Travel Fitness

     As many of you know by now I’m not just a fitness model and trainer, I’m also an airline pilot - A Captain for JetBlue Airways.  I’ve been a pilot for JetBlue for almost 10 years and before that I was a Navy carrier-based pilot for ten years.  In fact my primary career is being a commercial pilot, as it provides the highest standard of living and security for my family.  But what this also means is that I’ve had to become quite smart about staying fit while traveling.  So much so, that I’m the resident fitness advisor to our entire pilot cadre at JetBlue.

Inside the flight deck of a JetBlue Airways Airbus 320

     Flying jets is a really cool job and the jetsetting life can be pretty exciting and even glamorous at times, but staying fit while on the road can be quite a challenge and there are actually many occupational health hazards we deal with as pilots that are far from glamorous and downright lethal, which also apply to anybody who flies a lot.  Some of the more common occupational health hazards we face are caused by long-term sitting in a dry environment (inflight & hotel air-conditioned climates) and Circadian rhythm disruption (AKA jet lag issues).  But with a little packing planning, some discipline and a lot of physical self-awareness it is totally possible to stay fit while traveling.

     Remember YOU are your best healthcare advocate and greatest caretaker, because YOU are fully invested in yourself for a lifetime and have the most at stake.  Basically it comes down to packing your own healthy, convenient, non-messy snacks, and adopting the training philosophy that you can “workout anytime, anywhere with anything, even if only your own bodyweight.”  Just like when you’re back at home, applying a ‘Holistic Approach’ to your health when you’re on the road will help you avoid or at least offset all the obstacles & hazards that you will face.  In fact you will need to be even more aware, diligent and disciplined since you’re out of your normal routine in different surroundings.  To make life easier for my fellow pilots and for all you good folks who travel frequently, I have consolidated all my travel fitness articles and videos on to a single web page, www.pilotfitness.net.  Included are direct links to almost every air-travel related health hazard you can think of from bed bugs to deep-vein thrombosis, to hemorrhoids, to back pain.  So check it out and keep fit on the road!  No more excuses!