Tips for Taming Travel Tension over the Holidays緩解假期旅行疲勞的建議

達娜·桑塔斯/文　李攸/譯

For many people， travel is a necessary part of celebrating the holidays with loved ones. This means enduring all the stressful hiccups1 that can come with traveling and spending time away from the comforts of your own home.

對許多人來說，旅行是與所愛之人共度假期的必要環節。這意味著要忍受可能由旅途帶來的各種勞心費神的雞毛蒜皮，還要經歷離家在外的種種不便。

You may face delays， diversions and many hours of sitting that can take a toll2 on you mentally and physically. So， whether youre driving to Grandmas for Thanksgiving or flying to see family in another country， try the five tips below to reduce stress and tension so you can enjoy the holidays.

你也許會遭遇延誤、繞行，以及一坐就是數小時，身心俱疲。所以，無論你是開車去奶奶家過感恩節，還是坐飛機去另一個國家探親，都可以嘗試以下5個建議，這些建議能讓你緩解壓力和煩躁，從而享受假期。

Take control of your posture and breathing

調整姿勢和呼吸

When you sit for long periods while traveling， your posture often suffers. Given the intimate relationship of your breathing pattern and your posture， slumping while seated leads to shallow， rapid breathing， which incites your bodys stress response. Its a vicious cycle that increases physical and mental tension.

旅途中長時間坐著，往往讓人疲憊不堪。鑒于呼吸方式與身體姿勢緊密關聯，坐著時垂頭彎腰會使呼吸變得短促，進而引起身體的應激反應。這種惡性循環會讓身心都更加疲乏。

Thats why its important to take control of your breathing at least once an hour while traveling to help restore your posture and cultivate a sense of calm. Taking just five or six long， deep breaths while focusing on getting your low ribs to move can make a big difference！

這就是為什么旅途中有必要至少每小時調整一次呼吸，以幫助恢復身體狀態，讓人平靜下來。只需做五六次長長的深呼吸，同時注意移動下肋骨，情況將大為改觀！

Just 90 seconds of deep breathing elicits3 a relaxation response that decreases your heart rate， blood pressure and stress hormone production， according to research.

研究表明，僅僅90秒的深呼吸即可讓人放松，降低心跳速度、血壓和壓力荷爾蒙分泌。

Drink enough nonalcoholic fluids

飲用足量不含酒精的飲品

Those muscle cramps and achy joints you experience on the road may have a lot to do with your fluid intake. Considering that our bodies are mostly water， hydration4 is important for proper joint lubrication and circulation. But your hydration level doesnt just affect you physically. When youre dehydrated， it increases your bodys cortisol （primary stress hormone） levels， which can lead to feelings of anxiety， exhaustion and overall irritability.

你在旅途中所經歷的肌肉痙攣和關節疼痛可能與你喝的飲品息息相關。考慮到我們的身體大部分由水組成，那么水分供給就對適當的關節潤滑和血液循環至關重要。但水分供給程度不僅僅影響你的身體。脫水時，身體的皮質醇（主要的壓力荷爾蒙）含量會增加，繼而讓人產生焦慮感、疲憊感，使整個人容易煩躁。

Even when you arent traveling， the holidays make it easy to become dehydrated. With all the festivities， we often forget to drink as much water as normal， especially when cocktails are flowing. Alcohol suppresses natural production of the antidiuretic hormone5 vasopressin6， which keeps us from urinating too much. Without it， we find ourselves in the bathroom more often. Counter the dehydrating impact of alcohol by drinking one glass of water for every cocktail.

即使不在旅途中，度假時也很容易脫水。參加慶祝活動時，我們常常忘記像平常一樣多喝水，特別是當雞尾酒管夠的時候。酒精會抑制抗利尿激素的自然生成。抗利尿激素可防止我們排尿過多。沒有它，我們去洗手間的次數會頻繁得多。每喝一杯雞尾酒后喝一杯水可對抗酒精的脫水作用。

Stand and walk every opportunity you can

抓住一切機會站立和行走

Studies abound regarding the health dangers of prolonged sitting， yet few people seem to make an effort to avoid it while traveling. Looking around the airport， youll find most everyone sitting at the gate waiting to get on their plane， where they will inevitably remain seated for at least a couple of hours or more.

有關久坐危害健康的研究比比皆是，但似乎鮮有人會在旅途中盡力避免久坐。在機場環顧四周，你會發現幾乎所有人都在登機口處坐著等待登機。在那，他們不可避免地要坐上幾個小時甚至更長時間。

Break up bouts7 of sitting by taking advantage of opportunities to stand and walk around whenever possible. At the airport， take a walk around your terminal. Some airports even have yoga rooms with public access. When traveling by car， find a park or even a mall on your route where you can get out and take a 10-minute walk.

無論何時都盡可能抓住機會站起來四處走動，以避免一次次久坐。在機場，可在航站樓到處轉轉。有些機場甚至設有公共瑜伽室。自駕旅行時，可沿途找個公園或者商場也好，這樣你就可以下車步行10分鐘。

Stretch out the tension

伸展緊繃的肌肉

Lots of sitting during travel also means compressed side waist muscles， overused hip flexors8 and tight low-back muscles. If you want to be more comfortable and avoid pain when traveling， you need to stretch out those muscles whenever possible.

旅途中久坐也意味著側腰肌受到擠壓，髖屈肌過度使用，以及下背肌緊繃。若想在旅途中更加舒適，避免疼痛，你需要盡可能伸展這些肌肉。

My go-to travel stretch is the warrior hip flexor9 release.

我必做的旅途拉伸動作是弓步髖屈肌拉伸。

Heres how to do it：

以下是拉伸方法：

Stand to the right of a wall， chair or other stable surface. Place your left hand on it for support.

站在一面墻、一張椅子或其他穩固面的右邊。左手放在上面作為支撐。

Step your right foot back into a short lunge position10， dropping your back heel and pointing your toes out slightly.

右腳后退成短弓步姿勢，放下后腳跟，腳趾微微向外。

Bend your front knee to align above your ankle， while your back leg remains straight.

前腿膝蓋彎曲，與腳踝上下對齊，同時后腿保持繃直。

Inhale as you lift your right arm up and over your head.

吸氣，同時將右臂向上舉過頭頂。

Exhale as you side bend to the left， feeling your left lower ribs rotate inward.

呼氣，同時向左側彎，感受左下肋骨向內旋轉。

Avoid arching your lower back.

下背部不要拱起。

Hold for three long， deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.

保持不動，做3次長長的深呼吸。換邊重復以上動作。

Take recovery seriously

認真對待體力恢復

You might be so relieved to get to your destination that you think plopping down11 in a comfy chair is all you need. But its even more beneficial to get your legs up above your heart， which promotes venous blood flow and helps reduce lower-body swelling.

到達目的地時，你可能大松了一口氣，認為只要往一把舒適的椅子上一坐，就心滿意足了。但更有益的做法是，將腿抬至心臟以上，這樣可以促進靜脈血流動，幫助緩解下半身腫脹。

A great way to accomplish this is with the popular restorative yoga pose known as “legs up the wall.” You can do this on the floor with your straight legs up the wall or with your knees bent and calves resting on a chair seat. If you dont want to lie on the floor， you can lie backward on your bed and put your legs up the headboard. Feel free to place a pillow or folded blanket under your head.

實現這一目的的一個好方法就是做一個被稱為“腿上墻”的恢復性瑜伽姿勢。這個姿勢廣為流行。你可以躺在地板上做這個動作，雙腿抬高伸直靠墻，或者屈膝將小腿搭在椅面上。如果不想躺在地板上，你也可以頭朝著床尾躺下，抬起雙腿放在床頭板上。另外，頭下面不妨放一個枕頭或疊起來的毯子。

Once in the position， stay there a few minutes， taking some long， deep relaxing breaths.

擺好上述姿勢堅持幾分鐘，做幾次長長的深呼吸讓身體放松。

In addition to changing your relationship with gravity to relieve tension， its important to get enough sleep. This is especially true if you have traveled to a different time zone. Work in naps， if necessary， to make up for any sleep deficits that could negatively affect your health and wellness.

除了改變你與重力的關系來緩解疲勞，睡眠充足也很重要，跨時區旅行尤其如此。必要時小睡一下，以抵消缺覺對身心健康產生的負面影響。

Despite all the joys the holidays bring， its important not to overlook the ways seasonal trips can inadvertently12 drag you down. Using the five tips above will help keep travel tension at bay13 and your holiday spirits high.

盡管假期讓人愉快，但重要的是不要忽視季節性旅行可在不經意間拖垮你的各種招式。采納以上5個建議將助你告別旅途疲勞，讓你假日情緒高漲。

1 hiccup小問題，小情況。? 2 take a toll產生負面影響。

3 elicit引起（反應）。? 4 hydration水合，水化作用；水分供給。

5 antidiuretic hormone 抗利尿激素。? 6 vasopressin抗利尿激素，antidiuretic hormone的另一術語。? 7 bout一陣，一次。

8 hip flexor髖屈肌。? 9 warrior hip flexor弓步髖屈肌。? 10 short lunge position短弓步姿勢。? 11 plop down重重地坐下。

12 inadvertently不經意地。? 13 keep… at bay阻止某事發生。