hello everybody, i'm going on to Niagara Falls for the weekend for a wedding. It's going to be a looooong car ride and I'm only going for a night (grumble grumble grumble)...ANYWAY. i have noticed that on long car rides and short trips that my body gets all weird, I get bloated and just feel yucky and it takes a couple of days for my body to "deflate" for a lack of a better term. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this kind of thing, is there anything i can do besides just drink a ton of water and stop at every single rest stop? (its times like those that i wish i was a guy...soo much easier).

Yup. I travel a lot and it happens to me when I drive or when I fly. You're sitting in one place, breathing filtered air, probably not eating on your regular routines. It's pretty normal.

Try to take a break from driving when you can and not only pee, but walk around, stretch, do some things like lunges, etc. It'll help a lot.

.

ah, thanks PhotoChick. BTW, i love the flowers in your little pick, what are they called?

Sorry I have no advice for you, just wanted to say enjoy my hometown Hopefully your going to the Canadian side, the American side sucks

Yeah. Getting up and really moving is the key. Sometimes when I'm traveling, at pit stops, I start walking before everyone gets in the car and they pick me up on the way. Or I do laps around the gas station.

luvja, hahahahha...of course i'm going to the Canadian side .

Yes! I hate that. I have always found the cause, for me, to be the fact that I tend to eat a lot of junk food on trips.

Oh thanks! They're peonies. These particular ones were from a wedding I shot a couple of years ago - the bride had peonies in galvanized buckets on the tables at the reception, since it was a casual, outdoor summer type thing.

.

Another thing to consider is your sodium intake -- when travelling, I know I tend to eat more processed or fast foods, because that is what is readily available. Eating more sodium can also cause water retention and bloating.

The other factor for me is, ahem, constipation. I think it has something to do with being off schedule, sitting for long periods, etc. The only tips I can offer are to eat lots of fiber and drink lots of water -- and get up and move around when you can.

Just a couple of other ideas!

Movement really helps. I get up in the aisles of planes and do stretches. When you stop at a rest stop try taking a five minute walk...

thank you all so much. What you guys say makes a lot of sense, it is a combination of just sitting there and not moving and eating just junk food. I bought, as my husband calls it "rabbit food", carrots, celery, apples, sugar snaps, and bell peppers for the trip.

and MBN, i totally understand what you mean about the, uh, constipation. But, hopefully, this trip will be a lot better as i will be drinking water like it's going out of fashion.