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Despite our best intentions with keeping a routine, life comes up. Traveling for pleasure can derail your movement habits and traveling for sad events, like funerals, can come with added stress. Body care for me during these times is even more important than it usually is so below are some ways I fit body care into the nooks and crannies of plane, train, ferry and automobile time.
1. I walk instead of sit, as often as I can... If I’m going to be sitting on a plane, I’ll walk until it’s time to board. If there’s a chance to walk in any other situation, I’m going to take it.
2. When I do sit, I use different sitting shapes.
3. I carry everything I can. I use the time I’m getting from point A to point B to use my arms, legs, core, heart, and lungs more. Carrying stuff is harder than not carrying it, it’s true. Is that a reason to avoid it or a reason to engage with it. You were wanting more time and space for exercise, right? Bonus: when you’re carrying as part of travel, you know your distances ahead of time so you know what you’re getting into and can plan accordingly. P.S. I also vary my carry—even on the ferry—which spreads the work over more body parts and also the rest.
4. I constantly fit in stretches for my hips, spine, shoulders, with extra moves for hip extension. Since mechanized travel time forces us into much hip flexion time, you’ll always find me doing lunges like a creep—in various corners of the airport, between the ferry benches, and at bus stops.
5. I get outside along the way whenever I can, which can be as simple as windows down in a car. I like natural light and fresh air, which is really just good for us. When you’re sliding through airports it’s hard, but this is all about the minutes. LOOK FOR THE MINUTES because it all adds up.
We all have things that need to be done, and traveling is often one of them. Does this mean your movement practices need to fall down? No. You might just need more (psychological) wiggle room when it comes to how we do them. Wiggle room. GET IT?
