10 Winter & Holiday Travel Tips to Melt Your Worries Away

It's no secret that winter and holiday travel can be the most stressful occasion. Especially when the hustle and bustle of holiday travel starts, people become more distressed with long waits and unexpected challenges. If you travel by air or car during the cold season, you can count on more delays than you'd experience in the summer. Once bad weather appears during the peak times for air travel, we end up with the lengthiest flight delays, cancellations and missed connections of the year.

On the other hand, road travel has its share of annoyances and risks. There may be road closings, slower speeds due to snow or sleet, traffic accidents and other obstacles to throw you off track. However, don't let the winter and holiday travel season make you blue. Become a smarter and happier traveler for your next winter vacations — use TravelSense's winter travel tips to make life easier as you journey to and from your destination.

Airline Travel Tips: Flying Doesn't Always Lead to Disaster:

Can you feel your teeth grinding as you imagine flying to your destination? If you're traveling a great distance over the holidays, the last thing you need is a stressful airport experience to start your vacation on the wrong foot. Consider some of the simplest airline travel tips that can alleviate your worries.

Plan ahead for your own sanity:

 Waiting to the last minute always leaves a great deal of your trip up to happenstance. Of all of the top winter travel tips you may find, this is the one piece of advice that will be well worth spending the extra time and effort. Contact your travel agent to book your vacation in advance as soon as you can manage. Then, you'll be able to avoid peak travel dates, get lower airfare, fly direct (or minimize your connections) and fly early or late in the day to avoid the bigger crowds.

Leave at least an extra hour earlier:

 As you prepare for your winter vacation, give yourself more time than usual in order to anticipate the peripheral delays that could occur. Remember to bring some reading material while you wait in the security line or at your departure gate. In cities with snow or ice, arrival delays can exceed two to three hours and de-icing procedures can take an hour before takeoff.

Pack as light as possible for your holiday travel:

Since more airlines are getting stricter on baggage limits and weight allowances, packing less and lighter suitcases could save you money and time. If you're planning holiday travel to be with your family and friends, consider shopping online and having your gifts shipped to your destination. This strategy will help cut down on luggage and minimize the risk of losing any special gifts.

Steer clear of influenza:

Winter travel can be a frequent contributor to the cold and flu time of year, adding a miserable element to your winter or holiday travel stress. Before you leave, visit your doctor's office to get the flu shot or nasal spray flu vaccine, which is only available for ages 5-49. Most germs will spread by contact, so wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer constantly.

Stretch your legs often:

 If you find yourself in cramped quarters or passing time on long flights, there's the possibility you could develop Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), leading to blood clotting in your legs. So, remember this essential airline travel tip on your next flight — take some time to walk around and stretch your arms and legs once every hour.

Winter Driving Tips: Easier and Safer Winter Road Trips:

For road travelers, winter can also be the most dangerous time of year. Motor vehicle accidents involving bad weather, mostly ice and snow, claim the lives of 6,000 Americans and injure 500,000 more every year (National Center for Atmospheric Research, 2005). The following winter driving tips will help you stay safe and a little less anxious on your next trip.

Have your car examined before you leave:

 This is one of the most crucial winter driving tips. It's the climatic scene of many movies, where someone's car breaks down in a strange town. The last thing you want to worry about is your car falling apart, leaving you stranded far away from home. Take it to your local auto shop for a quick once over, and make sure your tires are winter ready and properly inflated.

Be prepared for a change in course:

 Before you depart, become confident in knowing your route. It's very important that you're ready for anything on the road that could slightly change your plans, including construction, road closings and traffic hurdles. Remember to keep the directions as well as appropriate state map(s) handy, in case you need to reroute your trip.

Stay hydrated for the journey:

 It probably seems like dehydration isn't very likely, but a recent Mayo Clinic study shows that a mere one- to two-percent loss of body weight can quickly lead to fatigue and decreased alertness, which could be deadly in icy winter driving. Also, your body requires more fuel in the cold — so rely on high-energy food including sandwiches, a thermos filled with soup and fruit.

Pack a winter safety kit for the car:

 Don't leave without the essentials for a safe road trip — a cell phone (don't forget the car charger); ice scraper; tow rope and jumper cables; sand or cat litter to aid with traction; blankets; flashlights, matches and emergency candles; first aid kit; portable radio; and a good book, in case you do get stuck.

Make frequent rest stops:

 Winter driving is much more fatiguing than in the summer, so you'll want to make time to stop and stretch your legs. Just a few minutes off the road will make all the difference in improving your alertness when you're back behind the wheel.

Source :http://www.travelsense.org

10 things pole dancing can do for you

Pole athletes from X-Pole SA Tarryn Knight, Sherry Bremner and Joanna Pawelczyk share the benefits of pole dancing:

1. Core workout:

“Pole is a fantastic core work out. You won't ever have to do sit ups or crunches again, and with time, that six pack will be yours. As someone who did weights at gym religiously four to five times a week before I started pole I can confidently say that no amount of gym gave me the same toned body that pole does”, says Joanna Pawelczyk.

2. Cardio:

At first glance, most people won't consider pole dancing to get their heart rates up, but this is where they're wrong because “cardiovascular activity is a key element to pole dancing routines. It can be quite an exhausting workout as you're doing lots of hectic strength moves in a row for three to four minutes. It's amazing for your body.

"If you want to whip yourself into shape just work on a routine for three months! That's where competing is good because it gives you a solid reason to work hard”, Joanna advises.

“When training for a competition or show, running a four to five minute routine provides a great anaerobic cardio burst. Depending on one's fitness levels, and the routine, a pole workout can easily provide you with the peak heart rate bursts you need for cardio health”, agrees Tarryn Knight.

“There’s nothing like doing a pole routine to get the heart racing. It’s not all just strength training, you build up a sweat very quickly if you keep moving around and on your pole”, says Sherry Bremner.

3. Tone up and lose weight:

If a strong core and cardio workout is not enough to convince you then perhaps toning might.

Joanna explains that “pole fitness is a very upper body intensive sport so your arms, shoulders and abs will be the first to tone up.

"You won't ever get huge or bulky though as you're always working with your natural body weight. Your pectoral (chest) muscles develop with pole which is the same effect as doing lots of push ups, just not nearly as boring, and you won't need a wonder bra for that extra lift" 

She says that certain poses in pole work the inner thighs and quads as well but the real leg work out comes from doing dynamic stretching exercises, which not only works your butt fantastically but makes you more flexible at the same time. 

With regard to dropping some kilos, Joanna says that pole fitness "can definitely help with weight loss as well but like any other form of exercise it’s not going to make you shed weight if you only do it once a week. I recommend three to four times a week minimum, and naturally, a healthy balanced diet."

“Whilst I have always been blessed with an athletic physique, I can certainly confirm that my muscle definition is much more pronounced when I've been training. I've seen my pole fitness friends develop defined abdominals, biceps and triceps. Even the conditioning exercises that we do off the pole are a very good workout for all areas of the body”, confirms Tarryn.

4. Strengthen your back:

In addition this, “pole fitness moves will develop your back muscles to be very strong. This, combined with a strong core, means reduced injuries from everyday life. You won't need a man to carry your groceries or move your couch - you can do it yourself!” says Joanna.

5. A healthy metabolism :

“My pole friends swear that they burn food more quickly when they are training for a show or competition. Since one of our pole friends owns a bakery, an increased metabolism is a welcome side-effect because we always have her delicious cupcakes backstage!” confesses Tarryn.

She says that pole fitness has given her 'hobbit eating habits', especially when she is training extra hard. "I eat breakfast and second breakfast, a pre-lunch snack, lunch, a pre-tea time snack, tea, my 4 o’ clock snack, pre-dinner and then dinner. Sometimes I have an after dinner snack if I am still awake working."

The pole athletes eat regular meals but try to keep it healthy, with lots of fruits and vegetables and proteins.

6. Coordination and balance:

Pole fitness also requires an incredible amount of coordination and balance. Learning to control spins, turns and pivots will strengthen muscles throughout your body.

“Back and core strength are required for pole fitness and these same ingredients enable good posture. Good posture is important for optimal lung functioning, healthy digestion, a healthy spine and an alert, engaged mind”, says Tarryn.

7. Flexibility:

Because Twirling yourself around a pole involves quite a bit of stretching, your flexibility will also reap the benefits.

Tarryn explains that flexibility is so important in aerial arts because there is often nothing off of which to leverage. Leg extensions, aerial splits, back bends. . . all pole poses and moves have to be performed with a person's own ability to create the shape without any leverage or assistance.

She reminds us that flexibility has undisputed benefits for injury prevention, recovery, general muscle and joint health.

8. Body confidence:

In addition to all of these fitness benefits, Joanna says that “pole fitness also gives you a sense of confidence, independence, sexiness and strength that no other sport can do. It isn't just amazing for your outer body but for your inner self too.”

It has helped Joanna and many other women with "body acceptance", she explains:

"When I first started pole I was horrified at the thought of having to wear shorts in public, being exceptionally shy about my legs and my pale skin. It was less than two weeks of classes before I owned my first pair of pole shorts and would happily walk about the studio in them. I very quickly realised that no one in a pole class judges you! Everyone is there to learn and be challenged and it unites you in a common cause. You learn to accept your body for what it is and turn your focus away from appearance and on to achieving that new pole trick you saw on Instagram. It's incredibly liberating. Of course, being such a great form of exercise, you start feeling stronger and more confident, and suddenly can't understand why none of your jackets fit anymore”, says Sherry.

9. Endurance:

“Pole, and the expression of dance, is so much fun that it's easy to lose track of time. When you don't realize how long you've been training for, your endurance increases with little effort. It's also possible to become so distracted by the determination to get a new move that one doesn't realise how much muscle power they are using. It's only the next day or two when your body feels stiff that you become aware of the good workout pole fitness provides.” says Tarryn.

10.   Laughter is the best medicine:

“The best part of pole is that it's incredibly fun – you don’t even think you're exercising. This also makes it easier to keep going and not give up,” says Joanna.

All the fun and laughter that comes with pole fitness allows you to tap into the mental and physical benefits to laughter – stress relieve, heart and general health benefits.

Source :http://www.health24.com