Are you on an airplane a lot? More and more people are traveling for work and vacations and many are traveling to the Far East. I have a client who travels to Singapore every few months. This puts him on an airplane for 12 – 14 hours. That is a lot of sitting at one time. It is always good to get up and walk around whenever possible and if you are a frequent traveler, you probably get the aisle seat just for that reason.
Here are a few exercises you can do somewhat discreetly to keep the blood circulating and your muscles from getting stiff:
- Ankle Circles – Lift feet off the floor, draw a circle with the toes
- Foot Pumps – Start with both heels on the floor and point feet upward as high as you can. Then put both feet flat on the floor. Then lift heels high, keeping the balls of your feet on the floor.
- Knee Lifts – Lift leg with knee bent while contracting your thigh muscle. Bring the knee up towards your chest. Alternate legs.
- Bend Forward – With both feet on the floor, tighten your abs by pushing your belly button back towards your spine, slowly bend forward and walk your hands down the front of your legs toward your ankles.
- Neck Rolls – With shoulders relaxed, drop ear to shoulder and gently roll neck forward and to the other side, holding each position about five seconds
- Shoulder Rolls – Hunch shoulders forward, then upward, then backward, then downward, using circular motion.
- Overhead Stretch – Raise both hands straight up over your head. With one hand, grasp the wrist of the opposite hand and gently pull to one side.
I remember the airlines actually showed a video of exercises you could do in your seat. I haven’t seen that in a while.
To learn more about traveling with medical conditions read this article: http://www.shipsntripstravel.
Holly Kouvo is a certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Specialist, speaker and writer who specializes in helping people lose hundreds of pounds. Learn more at www.FittingFitnessIn.com.