Category: Wellness + Medical Tips

Staying Healthy While Traveling: 5 Pro Tips for Your Summer Trips

Ah, summer travel—we wait all year for that coveted beach time or that much-needed spa trip, but we’d be lying if we said getting to our destination was a walk in the park. With airports chock-full of germs and planes packed with pathogens, staying healthy while traveling is the realest struggle of them all. To help you on your quest for a vacation sans sneezes and sore throats, then, we’ve broken down our top five tips for staying healthy while traveling this summer below. Read on…and get ready to tackle that upcoming trip armed with all the knowledge you need to stay healthy, hydrated and strong as ever!

1. Hydrate Before You Fly

What in the world does staying hydrated have to do with avoiding sore throats and other ailments while embarking on summer travel? Turns out, a whole lot. Getting and staying hydrated before you hop on that plane is absolutely key for staying healthy while traveling. The pressurized cabin on planes means the air around you is super dry, which ultimately makes it much harder for your system to flush out any germs it may pick up on that lengthy flight (because your mucous membranes are dried out). Fortunately, drinking ClearFast is one of the best ways to get hydrated before your flight, as it’s chock-full of electrolytes and offers medical-grade hydration that you won’t find in sports drinks.

It’s also a good idea to stay hydrated once you get to your destination, especially if you’re hitting the beach. Many people underestimate the effect that long bouts of sun exposure can have on their system. Packing a ClearFast or two for your beach day gives your body the electrolytes it needs, while also providing extended energy via 50 grams complex carbs (ensuring you don’t hit a wall in that all-too-common mid-afternoon crash).

2. Keep Your Eyes Hydrated, Too!

Remember that dry, pressurized plane cabin we talked about? Not only does it dry out your mucus membranes, but it also makes for dry eyes. And we all know what happens when our eyes get dry. They itch like no one’s business. The problem is, touching and rubbing your eyes is one of the fastest ways to transmit viruses. To avoid this, wash your hands frequently—every chance you get before boarding the plane—and bring along lubricating eye drops.

3. Steer Clear of Eating on Planes

We all know that plane food doesn’t exactly have a spotless reputation when it comes to food health and safety—but there are some less obvious reasons to avoid it as well. Think bringing your own meal keeps you safe? Not exactly—the key isn’t just to avoid plane food; it’s to avoid eating on planes all together. According to research by Travel Math, tray tables are literally the dirtiest place on planes (so you want to avoid touching yours at all costs, regardless if the meal you’re putting on it is from the plane or from your own home). Another good reason to not eat on planes has to do with your body’s ability to digest at 30,000 feet. The dramatic change in pressure often causes your metabolism to slow down significantly. So, when you eat on planes, you’re unable to digest what you’ve taken in—then, you get off the plane and your body suddenly uses up all of its energy stores digesting that meal you ate three hours ago, leaving you feeling tired, depleted and lethargic for the first day of your summer vacation. It may be hard (especially if you have a long flight) but avoid taking in anything besides water on your flight—it will be well worth it when you land at your destination feeling refreshed instead of run-down.

4. Give your Immune System a Boost

Boosting your immune system before you expose it to the inevitable germs it will encounter at airports and on planes is key to staying healthy while traveling. We recommend eating a healthy breakfast of yogurt for a week leading up to your flight—as yogurt contains beneficial bacteria that can help boost the immune system—and drinking a ClearFast before you leave for the airport for medical-grade hydration. The probiotics in yogurt combine with the electrolytes (for hydration) and Zinc and L-Citrulline (properties that help heal) in ClearFast make for a potent, powerful combination for staying healthy while traveling this summer.

5. Don’t Skip Exercise

Alright, let’s face it—who wants to wake up early and hit the gym at 6 a.m. on their vacation? Working out while away from home isn’t exactly the most exciting thing ever, but it is a great way to ensure you’re  staying healthy while traveling. Being sedentary for extended periods of time is terrible for our metabolism and circulation (there’s a reason your feet and ankles get super swollen after you’ve been on a plane for six hours!). Plus, if you’re human, chances are you’re indulging in some pretty tasty eats on your vacation—which likely means you’re taking in a ton of salt, another sure-fire way to feel bloated and swollen on your vacation. Exercising—even if it’s just a walk on the beach in the morning—is a great give your body the armor it needs to deal with all of the not so healthy stuff you may be embarking on during your vacation (hello, margaritas at 11 a.m.).

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Overall, staying healthy while traveling is all about two main things—staying hydrated and being proactive. ClearFast contains the medical-grade hydration your body needs while traveling and it’s gluten-free, free of simple-sugars and harmful colored dyes, contains all-natural ingredients and is free of preservatives—ultimately making it your best bud for everything from pre-plane to beach-day hydration.

Ready to embark on your healthiest year of summer travel yet? Order your ClearFast Preop Drink here and, as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to the ClearFast team at support@drinkcf.com if you have any questions about using ClearFast at all!

Using ClearFast as a Carb Loading Drink: The Ins-and-Outs of Carb-Loading for Optimal Athletic Performance

While ClearFast was developed to make for safer procedures and faster recovery for patients entering surgery, we’ve since found that runners, hot-yogis and endurance athletes are using ClearFast as a carb loading drink (which is awesome!). Today, then, we wanted to cover the ins-and-outs of carb-loading for athletic performance. We’ll discuss:

• What carb-loading is and how it’s used
• The difference between simple and complex carbs when carb-loading
• How to use ClearFast as a carb loading drink

Now, let’s dig in…

What is carb loading and how do athletes use it?

Carb-loading (or “carbo-loading”, as it’s often called) is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: loading up on carbohydrates in the body. Endurance athletes—like long-distance runners and cyclists—use carb-loading to maximize the amount of energy (or glycogen) they have stored in their body. These athletes carb-load before marathons or long rides/races to ensure they don’t hit that dreaded wall (i.e. run out of energy) during their long and trying event.

What’s the difference between simple and complex carbs as it relates to carb-loading?

Simple carbohydrates are sugars that are broken down and absorbed quickly by your body. Simple carbohydrates are found in things like: candy, sports drinks, table sugars, honey, sodas and fruit. Simple sugars are a good option for when you need a quick energy boost—but they’re also unfortunately often followed by a serious sugar crash, which means they’re not exactly ideal for proper carb-loading for a long athletic event.

Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are made up of a grouping of sugar molecules. You’ll find complex carbs in things like: oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, green vegetables, beans, lentils, and—yes!—ClearFast. Complex carbs tend to be much more effective for carb-loading, as our bodies break down and absorb complex carbohydrates at a much slower rate than simple carbs—giving us a constant, reliable source of energy for an extended period of time. If you need a quick boost of energy that lasts a few minutes, simple carbs are the way to go. If you’re looking to properly carb-load for a long marathon or cycle, on the other hand, complex carbohydrates are a much more reliable source of energy.

How do athletes use ClearFast as a carb loading drink?

Because ClearFast contains 50 full grams of complex carbs, it’s the perfect carb loading drink to consume before a big race, marathon, cycle, or long hot yoga class. High-performance athletes like to consume ClearFast before they embark on their athletic event as part of their carb-loading routine.

In addition to containing a great amount of complex carbs to get you through your endurance event, ClearFast is also gluten-free, contains all natural ingredients, is free of harmful colored dyes, is free of preservatives, and is chock-full of a number of other ingredients that can be beneficial to your athletic performance, including:

• Electrolytes (for optimal hydration)
• Zinc and L-Citrulline (properties that help heal)
• Vitamin A (supports health and tissue function)
• Selenium (a trace mineral that acts as an antioxidant and contributes to healthy immune function)

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Overall, using ClearFast as a carb loading drink is the perfect option for those who are seeking extended energy for their athletic event, without having to consume crazy amounts of high-calorie, high-sugar, preservative-laced foods that contain harmful colored dyes and other unnatural ingredients.

Ready to use ClearFast as part of your carb-loading routine? Order your ClearFast Preop Drink here and, as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to the ClearFast team at support@drinkcf.com if you have any questions about using ClearFast as a carb loading drink!

Life Hack for Hydrating Fast: 3 Unexpected Ways Consumers are Using ClearFast

ClearFast was developed and formulated to offer medical-grade nutrition before surgery…so, needless to say, we were recently surprised to learn that so many of our customers have figured out how to use ClearFast, not just pre-surgery, but as an overall lifehack for hydrating fast. Today, we’re going to touch on:

• Using ClearFast for exercise in place of sugary sports drinks
• Using ClearFast when you have a cold or the flu
• Using ClearFast as an immune booster when you travel

Now, let’s dig in…

From globetrotters to carb-loaders, it turns out the ClearFast community has come up with tons of interesting, effective ways to use our product. (You all are so smart!) Read on for 3 unexpected ways to use ClearFast for nourishing, recovering and hydrating fast.

1. Using ClearFast After Exercise

From cyclists to hot yogis, we’ve found that many of our customers are active exercisers who use ClearFast for hydrating fast and overall recovery after exercise. With complex carbs for nourishment, electrolytes for hydration, Vitamin A for tissue function, and Zinc & L-Citrulline for healing, it’s easy to see why ClearFast is great post-yoga, post-cycle, post-run or post-sweat of any kind! It helps your body replenish and repair, while offering the hydration and complex carbs that sugary sports drinks can’t match. Plus, it’s gluten free and clear and colorless (so you don’t have to worry about ingesting bright-blue or neon-orange dyes).

2. Using ClearFast with the Cold or Flu

Liquids are the thing we need most when we’re feeling under the weather—but are the simple sugars from sports drinks really all that great for your already weakened body? The short answer is no (and you can read more about why sports drinks don’t cut it here). Plus, when we’re sick our appetite tends to be suppressed, so we need an easy solution for hydrating fast and nourishing ourselves. While water’s always great (can’t argue with good ol’ H20), it doesn’t offer all of the nourishment you need when you’re living off of a diet of crackers and soup. With 44 grams of complex carbs and an easy-to-drink taste, ClearFast is a great solution for those who need quick hydration and nourishment…but who can’t exactly keep down a gallon of water and a steak dinner. Plus, ClearFast contains Zinc & L-Citrulline, which help promote healing.

3.  Using ClearFast when you Travel

Suitcase? Boarding pass? I.D.? ClearFast? Loaded with electrolytes, drinking ClearFast before or after you hop on a plane is a great way to combat the dehydration that occurs as a result of plane rides. Plus, the selenium in ClearFast helps promote immune function—so you can rest easy knowing you’re extra protected from that germ-laden tray table (we know, it makes us cringe too). We can’t promise it will make the kid behind you stop kicking your seat…but we’re working on that next. Promise.

A Solution for Hydrating Fast…

Overall, from a post-hot yoga pick-me-up to an immune boost before plane rides, we were so surprised (and delighted!) to hear all about the different ways the clever ClearFast community is using our preop drink. After all, the strength your body needs to enter surgery is often the same strength your body needs after a seriously sweaty workout, while recovering from the flu, on a germ-laden plane, or even—yes—on the morning of a rough hangover (paired with a greasy cheeseburger, of course). It’s all about nourishment, hydration, complex carbs and steering clear of added dyes and simple sugar.

Ready for a simple solution for nourishing and hydrating fast when you need it most…whether that’s before surgery or after cycling? Order your ClearFast Preop Drink here, or reach out to the ClearFast team at support@drinkcf.com if you have any questions about how to use ClearFast at all.

3 New Year’s Health Resolutions that Delve Deeper Than Diet

It’s officially a brand-new year—which means health resolutions are abound! We’re all about scaling back on pizza, skipping the extra salt, and avoiding those late-night sweet snacks, but there’s also so much more to leading a healthy lifestyle than just our diet choices. Today, we’ll cover:

• The importance of getting that check-up you’ve been putting off
• Why visiting the dentist tells you about much more than your teeth
• The importance of scheduling that screening, procedure or dreaded colonoscopy

Now, let’s dig in:

So much of our overall health revolves around how often we do (or don’t) make it to a medical professional’s office. Below, we’re breaking down our top 3 New Year’s Health Resolutions that delve far deeper than diet. Read on, and get ready for a healthy, happy 2018:

1. Get That Much Needed Medical Check-Up

Regardless of whether you’re a gym rat or a professional Netflix surfer (or both), there tends to be one aspect of our health that so many of us (even health nuts) avoid: getting regular medical checkups. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to add getting an annual exam to your 2018 health resolutions list, as it plays such a key role in your overall health. It’s a great way to get a bird’s eye view of everything that’s going on with your body—your doctor will record your height, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol—which then gives you a baseline to use in the future for insightful comparison. Plus, with 7 out of 10 U.S. deaths caused by chronic disease, early detection is absolutely key…and an annual medical exam is really your best bet for finding anything life-threatening when it’s still treatable.

2. Visit the Dentist

One of the most common healthcare mistakes people make is avoiding going to the dentist. In fact, according to a 2010 study, only 59% of respondents visited a dentist at least once a year (as compared to 73% who visited a general medical provider). We’ve all been there—we get the postcard in the mail or a voicemail on our phone saying it’s time for our annual cleaning, and we think, I’ll call them and schedule that next month…or maybe the month after…only to eventually find that an entire year has gone by without getting a dental cleaning or oral checkup. The dentist’s office isn’t fun, which is why so many of us avoid it—but it is absolutely imperative to our overall health. Our mouth gives doctors tons of information about what’s going on with the rest of our body. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases produce oral symptoms. Plaque buildup in our mouth can also lead to an array of other health problems. In fact, according to recent research, there may be a link between oral problems and medical issues like poorly controlled diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In short, the 60 minutes you’ll spend in the dentist’s chair is so worth the endless health benefits of a clean, healthy, plaque-free mouth.

3. Schedule the Procedure or Screening You’ve Been Avoiding

Whether it’s getting wisdom teeth removed, scheduling a mammogram, or preparing for a colonoscopy, a large majority of us have something we know we need to do that we’ve been putting off (and off…and off). We encourage you to turn that beat around in 2018 and take control of your health by finally picking up the phone and scheduling that pesky procedure you’ve been avoiding. Nothing will feel better than knowing you’ve finally checked that dreaded item off of your healthcare to-do list. Plus, that medical screening or procedure you’ve been avoiding may just end up saving your life or providing you with imperative medical information about your overall health.

As we embark on a brand-new year, we hope you’re inspired to use this fresh-start as an opportunity to take stock and get serious about your health resolutions in 2018! Remember, the best healthcare approach is comprehensive one—one that balances diet, lifestyle, and proper medical care. Happy (and Healthy) New Year, from the entire ClearFast Team!