When traveling we can get stiff and sometimes even have increased pain.
Making sure you attain movement that gets you out of the postures that cause your stiffness/pain can reduce the amount or completely eliminate them occurring in the first place.
When traveling there is a lot of sitting. Doing exercises like cat/cows, trunk rotations, side bends, and combinations (like thread the needle) can improve stiffness. Getting up and walking if you are on a train, bus, or plane is a great idea, even though it seems inconvenient. If you are driving, getting out every 1-2 hours and walking for a few minutes as well as performing the same mobility drills can reduce stiffness and pain.
If you have a gym at your resort or hotel, it makes it easier to get familiar workouts in while you are out of town. Some gyms have traveling memberships where you can attend the same gym-chain in a different city while you are there.
If you like to walk for exercise, then make sure you are getting at least 30 mins of walking each day while traveling. Exercises like air squats, lunges, calf raises, and rear foot elevated split squats can be done to get a good leg workout. Using luggage, if you have a duffel bag or something that you can hold in your arms, can act as a weight and give you resistance.
Push ups, pikes, planks, side planks, shoulder taps in a plank can be great options for an upper body workout. If you have trouble with these you can start on your knees as well. High reps until you get a good pump can be great for building endurance!
Ultimately, keep yourself moving, so that you can enjoy your travel instead of wrestling with pain or stiffness!
About the author:
Dennis was born and raised in Cincinnati and went to the University of Cincinnati for health promotion and education, focusing on fitness for his undergraduate degree. Following completion of his undergraduate studies, he then went on to the University of Dayton and received his Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
Dr. Mirosh has been practicing in outpatient orthopedics since graduating from UD treating a variety of physical ailments from musculoskeletal injuries to strokes and deconditioning. He has a true passion for working with any client that has the drive to better themselves but has a special interest in working with athletes. In particular, he enjoys working with weight lifters and martial artists
He has always loved the medical field and was directed towards physical therapy from the time he was in middle school. He has been around sports his whole life and had a high appreciation for rehabilitative medicine.
He loves being able to go in every day and help people in his community better their lives and allow them to return to the activities that they hold dear. He enjoys educating clients on proper movement and how to optimize their performance in their everyday life and hobbies. He was also is very blessed to be able to use his hands to alleviate pain and allow people to get back to doing the things they love.