A week from today I arrive in Italy to play in the 45+ division of the Italian National Championships. Aside from the obvious anticipation of great food, cappuccinos and wine (well, after the tournament), I am most focused on one thing – quickly getting over jet lag.
Playing squash when jet lagged feels a lot like playing squash while being drugged. The feet don’t move, the brain thinks very slowly, and all you really want to do is lie down and sleep. If I have any intentions of doing well in this tournament, and I definitely have those intentions, I had better get over jet lag quickly.
Over the years I have learned from trial and error how best to make this time adjustment, and here are my tips that I will be following:
1) Get to the tournament time zone as far in advance as possible. I don’t have the luxury of giving myself a week to adjust, and I know that I am cutting it close arriving on Wednesday and starting play on Friday. Ideally I would have given myself more time, but that wasn’t a possibility. I think I will have enough time.
2) Wake up early for three days ahead of the trip. I plan to get myself up at increasing earlier times for 3 days before I leave. Waking up at 5am NY time is like waking up at 11am Italy time. I usually wake up at 7am, so I plan to wake up at 6am on Sunday, 5am on Monday, and 4am on Tuesday. Getting to bed early is the tougher part, but I should be so tired from waking up easy that I will fall asleep easily.
3) Eat before getting on the plane, and don’t watch movies. Ideally I will sleep the entire flight to Rome. If I wake up Tuesday morning at 4am, and eat before getting on the plane, sleeping should not be difficult. Hopefully it will be a smooth flight!
4) Don’t take a nap when you arrive. Stay awake the entire day so that you sleep soundly at night. The first day is crucial. If you nap when you arrive you will make the transition infinitely harder. I plan to enjoy several cappuccinos and fall asleep around 9pm the first night.
5) Exercise the day you arrive. I have courts booked for the first two days I am there. Forcing yourself to exercise instead of nap is somewhat painful but pays off. Aside from getting some practice in, it gets the blood flowing during the day keeping you awake and helps you sleep better at night.
That’s my plan. If I can get through my Friday match I think I will be fine for the rest of the tournament. I’ll let you know how it goes . . .