Exploring a new city or country can be incredibly rewarding, and many people list traveling as one of their favorite pastimes.
Unfortunately, the hours spent sitting while driving or flying to your intended destination can wreak havoc on your body.
In addition to the inevitable sore and tight muscles that often accompany long trips, frequent travelers are also at risk of developing swollen feet or even blood clots.
There are definitely steps that can be taken to reduce these health risks – most importantly, changing your sitting position, stretching, and moving around as often as possible.
Be sure to try the exercises below the next time that you hit the road.
1. Reverse Lunges
Begin in an upright standing position, keeping your head, shoulders, hips, and legs in alignment. Place your arms at your sides.
Take a big step back with one leg, then lower your back knee to the ground.
Return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite side.
Repeat the movement, alternating legs.
Reverse Lunges
To make this exercise easier: Place one hand against the wall to help with balance.
When traveling, your hip flexors can become incredibly tight and blood flow to your legs can be compromised.
If you cannot do the exercise in a standing position, try the Leg Extension exercise below instead.
Leg Extension:
Firstly, begin in an upright sitting position, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips.
Engage your core and raise one bent knee up towards your chest.
Then, extend your leg in front of your body. Return to the starting position and then repeat the movement.
Leg Extension
2. Push Up to Mountain Climber
Begin in an upright standing position with both hands against the wall at shoulder-height.
Move your feet back to increase the angle of your body.
Contract your core, then bend your arms to lower your upper body towards the wall.
Straighten your arms to complete a push-up, then drive each knee up towards your chest.
Repeat the sequence of movements.
Push Up to Mountain Climber
Chair Progression:
Basically, begin in a straight arm plank position with your hands on the seat of a chair, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulder, hips, and toes.
Contract your core, then bend your arms to lower your upper body towards the chair.
Straighten your arms to complete a push-up, then drive each knee up towards your chest. Repeat the sequence of movements for staying strong while travelling.
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Chair Progression
Floor Progression:
Begin in a 4-point position with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Move into a straight-arm plank position, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and toes.
Moreover, bend your arms to lower your upper body towards the floor, staying strong while travelling.
Straighten your arms to complete a push-up, then drive each knee up towards your chest.
Repeat the sequence of movements.
Floor Progression
3. Plank Variations
Straight Arm Plank
Begin in an upright standing position with both hands against the wall at shoulder-height, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs.
Move your feet back to increase the angle of your body. Tighten your core and hold this position for a couple of seconds. Relax and repeat the movement.
Straight Arm Plank
Forearm Plank
Begin in an upright standing position facing the wall, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and legs.
Lean your forearms against the wall, then move your feet back to increase the angle of your body.
Tighten your core and hold this position for a couple of seconds, staying strong while travelling. Relax and repeat the movement.
Forearm Plank
Straight Arm Plank (Chair)
Firstly, move into a straight arm plank position with your hands on the chair, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulder, hips, and toes.
Tighten your core and then hold this position for a couple of seconds, staying strong while travelling. Relax and repeat the movement.
Straight Arm Plank (Chair)
Forearm Arm Plank (Chair)
Move into a forearm arm plank position with your elbows planted on the seat of the chair, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulder, hips, and toes.
Tighten your core and then hold this position for a couple of seconds. Relax and then repeat the movement.
Forearm Arm Plank (Chair)
Straight Arm Plank (Floor)
Begin in a 4-point position with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Move into a straight arm plank position, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and toes.
Contract your core and then hold this position for a couple of seconds, staying strong while travelling. Relax and repeat the movement.
Straight Arm Plank (Floor)
Forearm Arm Plank (Floor)
Begin in a 4-point position with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips, staying strong while travelling.
Move into a forearm plank position, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, hips, and toes. Contract your core and then hold this position for a couple of seconds.
Relax and repeat the movement.
Forearm Arm Plank (Floor)
4. Hip Lifts Or Squats
Hip Lifts
Begin in an upright sitting position on the front of a chair or bench, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Place both hands on the sides of the chair for support.
Tighten your core, then straighten both arms to lift your seat off of the chair. Return to the starting position and then repeat the movement.
Hip Lifts
Chair Squat
Begin in an upright sitting position with your feet shoulder-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Keep your hands at chest-height.
Contract your core and lean your upper body forward, pushing through your heels to lift your seat off the chair slightly. Return to the starting position and then repeat the movement.
Chair Squat
Full Bodyweight Squat
Begin in an upright standing position with your legs hip-width apart and your toes slightly pointed outward. Keep your hands at chest-height.
Bend your knees and hinge through your hips to move into a deep squat. Raise back up and then repeat the movement.
Full Bodyweight Squat
5. Core Work
Reverse Crunch
Lie on your back on the floor with your arms at your sides. Lift both of your legs and bend your knees, ideally to 45 degrees. Tighten your core, then lift your upper body as you kick both of your legs upward. Return to the starting position and then repeat the movement.
Reverse Crunch
Russian Twist (Feet On The Floor)
Basically, sit upright on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Keep your hands at chest-height. Engage your core and lean back slightly, then twist your upper body to touch your hands on the floor on one side.
Moreover, return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite side.
Russian Twist (Feet On The Floor)
Russian Twist (Feet Off The Floor)
Firstly, sit upright on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keep your hands at chest-height. Engage your core and lean back slightly, lifting both feet off the ground.
After that, twist your upper body to touch the floor on one side. Return to the middle position and then repeat the movement on the opposite side.
Russian Twist (Feet Off The Floor)
Russian Twist (From Your Seat)
Start in an upright sitting position with your feet flat on the floor, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Keep your hands at chest-height.
Engage your core and twist your upper body to touch the arm of your chair on one side.
Return to the middle position and then repeat the movement on the opposite side.
Russian Twist (From Your Seat)
Leg Raises
Start in an upright sitting position with your feet flat on the floor, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Straighten one leg in front of your body.
Contract your quad and core, then lift your leg, ideally to be parallel to the floor. Lower your leg to return to the starting position and then repeat the movement.
To intensify this exercise, lift both legs at the same time.
Leg Raises
So, take the time to try some of these exercises the next time you are traveling. It is important to keep your body healthy so that future travel plans are not derailed!
And for a more in-depth program designed to loosen tight muscles and keep your joints heathy, check out: Top 10 Morning Movements.
