Traveling is fun. The adventures create memories that last a lifetime. For people living with pain knocking on their door, travelling can also cause flare ups. And for those who don’t deal with pain on a regular basis, road trips can cause unexpected pain. Thankfully, these three simple tips can keep your body moving and pain free so you can enjoy all your adventures and experience all that your destination has to offer.
1) Reset Your Internal Clock to Current Time Zone:
Switching time zones can be really confusing to our bodies. It makes getting a proper night sleep quite difficult. A technique called “earthing” helps reset your body’s internal clock. Find a grassy, sandy or soil area. Remove your shoes and stand barefoot on the earth for 10 – 15 minutes. This connects your body to the planet’s electromagnetic field and helps reset your internal clock.
2) Stretching Exercises
On a plane or in the car, it can be tough to stretch properly. Help mitigate this by stretching before and after as well as at any rest stops or layovers along the way. There are also small moves you can do while in the car or on a plane. Head/neck rolls and arm stretches can help keep you limber. Click on the picture for some exercise examples:
3) Be Smart with Your Luggage
One of the most common ways people cause themselves pain and injury while travelling is in lifting their luggage. To help with this, pack light. Even if you’re travelling to a different climate zone, there’s no need to bring your entire closet. Pack items that can mix/match easily with each other and a layer up for cool weather.
Also, take care when lifting your luggage. Using proper body mechanics, like bending your knees and lifting straight, can make a huge difference in preventing pain while you’re on the road. If you’ll be carrying your luggage for a long distance, consider getting wheeled luggage or a rolling cart to carry it on.
