Does your body seem to fall apart just as your holiday arrives? Do you find that new pains or stiffness set in as you travel? Having a sore neck, back and feet seem to be a common trend among the travellers I have met! I have discovered some tips and tricks for the travelling body!
As many of you know, I have been travelling over the last few weeks. With all the flights, train, car and bus commutes I find myself in slumping into prolonged sitting and sleeping positions that put a lot of extra strain on the travelling body. Spending most days exploring new cities, hiking forest trails or discovering hidden local beaches, by the time we plop down for a well-deserved vino our feet feel like they are burning swollen lumps and our bodies feel completely drained with exhaustion!
Rolling bulky luggage and carrying heavy day-trip laden personal items for long periods of time. Even though our suitcases have wheels, pulling these heavy loads causes some strain through the shoulders. We tend to tense up by locking our shoulders into a lifted and rounded position trying to muster a secured strength, which is counter-productive in the long term.
At first, the holiday excitement diverts our attention and our mental relaxation dulls the aching but after a few days you may notice as you wake, feelings of stiffness or areas of tenderness start creeping in. This is what we want to prevent so that your holiday can be a completely blissful escape rendering you feeling rejuvenated mentally as well as physically and not feeling like you need a holiday from your holiday!
Dynamic Neck Stretches: These are a favourite of mine and great to perform at any time, especially during your commutes.
Scroll down to watch Katie demonstrate this exercise below!
Chin retraction: To correct the inevitable forward translation of our neck and head from all the seated postures during travel we can activate our deep neck flexors and postural neck muscles that keep our neck held up straight we can perform neck retraction exercises!
Scroll down to watch Katie demonstrate this exercise below!
Shoulder and rib cage stretch: Sleeping in all kinds of positions end up compressing the rib cage and shoulders. This stretch will help open up the rib cage and stretch the shoulder capsule to increase mobility and flexibility.
Scroll down to watch Katie demonstrate this exercise below!
Gluteal sitting stretch: When travelling we tend to move from our usual routines which can cause an increase in body stiffness. Not to mention we tend to do more walking to take in all the beautiful sites! This is another great stretch you can do while sitting in the car, train or ferry or simply once you unload at your hotel!
Alternately, if are lacking the space or flexibility for the above gluteal exercise you can try the stretch below to challenge your hip capsule and gluteal muscles.
Scroll down to watch Katie demonstrate this exercise below!
Ankle Range of Motion: You may notice that if you take your shoes off during a flight then try to put your shoes back on, they will feel tighter. When we are sitting for long periods of time our blood begins to pool because if our leg muscles aren’t moving, the blood is not getting pumped back up around our body. This effect is most commonly noticed on aeroplanes due to the change in pressure. Even small movements can be a great help!
Scroll down to watch Katie demonstrate this exercise below!
1. Low Back support: Place a pillow in the curve of your lower back for support during long journeys. As this will help prevent a rounding slump that allows the pelvis to tip backwards and creates a prolonged stretch of the connective tissues, muscles and joints of the spine.
Scroll down to watch Katie demonstrate this travelling trick below!
2. Neck Pillow Trick: Another trick I have picked up is if you have a neck pillow that can be fastened in the front, spin the pillow around so that the larger padded section is actually in front of your neck. This prevents your head from being pushed forward by the pillow as well as the headrest and it also provides a larger support at the front and sides to prevent your neck from falling in a sharp-angled position when you inevitably dip into sleep. This particular tip works best if the recline feature to your chair is only at a slight angle, such as on a plane, train or bus. If you are able to recline your chair quite far, the neck pillow may be more comfortable in the original position. Give it a try and see if this works for you!
Scroll down to watch Katie demonstrate this exercise below!
