Has this ever happened to you? You’re sitting at your gate awaiting your boarding call, and suddenly see some guy rolling around and stretching on the airport floor.
That guy’s me. I love traveling, but I hate the hours of sitting that comes with it.
We all know sitting for too long isn’t great for us. And there are lots of things that happen to our body when we do. But most of all it makes our body feel tight. That’s why I stretch out on dirty airport carpets.
I know most of you aren’t huge fans of airport carpets like me so I put together a few simple stretches you can do either, standing or seated, without drawing too much attention to yourself.
Most of these stretches are shown standing because you’ll be spending a good deal of time sitting on the plane anyway. Of course, you can do them sitting as well. But I prefer to take advantage of any opportunity to stand at the airport when I can.
There’s no limit on how long you should hold these stretches. I like to aim for at least 30 seconds for each or for 10 deep breaths.
Upper Back and Neck Stretch
Stand tall and start with your hands behind your back. Grab your right wrist with the left hand. Pull your right arm to the left and tilt your head to the left.
Chest Stretch
Place your hands behind your head. Pull your elbows back as if you’re trying to touch them together behind your head. Keep your abs tight, so you don’t extend through your lower back, and push your chest forward.
Upper-Back and Neck Stretch
Clasp your hands together. Push your arms as far as you can forward as if you’re trying to touch your palms to the wall in front of you.
Shoulder Stretch
Grab the back of your upper arm with the opposite hand and pull it across your body.
Hip Flexor Stretch
Place one foot on bench or chair. Keeping your back leg straight and back heel slightly lifted, push your weight forward slightly. You should feel the stretch on the front of the hip of the back leg.
Hip Stretch
Sit up tall and place your right foot on your left leg. With both hands, gently apply downward pressure on your right knee. You should feel a stretch on the front of your right hip.
Glute Stretch
Sit up tall and cross your right leg over your left leg. Wrap your left arm around your right knee and pull it towards your left shoulder.
Hamstring Stretch
Place your right heel on a bench or chair and keep both legs straight. Push your right hip back as far as you can, making sure to keep your chest up and shoulders back. Try to bring chest as close as you can to your thigh only to the point at which your back starts to round.
About the author:
Kia Khadem is a Certified Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP) and Precision Nutrition Coach (Pn1) with an MSc Kinesiology (c) degree. This is his second post on GlobetrottingMama.com. For more information on his services visit kiakhadem.com
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