array of teas. I would prefer a green tea or chamomile tea.
3. If it is earlier than 2:00pm, I would visit the in-lounge barista. I am not a coffee snob, so I really enjoy the barista made coffees in the lounge. Opt for a black coffee or add in coconut or almond milk where desired. 

2. Food is an obvious health consideration when in a lounge. Now given this blog could turn into a 5000-word thesis if I broke down each primary meal of the day and how to hack it (should I do this in a video?), let me give you the key takeaways (based on a domestic lounge. More options typically available in an international lounge).

1. 1. This one gets me funny looks. There are always ham/chicken salad wraps and sandwiches. My preference is to load up the plate with these…..scrape out the ingredients onto a separate plate and toss away the wraps/bread. When you pile up three or four wraps on a separate plate, it really hits home the volume of carbohydrates (and just food) is actually there. Granted I choose to eat low carb. Instead, I choose to focus on proteins, fats & greens. But what I know occurs for many, is post carb lethargy. That is, you will get the nods, post consuming a pile of wraps and sandwiches which will not only mean the carbs are converting to un-used sugars, but it destroys productivity in the lounge due to being so tired.
   2. Create a bowl of salad from the salad bar. I will also add in a few pieces of cheese from the ‘nibbles’ section. Low calorie, but I will happily eat a few bowls of this instead of mini pies or burgers.
   3. From time to time, there will be an Indian dish like butter chicken. Now, we don’t exactly know how they make it (you can always ask), but at its core it should be coconut cream, chicken, and spices. I will have a bowl off this (I do keep the sauce low…..just personal choice) and a small amount of rice.
   4. Breakfast options can vary, but they do tend to favour the scrambled eggs. Again, I feel they are not the pure scrambled eggs that you would make at home, but some airlines are better than others. This is a really lean and clean way of starting the day.
   5. Again, with breakfast, hunt down some coconut yoghurt and mix in some fruit. Ideally try to source berries over other fruit choices (pure sugar play here), but some rockmelon and watermelon is going to be a better option than the pancake machine.
   6. When you are eating, finish with a green tea to aid with digestion….not a fourth milky flat white coffee.

3. Health goes beyond just what we eat and drink but encompasses the environment in which we keep. Airport lounges are notoriously busy and can be loud. If you are trying to be productive and get ‘tasks’ done, it can be very challenging. Not only this, I like to find time to simply stop, reflect and even meditate. To do these things I will find the furthest corner of the lounge. Away from the food and alcohol. This is where the masses tend to congregate. Find a quiet corner and use the time in the lounge to not only be productive, but to down-regulate and focus on ‘self’. I will pop my headphones on and run through a 5 – 15 minute guided meditation.

Bonus – When travelling internationally, I will opt to fast instead of consuming the meals on the plane. If I am going to eat as part of an international journey, I will access or pay to access a lounge as the food choices are often better quality than on the plane and inside the broader terminal.

These are based on the common domestic airport lounges. Having visited several international airline lounges, the options are even better. Travel is a luxury and often a great deal of fun. However, the over-enjoyment when participated in regularly, can quickly lead to long term health problems. Do not worry about what others are doing. Swim your own race and focus on your health and wellbeing when travelling.