How Travel and Jet Lag Affect Your Body Composition (And How to Fix It)

Traveling can be exciting, but it can also wreak havoc on your body composition. Between long flights, disrupted sleep, irregular meals, and reduced movement, frequent travelers often experience unwanted fat gain, muscle loss, and water retention.

At Kalos, we use DEXA Scan technology to show how travel affects your lean mass, fat levels, and metabolism, helping clients return to balance faster after long trips.

How Travel Impacts Your Body Composition

1. Reduced Activity Levels

• Long hours sitting on planes or in cars decrease calorie expenditure.
• Even a few days of low activity can reduce muscle activation and slow metabolism.

2. Irregular Eating Patterns

• Missed meals, airport food, and high-sodium snacks can lead to bloating and poor nutrient balance.
• Late-night eating during time zone shifts can also spike fat storage hormones like insulin and cortisol.

3. Sleep Disruption and Hormonal Imbalance

• Jet lag disrupts circadian rhythm, impairing recovery and muscle repair.
• Poor sleep lowers testosterone and growth hormone levels, both crucial for maintaining lean mass.

4. Dehydration and Water Retention

• Cabin air and travel dehydration can increase water retention, masking actual progress when you step on the scale.

What DEXA Scans Reveal Post-Travel

After a long trip, many people assume they’ve gained fat when in reality, the changes might come from temporary water shifts or muscle glycogen loss. A DEXA Scan can distinguish between these effects by showing:

• Actual fat mass changes versus temporary bloating.
• Lean muscle trends, showing if travel impacted muscle retention.
• Visceral fat levels, to ensure short-term habits aren’t harming long-term health.
• Progress over time, so you can spot and correct negative trends early.

How to Minimize the Negative Effects of Travel

1. Move Frequently During Flights

• Walk the aisle every hour and do ankle rotations or seated stretches to maintain circulation.

2. Stay Hydrated

• Drink water before and during your flight, and limit caffeine and alcohol.

3. Prioritize Protein Intake

• Keep portable options like protein bars or shakes to support muscle maintenance while traveling.

4. Adjust Quickly to Local Time

• Eat meals and sleep according to the destination’s time zone to reset your circadian rhythm.

5. Get Back on Track Fast

• Book a DEXA Scan within a week of returning to evaluate any short-term changes and guide your next training cycle.

Travel Smarter, Not Harder

Frequent travel doesn’t have to derail your fitness goals. With DEXA Scan, you can separate temporary fluctuations from real changes, stay accountable, and make smarter adjustments that keep your body composition on track no matter where you are in the world.

Book Your DEXA Scan with Kalos Today in Downtown San Francisco or Palo Alto!

If you’re ready to take control of your health with the most accurate body composition analysis available, it’s time to book your DEXA scan at Kalos. Whether you’re looking to get lean, build muscle, improve performance, or optimize longevity, our advanced technology and expert guidance will help you get there.

Schedule your scan today at Kalos, your journey to data-driven fitness starts now.

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