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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Travel Tuesday: Tips and Tidbits

I’ve got a couple health- and fitness-related travel topics this week so without further fanfare, let’s get started:

The ‘Eyes’ Have It. . .

Vegas2014 032This one is for all you contact lens wearing travelers of a ‘certain age’ (40 is usually when the telltale signs start appearing):  the small print seems to be getting smaller and a bit more blurred each time you try to read your passport or credit card numbers and trying to read the small print on a map is more daunting than getting lost. . .could it be time
washington wednesdays 005for those 'readers' on sale everywhere from grocery to book stores?


One more thing to add to that carry-on bag already is stuffed with documents, medicines, prescription glasses, contact lens case/solution and sunglasses?

I’ve worn gas permeable contact lenses for decades and in the last couple years even the ‘bi-focal’ types weren’t quite doing the job. . .that is until  my optometrist asked me if I’d try out a different type of lens. Another patient of hers, a flight attendant, had tried them and was singing their praises, so I agreed.

That was nearly a year ago.  I waited this long to write about them just to make sure they weren't too good to be true. I couldn’t believe the improved visual acuity - and comfort. (Their only drawback is that like all gas permeable/hard lenses I've worn, they do tend to dry out on long airplane flights.) The smallest of print (including those microscopic numbers on the back corner of the credit cards) are as easy to read as is seeing the far distant stuff. In fact, both of my distances are now a smidgen better than 20/20 -- a real plus when focusing the camera! 

Vegas2014 031
It took a few extra visits to get the fit right because the lenses are weighted to keep the close-up at the bottom and distance at the top – so they have to fit the eye well.

If they are of interest and you are in the Puget Sound area of Washington State, I recommend my optomitrist Dr. Pamela J. Bingham at Market Optical in Seattle’s University Village.

And if you are elsewhere, talk to your eye care professional about “TruForm” rigid, gas permeable lenses.  (I read on the company web site that they even make multi-focal lenses!)


Serving up and Repacking the D2G. . .Diet to Go: 

GreecePt12013 116Three years ago on TravelnWrite we sang the praises of the “Glycemic Load Diet” developed by Seattle cardiologist, Dr. Rob Thompson. We bought his book, tried out his eating recommendations and found the recipes were incredible good and it was a perfect fit for travelers.

So easy to follow when traveling that we called it the D2G; our Diet to Go. Some may even recall the guest post Dr. Thompson wrote for TravelnWrite. If you missed it, click this  link

My physical that year showed not only had I lost weight (13 pounds) but my bad cholesterol levels had dropped significantly, as had blood sugar and everything else that gets monitored - despite four-months of living out of a suitcase; drinking and eating on-the-road. (And I was no longer blaming cruise ship photographers for 'making me look fat!')

Fast forward. . .if you saw the post a few weeks ago, A Taste of the World, you know without me telling you that we – me, in particular – slipped off that D2G wagon. A big burger in Arizona, an Australian Pie in Sydney, a basket of bread here and a serving of French fries there and maybe just a tiny bit of dessert. . . The results of an annual physical a few weeks ago showed the bad cholesterol had skyrocketed and a few pounds had returned, despite a regular exercise program both at home and on the road.

Vegas2014 026

Vegas2014 027So, the new year has begun with D2G once again, our traveling companion.

Instead of that deep fried bacon cheeseburger I told you about in December, take note of the above veggie burger on a whole grain bun with more veggies at the side and red wine (which is allowed on the D2G).  I had this at one of our favorite places, Todd English’s P.U.B. at Crystals in City Center, Las Vegas last week.


That’s it for this week’s Travel Tuesday – the day we share any  new tips related to travel.   How about you?  What new discoveries have you made for travel. . . Health and fitness?  Packing? . . .Ways to save money on travel?  Let us know in the comment section below or send us an email.

Disclosure:  We received no compensation for recommending the contact lenses, Dr. Bingham, Market Optical or the 'Glycemic Load Diet'. (Although if you order the book from Amazon using the link in the post, we make a few pennies; we'll get paid when we have $10 worth of pennies, about 2050 by my calculations.)  We simply think all are worth recommending! 

Linking up with Marcia Mayne's Inside Journeys Foodie Tuesday.

9 comments:

  1. You are so right about the eyesight starting to falter after 40, Jackie! I wear glasses with progressive lenses. I've done real good with keeping my cholesterol down through eating the right foods and getting some exercise. The food posts of mine are not a daily regimen lol! Thank you for reminding me that I need to make an eye doctor appt and also get a new blood panel done! :)

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    1. Progressive lenses are the next best thing to sliced bread, Mike. I love mine and can't imagine 'bi-focals' with a line to cut of near and far. These contacts have the narrowest of progressive about them so they work much the same way. (Get those appts. made! I put my physical off last year and might have not slipped quite as far off the D2G had I gone in when I should have!)

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  2. Again, Blogger is erasing the comment that Marcia Mayne from Inside Journeys is trying to leave so here it is:

    I wish I had read your post before I went to the eye doctor last week, Jackie! For quite a while, I bugged my optometrist for a prescription for contacts. At the time, there were no bifocal contacts. Eventually, he gave me a prescription - for two separate lenses - one for distance, the other for reading and told me not to try to figure out which was which, so my eyes would work together. I know, it sounds complicated but I'm vain and I wanted my face and makeup to show.

    The contacts were great but they dried my eyes out, especially at work. I was always using eye drops and after a while, it was just easier to put the glasses back on. I gave up on the idea of ever wearing contacts so I'm thrilled to hear about TrueForm and will definitely ask about them the next time I see my doctor.



    Diet to Go sounds fantastic. I was doing well before the holidays, I could feel the difference in the way my clothes fit, had a little more energy, etc. But, like you, I went back to eating empty calories and I'm feeling it now. D2G sounds like the ticket to help me get back on track.




    You've hit it out of the park with this post, Jackie. Thanks for linking up this week!



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    1. Marcia, I look forward to Foodie Tuesday. Thanks for your comment. . .and your determination to do so. I appreciate it. Perhaps Google Blogger needs to update itself again. . .but then I should be careful of what I wish for, shouldn't I!?

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  3. I'm in diet too and I found your post so interesting! If we support each other, it's really precious, and share our experiences is more than useful.It's so important knowing that other people pass through the same or similar situations. Thank you!

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    1. It is always good to know we aren't alone in these endeavors, Olympia. Yes, we will be cheerleaders for each other in coming months and celebrate our successes as well!

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  4. Hi Jackie. I've worn gas permeable lenses forever. A month or two ago I broke one. Thinking about getting the surgery. Have had 2 consultations, and maybe when I get back to Korea I will have it. Right now I am wearing disposables (which longterm can be expensive). If I don't have the surgery, I must have a look for these truform in Korea. Thanks for the tip. I must also check out that diet!

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    1. I've thought once or twice about how nice it would be after surgery, but I have such an aversion to cutting of any type, I think I'll stick with the contacts. Good luck if you go for it - keep me posted!

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