55A - Fit and Well Column for Jan. 18^th, 2004

TITLE: "FIT TRAVELING"

Dear David and Trish,

Well, here’s MY excuse for not maintaining a fitness program: “I TRAVEL A LOT”! I am either in my car, a train or a plane most of the time. I can’t seem to develop a routine, and end up just ignoring my fitness needs. Are there any suggestions you can give me to “stay fit on the road”?

Sincerely,

-A Rolling Stone in Severna Park

Dear “Rolling Stone”,

The first aspect of staying fit (or even becoming MORE fit) whilst traveling is a very unique regimen of exercises that you can perform while SITTING in a car, or other vehicle. Yes, you CAN get a good workout (or at least a great stretch and relief of tension) while you are driving your car or stuffed into an airplane seat.

Let’s focus on exercises that can be performed while driving. Of course, ALWAYS be careful doing anything that might distract you from paying attention to your driving. But this routine really can be performed without diverting you from the primary business of staying safe on the road.

The primary challenge of exercising while driving is, of course, the lack of movement space. Effective exercise generally requires FULL range of motion… from the contracted to the stretched state of the muscles.

When you are engaged in any task requiring continuous mental focus, what often happens is that you become “disconnected” from the position and general state of your body. It’s almost as if your body is no longer there. But when your neck and shoulders and back start aching, you are reminded that it IS, and need to respond by getting the body back in balance, and relaxed!

Here are some principles and approaches that work.

Many people get very tight, and accumulate stress in their facial muscles. Jaw gets tight, mouth becomes pursed, and even the forehead becomes stressed. The cure for this is fairly simple.

All that is required is a sequential “mindfulness” of the position and state of muscle contraction. In other words, focus momentarily on your jaw, your mouth, your forehead, etc. Once you acknowledge the part, begin gently moving it, and contracting and releasing the muscles around it. Open and close your jaw (as if you’re yawning) and move it side by side, move your forehead up and down, and even wiggle your ears (I can do that!). A technique I learned from Yoga (it’s called the Lion Pose) is to stick out your tongue FORCIBLY, and then release. Be careful, though, other drivers MAY take such a gesture personally!

The neck and trapezoid area is a veritable repository of stress. Pay special attention here. Do gentle head rotations, and twisting. Then raise the shoulders up (like “who me!”), and let them drop and stretch. This should feel wonderful after being cramped for any period of time.

Requiring a bit more creativity is the mid-section. This area often remains totally dormant and disengaged during periods of prolonged sitting. Additionally, unless your posture is correct, a very subtle, but harmful, rounding of the mid and lower back area takes place… exacerbating the stress and poor circulation in the area. Mindfulness, and gentle full range movement, is the solution.

The first movement is simple. Become aware of the position of the lumbar (lower back) area, and gently shift pressure. Force a gentle arching of the lower back, and return in a fluid manner. Round, and arch… pivoting from the hips, keeping the shoulders back against the seat.

The next movement is a torso rotation. “Plant” the butt on the seat, and gently twist the shoulders to one side, and then the other. This often will inspire some “cracking” response in the vertebrae. This is followed often by a release of stress and relief of tightness and tension.

The third movement is to merely push your belly in and out. Again, borrowed from Yoga, this allows you to “re-connect” with these muscles, and hopefully start coordinating abdominal movements with breathing (one of the keys to Hatha Yoga).

The muscles in the lower body (legs and feet) often feet cramped and uncomfortable after long periods of sitting. Unilateral leg extensions are effective in promoting increased circulation in the knee and quadricep areas (a cruise control is handy for this… but BEWARE, you may need to cease the exercise and use the brake pedal quickly… especially if you notice a radar trap!

Inner thigh and outer thigh is relatively easy. Squeeze in, squeeze out. And a focused tensing of the butt muscles is very effective.

Finally, ankle, foot, and toes are fairly easy… just slow fluid movements. Beware of too much extension on the right foot though… the Trooper will never accept fitness as an excuse for speeding!

In my Nutritional Counseling sessions, one challenge that always comes up is how to maintain a healthy diet whilst traveling. The fact is, it’s very difficult, especially with the proliferation and dominance of what is kindly called “fast food restaurants”, but which are actually “fat food restaurants”.

So, what to do? Two choices…

The best approach is to “bring your own”. You should pack food from home that you enjoy, is fresh, and nutritionally reasonable. For a long trip you can use larger plastic bags and arrange for meals that are diverse, satisfying, and healthy. Don’t forget the chocolate! And, feel free to stop by the DQ and treat yourself with LOW FAT ice cream, or Yogurt.

If you can’t bring your own, just be careful about the fast food trap. The “super-size” options, etc., are very tempting, and will really upset your balance. So seek grilled/baked options, and try to include greens, vegetables, and variety in your meals.

And, please, STOP to eat. You’ll enjoy the meal more, and create less of a hazard on the road!

One of the great pleasures for Trish and I when traveling is having the opportunity to work out in other gyms and fitness centers. New surroundings, different people, strange machines and a different environment inspire us. We have worked out in many different countries, and love to tell stories of our adventures.

If you belong to a Franchise such as Gold’s Gym, they make this very easy. They offer a “Travel Pass” that allows you to utilize other facilities, often without charge. Also, it is a good idea to go to the Internet and research different fitness centers that are available to you when visiting different cities, or different countries.

Additionally, most of the modern hotels and motels offer small, but challenging, fitness rooms. Use these… and get your body reactivated and stimulated after a long trip.

Lots of good advice here. But, when all else fails, stop for a rest, eat a light snack, do some stretching, and take a walk. Let your mind rest, your body move, and your spirit replenish. And if you’re traveling with your partner, ask for a soothing massage. But, please, not while you’re still driving!