Workouts while on the Road
Workouts for Travelers
Excited about your vacation? Even though traveling is fun, getting to your vacation destination-whether by plane, train, automobile-often involves lengthy periods of sitting. Hours of sitting associated with air travel-first in the airport lounge & then on the plane can leave you tight before your vacation has even started!
To help combat potential problems associated with traveling, try these suggestions below from L. Leiber, who earned her master’s degree in public health from Berkeley, and teaches Pilates in Oakland, CA.
Seated Exercises
How can you combat the negative effects of waiting at the airport for your flight? Try some of these seated exercises. They’ll improve your posture and help prevent fatigue.
Place your feet solidly on the floor, about 4 inches away from each other.
Sit up straight.
Tip pelvis to bring it vertical (neutral spine position).
Lengthen your neck, like a giraffe. Do this by pushing your shoulders away from your ears.
Breathe in, and on exhalation, draw in abdominals, engaging the core. Return to this position between each seated exercise.
Figure-Four Stretch. Place one ankle on top of opposite knee. Hinge forward at hips, keeping spine neutral. Hold for 15-30 seconds, feeling a deep stretch on outside of hip. Repeat on other side.
Seated twists. While keeping a tall posture reach to the back of your chair and hold without letting your knees or hips rotate. When you exhale, allow your body to go farther into the stretch. Do not perform this move if you have disk issues.
Shoulder shrugs and rolls. Inhale and lift your shoulders toward your ears. On the exhale push your shoulder blades back and down into your back pockets. Continue and repeat this exercise for 4 to 6 repetitions.
Neck Stretch. With chin slightly tucked, let right ear drop toward right shoulder. Hold stretch for 3-4 breaths, letting weight of head stretch left side of neck. Gently release stretch and repeat on other side.
Rock a Bye-Baby. With your right hand on your opposite elbow and left hand on your right elbow and with folded arms, draw your right elbow as far as possible toward the right side and feel the stretch on the outside of left shoulder. Repeat two to three repetitions on both sides.
When You Are Standing: Waiting to get passed security at the airport is the first of many times your will stand in line on your trip. Make the best use of your time with some of these exercises.
Footwork. Stand, feet side-by-side, two or three inches away from each other and balance your weight evenly. Raise your heels off the ground slowly and evenly. Repeat eight to ten repetitions.
Stationary March. Come up to the balls of the feel like the exercise described above. This time alternately lower one heel to the ground at a time. Repeat this move 15X on each side.
Thigh Lift. While keeping your hips level to the ground, raise your knee until your thigh is level to the ground as well. Keep your spine neutral and balance in this position for as long as possible. Repeat on the other side.
Roll-Down. Bring chin to chest and slowly roll down, one vertebra at a time until spine is flexed forward, arms hanging toward floor. Bend knees slightly and roll up, stacking vertebrae one at a time, bringing head up last. Repeat 2-3 times.