How to tackle the heat and summer travel with Page Love and Mark Kovacs

Go to bed and wake up in the new time zone, and eat meals at the times you would likely eat over there in order to ensure that they will be well-rested and properly energized for competition. Additionally, while traveling, try to ensure that they don’t sleep or take naps during times they would be awake over there. That can be hard during a red-eye flight, but leaving at midnight could be the middle of the day at your destination.

#3 - Spend time outside or do some light exercise upon arrival.

After spending time in the car or on a plane, going outside and getting sunlight is important to help the body remain awake and alert, especially if the time difference is substantial. Exercise is also important to improve circulation after a long travel day, but an intense hitting session may not be the best way to go. Instead, going for a run, stretching or another low to moderate intensity workout will help them adjust and get the blood moving, while explosive movements and sprints could cause more harm than good.

First, bring probiotics that can help heal and repopulate the gut with healthy bacteria after illness—and some players on tour even try to stave off GI troubles by taking probiotics before traveling. 

If your child does fall ill, ensure they’re consuming enough liquids, particularly if they are vomiting or have loose stool. Besides that, the best foods to consume are plain pasta, white rice, white bread, or bland fruits like melon and banana. While these may not be on a typical training diet, they help to calm the stomach down, which is the most important thing to get your athlete ready to compete again.

A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water—if your child weighs 120 pounds, they should have about 60 ounces of water per day. However, hot and humid conditions lead to more sweating and fluid loss, so water consumption may need to be increased based on the weather, if they are a heavy sweater and the intensity of their matches.

#7 - Pack plenty of extra snacks and foods that your athlete likes.

You can never be too prepared when you’re traveling for a tournament. Whether unfamiliar food causes an upset stomach or leads your child to not fuel properly, it’s crucial to bring energy sources with you. Some great things to pack in your suitcase include favorite carbohydrate-heavy bars, pretzels, dry noodles, jerky, graham crackers, cereal, sports drink powders and protein powders, and fresh ingredients such as fruits and dairy can be purchased at your destination. If your child has other foods that are part of their training diet that can easily be transported, bring those snacks and meals.

Keeping your athlete’s racquet bag stocked with pretzels, peanut butter crackers, carbohydrate bars, dried fruit and electrolytes is also recommended so that your child has what they need with them at the tournament and can have the energy they need to succeed, even in a new environment.

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**This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, but rather to provide general information. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding mental health and or a medical condition.