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7 Tips for Surviving Joint Pain While Traveling

12/7/2017

The worst thing we can do to ourselves before vacation is get crammed in our seat on a flight for hours or driving in a car with no room to move. I’ve been there, but it comes at a cost. We end up having that unwanted joint pain and aches that won’t budge and you end up being irritable. It leads to unnecessary anxiety and stress. Plus the other members traveling aren’t having any fun hanging around you right now. Keep in mind, it’s even harder to tolerate joint pain and achiness in colder climates. That’s why you want to keep your joints limber with the following key factors.

Here are some techniques to helping you relax and enjoy the ride:

Hacks to Help You Relax & Enjoy The Ride!

Get comfortable- Ask for a pillow or bring a back roll. Get up periodically and walk around the cabin, or train. Make vehicle stops to get up and move around plus if you’re maintaining your hydration levels, you’re stopping frequently for bathroom breaks. Especially pertinent to those with arthritis. Adjust your seat to have some room to let your legs stretch, which will provide some relief in such a crammed area. Choose an aisle seat to gain that extra flexibility to get up versus being a bothersome to others in the row. If you are suffering from a knee pain condition, you might want to choose an aisle bulkhead seat, which provides additional leg room. Plus booking connecting flights will aid in the additional activity that your joints need to keep them from stiffening up.
Driving to the destination- If you don’t mind the long car trip, opt for driving instead of flying to give you some relief on your joints. You have more flexibility in your seat options. Plus if you have another driver who can take turns – it can alleviate the pressure of staying in the same position and you are able to move the seat all the way back. Keep in mind, there’s always cruise control and therefore less bending at your knee. Considering a brace might be beneficial to compensate for the injured ligaments and provide relief.
Physical Activity- Provide the extra stability in building your quadriceps muscles with strength training. Of course, it doesn’t happen overnight, so you would want to encorporate a routine several months in advance.
Carry along enough medication- So you are prepared for the entire trip and place extra in another bag, in the event of lost luggage.
Medical Condition- If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition, update the airline prior to your trip to accommodate you with providing you a wheelchair and early boarding. Also airline personnel is there to help you carry your luggage or assist with the overhead bin, if needed.
Booking a flight- Ask about getting one with less passengers to give you additional flexibility. Considering you most likely have the achy joints in the morning, you will want to consider a later am or afternoon flight.
Heat or Ice- Bring along whichever option works for you on your flight or car ride to give you some extra relief. Use heat wraps or bring a reseal able bag as the flight attendant can provide you with the ice.

Preparation is key to any successful trip – stay active whether it’s walking or swimming, while maintaining appropriate stretches to keep your joints limber and ready for the next trip. Maintaining a healthy diet, including dairy, fruits, grains, and vegetables can provide antioxidant benefits. Encorporate foods with that provide you nutrients such as oranges, cabbage, spinach, and tomatoes. This will support the creation of cartilage and by ensuring you have the essential amount of milk daily will provide you the additional support of calcium to increase strength in your joints. Always make sure you are hydrated and eliminate processed foods and sugars as the inflammation spreads in the body. You should supplement with Omega 3 fatty acids, such as fish or walnuts. Ensure you are getting the 6-8 hours of sleep to help reduce fatigue, and stiffness in your joints.

Simple adjustments can make any trip worthwhile and easier to enjoy when you don’t have lingering pain taunting you. It also provides you with less pain in the future as the ligaments are getting adjusted to strength exercises and a well-balanced diet. It can only to your longevity and quality of life.

I hope this article finds you in good health!
Sources:
https://www.everydayhealth.com
https://www.arthritis-health.com
http://www.athletico.com

About the Author

Connie Stoltz-McDonald is an Integrative Nutrition-Certified Health Coach, CPT, Wellness Educator, and Blogger, whose passion for living a healthy lifestyle has become her mission through helping others achieve a balanced life. From her passion for writing, she is excited to announce her first book release titled “Healthy Lifestyle- The inside secrets to transforming your body and health.” If you’d like to get a copy, you can connect with her at www.lifestylehealthmentor.com.
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5 Top Fitness Apps to Keep You On Track

2/3/2016

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Below are five apps to keep you on track with your fitness no matter where your travels take you!

CycleCast: All you need is an iPhone and a stationary bike to take a class. Choose from 20, 40 or 60 minute classes. This is the first fitness app that delivers streaming cycling classes from qualified instructors.

Fitmo: If you like being accountable, this handy app allows you to check in with directly with a trainer with text messages and video calls and to to set up a fitness schedule and suggest meal plans.

Runtastic Six Pack Abs: Workout programs that last anywhere from 10 days to almost a month. Slo-mo videos of virtual trainers help you learn each exercise right the first time around.

WOD Deck of Cards: This app makes your WOD (workout of the day) from your local CrossFit box easier. Select four exercises you want to focus on and see which WOD comes up in the deck.

Sworkit: High-intensity bodyweight workouts as short as five minutes or as long as an hour help you work it! Discover dozens of different workouts including strength, cardio, yoga, or stretching.

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TRAVEL WELL: FITNESS ON THE ROAD FEATURING WELLNESS EXPERT SHIRLEY ARCHER

7/13/2015

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We all know traveling can be stressful from long commutes to long lines at the airport, that impact the way we move, eat and sleep. Here’s the low-down from our interview with Shirley Archer on tips for traveling well.

For those of you who missed our live interview, Shirley Archer, JD, MA is a certified personal trainer, yoga, Pilates and meditation teacher as well as best selling author. Shirley lives in Los Angeles and Switzerland so she is a true road warrior with real life experience with long hauls and heavy travel.

WTJ: How did you go from Wall Street attorney to wellness expert?
I’ve always been a Type A person, still am today, and began my career as an attorney working for a large Wall Street law firm. I worked long, demanding hours and did not have time to consider alternatives. I became sick with the flu, bronchitis, walking pneumonia. I developed coughing asthma and could not talk. I needed to leave my job to attend to my health. After over one year of being sick, my doctor told me that I had “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” and that he was not sure that I would ever feel better. My immune system was exhausted. It was at that moment, I realized that I had been passively waiting for the doctor to “fix” me. I was waiting for a magic pill. Then, I got it. My health is my responsibility and only I can create it. So, I began to study everything that I could to restore my own health. With exercise, meditation and mindful practices, good nutrition, counseling and dedication, I became fit and healthy again. And, I decided that I was an intelligent and educated person, but this had happened to me. I had an information gap. And, I dedicated myself to educating others about how to optimize their health and happiness. And, here I am today, 15 books later and as passionate as ever to help others.

WTJ: What are your tips for long hauls, traversing time zones and acclimating to time changes?
START ADJUSTING BEFORE YOU GO. You can jumpstart your body’s adjustment., if you’re going to have a significant time change. Science tells us that the body can adjust about 1 hour per day (that is what we used to be able to travel without high technology). Therefore, start waking up 1 hour earlier each day for a few days before your trip. If that’s too much, do it in 30-minute increments and go to sleep earlier.

WTJ: What tips do you have for recovering after arrival from a long trip?
EXTRA Hydration and LIGHT EXPOSURE really helps – The day before the trip, I set a phone alarm reminding me to drink a liter of water first thing in the morning, around noon, and mid-afternoon to make sure I’m well hydrated. Make an effort to expose yourself to sunlight as soon as possible after you arrive. If it’s still light, take a brief walk outside. If it’s too late, do it first thing the following morning. Exposure to natural light stimulates our own body clock and speeds our adjustment. Look up the fitness facilities at your hotel – even splurge on a personal trainer appointment your first day in to orient you, so you can fit in a training session. Alternatively, schedule a MASSAGE at the spa. It’s a great way to relieve the aches and pains after a long flight. Best to book these in advance, so you can do it right when you arrive.

WTJ Packing light is always a good idea but what light weight fitness equipment do you recommend packing?
If you have a regular training routine, I recommend three light fitness tools — an exercise tube or band for toning, a jump rope for cardio and warm-up and a stretching strap for flexibility. You can even bring a lightweight yoga travel mat – also “sticky” socks and gloves can even replace your mat, if you know yoga postures.

WTJ: What strategies do your recommend for healthier and more comfortable air travel?
Bring a sleeping mask and ear plugs and/or wear noise cancellation head phones. Planes are very loud. Drink lots of water. If water gets boring, lots of airlines also offer quick soups. Drink those instead or tea. Bring your own tea bags so that you can have decaf or herbal blends. Aim for one bottle per hour. Trips to the restroom are good opportunities to stretch. While waiting to use the restroom, take the time to stretch, no one will mind. Standing calf stretches, as well as hip flexor (yoga dancer pose) if you can do it, are great. While seated, also try to stretch each hour. You can do a seated spinal twist, knee hug stretches one at a time, cat and cow for lower back, shoulder squeezes and rolls – all great tension relievers that will also boost circulation. Also, do ankle rolls and flex and point your feet as you sit in your chair. This will stimulate circulation in your feet and ankles and help reduce swelling.

WTJ: Often I see passengers struggle to get their luggage in and out of the overhead bins. What tips do you have to avoid sprains & strains?
Firstly, don’t overpack! Keep it light with essentials only. Make sure it’s a weight that you can lift comfortably. Avoid twisting and lifting at the same time. In a narrow aisle, face your bag and pick it up. Then turn and face your bin to lift overhead. If you need assistance, do not be afraid to ask.

WTJ: Sitting for long periods of time is unhealthy. What can passengers do while seated to relieve tired and fatigued muscles?
Yes, we all know intuitively that sitting too long is not healthy. And, now we have a growing body of research to prove it. A large scale Australian study of over 12,000 people showed that INDEPENDENT of how often you exercise, sitting for longer than 3 hours at a time increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and premature death. Another review of studies that included over a quarter of a million people shows similar results. Researchers believe this is due to the lack of circulation. Movement creates health for the human body. So, we’ve got to move it, move it, like the song suggests :)

WTJ: What advice do you have for those that want to get out to exercise?
Identify and use legitimate running and walking routes – Every city has great running and walking routes, from urban parks to desert paths and a resource American Heart Association’s walking paths.
Before you go out, make sure you tell someone where you plan to go and when you plan to return. If you don’t tell a travel partner, alert the front desk at the hotel. Make sure you take the hotel address and phone number with you. Check with the concierge and let him or her know your fitness level and what distance you’d like to run or walk. Also, Chronicle Books has a number of “City Walks” e-books for major cities worldwide. It’s a super resource.

For those that missed the live video interview, Shirley gave us some great examples of stretching exercises you can do while seated on an airplane, at your office, or at the airport. Below is an excerpt from her book, "Fitness 9 to 5: Easy Exercises for the Working Week".

About Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is a best-selling, award-winning author who has written 15+ titles and is a certified personal trainer, wellness coach, yoga, Pilates and Meditation teacher. Featured on Americas's Next Top Model, Shape Magazine, The Washington Post and other media outlets, Shirley is an IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year winner, and worked 15 years at the Stanford University Prevention Research Center. Shirley inspires others to live their best lives.

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Let Travel Be Your Fitness Adventure

7/13/2015

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Traveling is a chance to try new fitness adventures. Instead of putting your workout routine on hold, because you're used to your routine at the gym, challenge yourself to try something new.

You know that saying now used in advertising about simple physics - "A body in motion tends to stay in motion?"

Here are a few ideas to keep you moving while traveling:

Headed to a new city? Go out and explore with a walking tour. Your travel agent or hotel staff can help you find one. Some hotels, like Westin, have designed local walking maps for their guests or use an app like Map My Walk to locate routes of different lengths all over the world.

Off to the coastal shores? Walks in nature are not only good for your health they are good for your soul. Treat yourself to a seaside walk. Did you know that walking in sand requires twice the effort of walking at the same speed on a hard surface?

Visiting the countryside? Those long roads mostly free from traffic are perfect for biking. DIY or find the perfect tour, just right for your fitness level through the Bicycle Tour Network, run by the National Bicycle Tour Directors Association.

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7 Tips for Surviving Joint Pain While Traveling

Hacks to Help You Relax & Enjoy The Ride!

About the Author

5 Top Fitness Apps to Keep You On Track

TRAVEL WELL: FITNESS ON THE ROAD FEATURING WELLNESS EXPERT SHIRLEY ARCHER

Let Travel Be Your Fitness Adventure

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