Thrive with RA
Thrive with RA
Caught a Virus… But No Pain, No Flare? Here’s Exactly Why.
Travel doesn’t have to derail your energy, trigger flares, or leave you recovering for days. In this episode, Dawn shares how a strong foundation of gut health, inflammation-lowering habits, and simple travel strategies turned her busy travel month, mixed with work and home life—into an empowering reminder that her body is resilient. You’ll hear real stories, practical tools, and the exact routines she uses to stay energized, confident, and symptom-steady even when life gets busy.
In this episode, you’ll learn…
- Why a strong health foundation gives your immune system the clarity to fight what matters—without attacking you.
- How Dawn avoided fatigue and pain even after catching a virus during a long-haul flight.
- Three travel strategies that actually move the needle
- What to pack for energy-supportive nutrition
- How to hydrate smarter
- Why movement matters more than workouts
Products mentioned during this episode:
AG1: My go-to greens for travel. Get $15 dollars off 1st order, a year's supply of Vitamin D3+K2, and 6 free travel packs of AG1. (*affiliate link)
Cure Hydration - (NOT an affiliate, just a super-fan)
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*This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any illness or disease. The information provided herein is for general educational purposes, has not been reviewed nor approved by the FDA and is not intended to take the place of advice from your medical professional, licensed dietitian or nutritionist. You are solely responsible for your health care and activity choices. Your decision to try this formula does not constitute a client-coach relationship. For my full disclaimer, please visit: https://dawnlaflin.com/disclaimer/
Your foundation matters. When you have built a strong foundation of health, your body, it can handle the unexpected. It can handle the germs that come your way, the stress that is building, and those long, busy days with strength. I'm Don Laughlin, certified health coach and fellow RA warrior. It wasn't all that long ago that I was in this place where I was fearful of the uncertainty of my future, wondering when my next flair would come, or wondering when the pain would let up. Fast forward through many trials, errors, and lessons learned, and you'll find a gal who is stronger, healthier, and more confident in her future than ever before. Yes, I still have RA, but RA doesn't have me. I believe our lifestyle, food choices, and mindset greatly impact the way our bodies handle rheumatoid arthritis. I created the Thrive with RA podcast to explore the science-based ways to realign your health through these three pillars and so much more. We'll be navigating both the messy and the blessings that come from living a life with RA. Each week you'll get a good dose of education, inspiration, encouragement, and hope as you take small steps to improve your health and overall life. If you've been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or are still trying to figure out if the symptoms you're feeling are indeed rheumatoid arthritis, you are in the right place, my friend. Let's get started. Well, hey there, friend. Welcome back to the podcast. At the time of recording, we are at the end of October, and I cannot even wrap my head around how fast this month has flown by. It has been a month of travel for me. I had two amazing weeks in Italy with my husband as we celebrated our 30th anniversary, and then just got back this past weekend from five days in San Diego for my annual girls' weekend. And as I sit here reflecting, I am just filled with gratitude. Gratitude for the work that I've done to heal my body, rebuild my health, and really create this foundation of health that allows me to live fully again. I'm able to go travel, to explore, and I do not fear flares or fatigue as I get ready to go do all these things or while I'm doing them. The one thing I know for sure is that life happens. Things come up, there are twists and turns. And without that solid foundation of health, you are simply more susceptible to pain, fatigue, and setbacks when life throws the curveballs at you. What am I talking about? Well, there was this time early on in my journey when I had just been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. And every time I got sick with even just a simple cold, my pain and fatigue, it would ramp up. And it wasn't just a stuffy nose or fever. It was then now full body aches, joint pains, and the fatigue that came with a flare. But after doing the work to rebalance my gut, to lower my inflammation, and build a stronger immune system, something really incredible has happened. I stopped getting sick for years, even if my husband or my kids had been sick until this month. On my flight home, a 10-hour flight home from we flew in from Amsterdam, I was seated next to a woman who was clearly sick. I did all the things I could to protect myself, but being in that middle seat, there was not a lot I could do. And sure enough, three days after we got back, my throat got sore, the congestion started, and a 10-day cold settled in. But you know what didn't settle in? Pain and fatigue. And that was the moment I realized, yet again, the power of the foundation that I have built within my body. Because when you rebuild your gut microbiome, your body starts producing these inflammation-reducing compounds that help you protect your body, that help drive down that inflammation. And your immune system then can do what it actually does best. It fights off the virus while not fighting you. Because you have driven down your overall inflammation. Your body is able to kick into gear and take care of what's in front of it instead of getting buried under an already overworked system. That experience reminded me: even if you are your healthiest version of yourself, if you sit next to someone who is sick on a plane for 10 hours, you're probably going to catch something. But the difference now, my body knows how to respond and recover. Honestly, it was the first time I've been sick in years. And it just reaffirmed my why that I'm so committed to living this anti-inflammatory lifestyle, because it truly lets me thrive, not merely survive in this day-to-day life. So as we head into the holiday season, there's travel, there's busyness, there's stress, there's decorating, there's parties, there's all the things. I want to share with you three strategies that help me stay consistent with my anti-inflammatory lifestyle, whether I am traveling domestically or abroad. Because my goal for you is simple. I want you to come home from your trip feeling as good as you did when you left. So what does that look like? The first thing I always do is I plan for food. If I am flying or I'm driving, I'm always asking myself, well, what is this journey, what is this journey going to look like? If I'm driving, will there be decent stops along the way that are going to have healthy food options? Or should I pack my own? Spoiler alert, the answer is always yes. If I'm flying, should I bring a meal or a snack, or should I rely on what's at the airport for my food? Again, you probably already know the answer to this. It's a yes. Then I think about where I'm staying. Is there a kitchen, a mini fridge, or are there grocery stores nearby that I can get to? To help me get a great start every day, I always travel with a breakfast that travels well. Because I find that if I'm starting my day with fiber and protein and healthy fats, it keeps me fueled and it really balances me and energizes me throughout that morning. And I have a very specific go-to for all my travels. It's my rolled oats packs. Each one has rolled oats, it has chia seeds, I include a scoop of clean plant-based protein, there's nuts and seeds, and a sprinkle of cacao nibs because my justification is that any morning you're on vacation, starting with chocolate just feels right. And so then from there, I just really add my hot water or a non-dairy milk that I buy once I get there. If I am traveling on a plane, I will ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot water, or we'll stop at a coffee shop and get a cup of hot water so that I can make these oats and really start my day off in the best way. I also bring a travel size greens powder or an AG1, one for each day that I'm gone. Doing this helps keep my gut so supported. It has prebiotics and probiotics and key nutrients that I might not be getting otherwise since I'm kind of out of my routine. Now, I'll include a link to this, uh to the AG1 in the show notes, but I also recently just realized that they are selling them at my local Costco right now. So check that out as well. Now, when you plan your food ahead of time, the the best thing, part the best part about it is that you are removing all stress during your trip. It may feel like a lot at the beginning, but I promise you, when you are on your trip and you are going about your day-to-day, you are going to be so relieved to have that go-to breakfast ready to go and removing all the stress. You're reducing your inflammation in real time and you're truly setting yourself up for a great experience the entire trip. Now, my second strategy is to focus on hydration. Your body is made of about 60% of water. So hydration, it's kind of a big deal. When you fly, your body naturally becomes dehydrated. And there's really a couple of reasons for that. The first is that airplane cabins, they are set to have lower humidity levels. They're based around 10 to 20%, compared to what we have in our homes on average, is 35 to 65%. So that's a pretty significant difference. And that dry air can really start to dehydrate your skin, your joints, and even your nasal passages, which makes it easier for you to catch a cold. And let's be honest, sometimes we don't drink the water because we do not want to have that awkward mid-flight shuffle that has to inevitably happen. Or maybe if you're on your long road trip, you're looking to decrease the number of pit stops. So you tend to not drink the water so that you can get to your destination sooner. But the dehydration that you're leading your body toward, it can then lead to fatigue and brain fog and joint pain. So here's what I do. I drink water before, during, and after travel. On long haul flights, typically anything longer than four hours, I always bring with me a clean electrolyte packet. My favorite currently is, excuse me, my favorite currently is Cure Hydration because it's made with real ingredients and no added sugar. And it's so easy to take on the go. They have little travel packets. I'll include a link to the show notes below so that you can check that out. But I bring this electrolyte drink and I drink it while I'm in the air. And then every time I need to get up mid-flight or to make that pit stop on a long drive, I truly will reframe my thought because inevitably we go to the thing of like, oh, this is such a hassle. But I reframe it and I look at it in a new way. I look at it as an opportunity to move, to stretch. And really, I'm keeping my joints happy and my bladder happy. And it's a win-win all the way around. Now that brings me to my third strategy: movement every day. If you've listened to me for a while on this podcast, you've heard me say it before that motion is lotion for your joints and medicine for your mood. When you move your body, you are helping it to detoxify, you're improving sleep, you're reducing stress, you're boosting hormones, and of course, you are helping improve the function of your joints. Now you might be thinking, Don, I'm on vacation. Do I really need to work out? Here's my answer. Movement does not have to mean a quote unquote workout. When I was in Italy, I was walking 15 to 20,000 steps every single day. We were exploring, we were climbing stairs, we were moving, we were soaking up that morning sunshine, and that was my workout. Movement can look different depending on where you are or what you're doing. You can go biking or swimming, you could go to yoga with a friend or with a family member, whoever's on vacation with you. You could even hit the gym if that feels right and good for you where you are. You're always honoring your body and you're always moving your body. The goal is not perfection. It truly is just about being consistent. Because when you keep your body moving, your energy stays high, your mood stays steady, and your inflammation, it stays low. So as you head into this next season, whether it's travel or just a full calendar with all the holiday hustle and bustle that comes with it, remember this: your foundation matters. When you have built a strong foundation of health, your body, it can handle the unexpected. It can handle the germs that come your way, the stress that is building, and those long, busy days with strength and grace. And if you're listening and thinking, Dawn, this all sounds great, but my energy is so low, I can barely pack a bag, let alone make a plan for food. Then I want to personally invite you to join me inside my next Get More Energy Challenge. It's a five-day challenge where we take action. We're taking small steps that create big impact, all while learning the very things that are draining your energy and how you can start to shift that and start rebuilding your energy. You can find the link down in the show notes. I would love to see you there. All right, my friend, that's all I have for you today. I hope that this blesses you and empowers you as you continue to take those small steps that lead to big impact. I'll see you next week. Same time, same place. Bye for now.