I recently went on a 5+ hour road trip and wanted to share how I recover from time spent sitting in a vehicle. We road trip a lot, often driving for a full day or two to reach our destination.
Here are a few things you can do, during and after the drive to reduce the effects of sitting during travel. 1. Use a rolled up towel in your seat to help you untuck your pelvis. You want your seat to be as flat as possible. The 'dip' at the back of the seat in most vehicles forces you into a tucked pelvis position. The towel will help you sit with an untucked pelvis, taking pressure off your sacrum. 2. Bring a tennis ball with you. Use the ball to change the load on different parts of your body. When I'm the passenger (and I'm not practicing my twisting and reaching to hand my kids food or activities), I use a tennis ball to roll around between the seat and my back. Or I sit on it. Or I roll my feet on it. The possibilities are endless! 3. Every time you stop to use a restroom, take a movement break! Climb up on a parking barricade. Hang from a tree. Hinge at the hips and touch your toes. Reach up over your head. 3. When you arrive at your destination, go for a walk. Even a short 5 minute walk will help you unwind from the seated position. 4. Spend some time after you arrive tending to the muscles that were in a shortened and/or stagnant position while you were in the vehicle. - Stretch the back of your legs - strap stretch, hip hinge, seated V - Stretch your calves - using a half dome or rolled up towel - Lie flat on the floor and reach your hands up over your head - Do a gentle twist, making sure to go both ways 5. If it's a really long drive, plan movement breaks along the way. We often grab lunch or dinner at a grocery store and take it to a playground to eat when we travel. How do you add movement to your road trip travel days?
0 Comments
|
Details
AuthorRosanna Taylor, MSc, RES-CPT Archives
April 2024
Categories |