Top 5 Exercises To Stay Loose While Traveling
“Ughhhh. Will I ever be loose?”, my patient whined, throwing her arms up in despair.
“Yes! If you do your exercises”, I replied, with a smirk.
“Huh. Is that the only way?”, she huffed.
“Yes.”
She jumped off the treatment table, stomped her foot, yelled, “Take a hike, John!” She stormed out of the clinic and slammed the door. Never to be seen again.
Okay, that’s not exactly how it went, but it’s close.
Everyday I tell my patients two things:
If you want your body to feel good, you need to exercise
If you do the right exercises, 5-10 minute bouts throughout the day is all you need
“Motion is lotion”, we like to say. The more you’re able to move, the better you will feel.
This is always important to keep in mind. When traveling, it’s 100% necessary.
For many, including myself, the thrill of traveling can come with a price – a price paid by our bodies.
Long hours in confined spaces, disrupted routines, and the burden of stress can leave our bodies feeling stiff, tight, and downright uncomfortable. Most travelers turn to traditional static stretching to find relief. You know what this looks like.
They’ll kick their leg up to stretch their hamstring or swing their arms back and forth. Pleading with their bodies that 7 seconds of random flailing will undo hours of stiffness.
There's a better way. Today I’ll show you a few advanced techniques that go beyond the ordinary. We'll explore five powerful exercise you can add in your mobility arsenal to relieve:
Neck tightness
Shoulder pain
Low back stiffness
Achy knees
By the end of this article, you'll have a clear understanding of how to keep your body feeling good as new on the road. Plus, it takes less than 10 minutes.
Fasten your seatbelt.
Exercise 1 - T-Spine CAR (Controlled Articular Rotations)
Imagine yourself on a long-haul flight or an extended road trip. Hours of sitting in a cramped space encourages a rounded posture in your mid-back, known as the thoracic spine.
This rounded posture not only feels uncomfortable, but it can lead to muscle stiffness and tension in your lower back and neck.
Your thoracic spine plays a vital role in maintaining your overall spinal health. It's part of the "joint by joint" approach, which teaches us that the body alternates between the need for mobility and stability.
Your thoracic spine needs to provide mobility, allowing you to twist, turn, and reach comfortably. When it lacks this mobility, the burden often falls on your lower back and neck.
To address thoracic spine stiffness and maintain a healthy range of motion, we'll start with T-Spine CARs. These Controlled Articular Rotations are a simple but effective way to regain and enhance mobility in your mid-back.
Here's how to perform T-Spine CARs with good form:
Sit or stand with good posture: Maintain a neutral spine and engage your core.
Cross your arms over your chest: Place your hands on opposite shoulders, with your elbows pointing forward.
Begin the rotation: Slowly rotate your upper body to the right as far as comfortable. Keep your lower back and hips still.
Complete the rotation: Now, slowly rotate back to the center, and then continue to the left as far as you comfortably can.
Repeat for 3-5 rotations on each side: Aim for controlled, smooth movements with no jerking or sudden motions.
If you have access to a foam roller or a rolled-up towel, you can take your thoracic mobility to the next level by trying a t spine extension:
Lie on your back with the foam roller or towel placed horizontally beneath your mid-back.
Gently extend over the foam roller or towel to target the thoracic spine.
As you perform T-Spine CARs or supine T-Spine extensions, you'll start to feel the tension release in your mid-back. These exercises not only help relieve discomfort but also lay the foundation for the rest of our mobility routine.
Next, I’ll show how to combine T-Spine mobility with hip mobility in what's known as the "World's Greatest Stretch."
Exercise 2 - World's Greatest Stretch
Sitting for extended periods during travel can lead to tightness in your hip flexors and lower back muscles, a common discomfort experienced by travelers.
The "World's Greatest Stretch," targets both thoracic spine and hip mobility - the areas above and below your low back.
Freeing up these areas can do wonders for your hip mobility and lower back relief.
Here's how to perform the World's Greatest Stretch with proper form:
Start in a high plank position: Begin in a push-up position with your arms fully extended, shoulders stacked over your wrists.
Step your right foot forward: Bring your right foot next to your right hand, placing it outside your hand or as close as comfortable.
Rotate your torso: Gently twist your upper body to the right, reaching your right hand upward and turning your chest open.
Return to the plank position: Lower your right hand back to the floor and step your right foot back to the push-up position.
Repeat on the other side: Step your left foot forward and twist your upper body to the left, raising your left hand.
Alternate sides for 3-5 repetitions on each side.
The combination of stretching and rotation in this exercise opens up the hips, freeing you from that constricted feeling caused by long periods of sitting.
However, mobility exercises alone won't provide the full solution. A critical aspect of improving how you feel is activating the right muscles.
Exercise 3 - Bird Dog
The Bird Dog exercise is effective for strengthening your core and improving stability. It's particularly effective in reducing low back tightness and enhancing your overall core strength.
Here's how to do a Bird Dog with proper form:
Begin on your hands and knees: Get into a tabletop position with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Extend your right arm: Lift your right arm forward while simultaneously extending your left leg backward. Your arm and leg should be aligned with your spine.
Hold for a few seconds: Keep your body in a straight line, engaging your core for stability.
Return to the starting position: Lower your arm and leg back to the ground.
Switch sides: Extend your left arm and right leg this time, repeating the same steps.
Specifically for travelers, I like the Bird Dog because it relieves low back stiffness and encourages triple extension through the hip, knee, and ankle. In other words, it stretches out everything that is folded up when sitting.
The Bird Dog not only helps reduce tension in your lower back but also activates your mid-back, improving your shoulder blade stability.
For a more targeted approach in reducing tightness in your pecs and neck, we can turn to our next exercise: Prone Shoulder Blade Squeezes.
Exercise 4 - Prone Shoulder Blade Squeezes
You know when you get a cramp, and you try to squeeze the opposite muscle to get it to go away? Like when your hamstring tightens up and you squeeze your quad to get relief? That is reciprocal inhibition.
Reciprocal Inhibition is a fascinating concept. It suggests that activating or "priming" muscles that are opposite to those typically tight, like your low back extensors, pecs, and hip flexors, is an effective way to loosen up those muscles.
For example:
Tight biceps can be relieved by activating your tricep
Tight hip flexors can be relieved by activating your glutes
Tight pecs can be relieved by activating your mid back
Let’s go deeper into the relationship between the pecs/neck and shoulder blades.
The tension that often accumulates in your pecs and neck can be effectively relieved by activating your mid-back muscles. The Prone Shoulder Blade Squeeze is a simple and effective exercise to accomplish this.
Here's how to perform Prone Shoulder Blade Squeezes with good form:
Lie face down: Start by lying face down on a flat surface, such as a yoga mat or the floor.
Extend your arms: Stretch your arms straight out in front of you, with your palms facing down.
Squeeze your shoulder blades: Engage your mid-back muscles and gently squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold this position for a few seconds.
Don’t over extend your low back or neck - keep your core engaged and chin tucked.
Release: Relax your shoulder blades, and then repeat the squeeze.
Repeat for 10-12 repetitions.
By activating your mid-back muscles in this exercise, you're effectively reducing tension in your pecs and neck. This simple exercise can work wonders in enhancing your shoulder blade stability and relieving discomfort in your upper body.
Now, let's move on to our final exercise, a game-changer for your hips, lower back, and knees – the Glute Bridge March.
Exercise 5 - Glute Bridge with March
Prolonged hours of sitting, whether in a car or on a plane, often leave your hips and knees in a flexed position. This can lead to tightness in your hip flexors and hamstrings, two muscle groups that play a crucial role in your mobility.
The Glute Bridge March is a perfect "one-two punch" exercise for addressing both hip and hamstring tightness through the concept of reciprocal inhibition.
By activating your glutes and quads, you improve overall stability and reduce tightness in the front of your hips and hamstrings.
Here's how to do a Glute Bridge March with good form:
Lie on your back: Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground, hip-width apart.
Lift your hips: Push through your heels and lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
March in place: While maintaining the bridge position, lift your right knee toward your chest and hold for a second, then lower it back down. Repeat this with your left knee.
Alternate legs: Continue alternating your knee lifts for 8-10 repetitions on each leg.
The Glute Bridge March will increase blood flow, improve activation, and reduce tightness your entire lower body. It’s the final piece of the puzzle in our mobility routine.
The Bottom Line On Staying Loose While Traveling
With the right tools in your mobility toolkit, you can ensure that your travels are not marred by muscle stiffness and tension.
To incorporate these movements into your busy days, take a bite out of “movement snacks.” These are quick bouts of mobility work you squeeze into your routine, like you would a few bites of an apple or a handful of almonds.
We call them “snacks” for a reason - don’t worry about finding time for a whole meal. Instead of stressing about finding a whole hour to hit the gym or scheduling chiropractic appointments, take short, frequent breaks throughout the day to perform these exercises.
These tiny, consistent efforts add up significantly over time and can be the difference between chronic pain and long-term joint and muscle health.
Mobility is pretty boring, I get it! And nobody cares about it until after they’re already in pain.
However, it’s always better to take a proactive approach. Don't wait for discomfort to set in; start working on your mobility now.
It's a simple yet effective way to keep your joints and muscles feeling great as you age, whether you're a frequent traveler or simply seeking better physical well-being.
If you're currently experiencing joint pain, muscle tightness, or are recovering from an injury, consider scheduling a free consultation with me, a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We can work together to create a personalized plan - 100% complimentary - to make sure you’re able to enjoy your travels without pain.
So, here's to a future of pain-free travels and a more comfortable, active life.
Remember that with a little time and high bang-for-your-buck mobility exercises, you have the power to stay loose and limber, no matter where your journey takes you.
Safe travels!
P.S.
Most that read this have a nagging injury or tightness that will get in the way of them enjoying their holidays. Most also won’t take the 90 seconds it takes to sign up for a free consult with me, a Physical Therapist.
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Have a terrific Thanksgiving,
John