This is the time of year when many New Zealanders are packing their bags for adventures. My family lives in England and for the past 20 years I have made the pilgrimmage home twice a year and that's a lot of air miles!
Please take a peek on www.livingosteopathy.co.nz where I show you one-minute ‘tension relieving’ exercises great for flying.
I always travel with a ‘spikey ball’ in my handbag. It's light, easy and guaranteed to get a few giggles from X-ray handlers. Every hour, head to the area around the exit row seat/galley. Place the ball between your shoulders and the wall - small circular gentle movements - that's pushing into key areas all down your back to your buttocks. It's a mini massage; muscles relax and blood rushes to these areas. Marvellous!
Therapeutic-grade essential oils create a ‘dome’ around you, a protective layer to ward off bugs, lavender, eucalyptus and, my new top pick, kanuka. It's a powerful antiseptic that's actually a little brother to manuka yet much gentler on your skin. Dab on your scarf, pulse points and collarbone area - calmly breathe through your nose deep into your belly.
Flight socks - highly effective - you must get a good fit; carefully measure your calf to get an effective compress to reduce pooling fluid in your ankles. I've personally tried with and without on several occasions, and they make a huge difference to your overall circulation and body feel.
Hydrate - the plane is dryer than the Sahara! At our clinic we sell an excellent travel-pack-size bottle of electrolytes (remember the 100ml rule) added to water this encourages our cells to absorb fluid and maintain hydration. Remember to take an empty water bottle (required for security checkpoints), at the earliest point fill it and maintain fluid intake, on average one litre every two hours. We tested out the ‘1 Above’ flight drink, in convenient pill form, and it definitely works. Hydration prior to departure and post arrival is equally important.
View transit as an opportunity to reboot your body - try short concise ‘pump’ exercises similar to what you've seen a tennis player do waiting to receive a serve;
a mini jog and bouncing on the spot, stretching your arms above your head, and then out at shoulder height, clasping your hands behind your back and stretching your arms away, full rotations of your shoulders - forward and back. As we osteopaths say, “move it or you lose it!”
Elevate - when you arrive or on long-haul flights, find a quiet corner in the transit areas with a wall, spread a sarong and lie on the floor with your legs up the wall and practice slow calming, deep breathing. Ten minutes in this position is equivalent to two hours resting flat. It's very rejuvenating. Dancers use this technique a lot. If this is not possible, at least elevate your legs up on your in-flight bag.
Roll Downs - safely stretch your back: You have seven cervical, 12 thoracic and five lumbar vertebrae, although I doubt very much that you will feel this many - my first few roll downs I feel about five! Do this in a controlled fashion, stand with your back pressed firmly to the wall, your feet a hip-width apart and positioned a foot's-length away from the wall. Knees slightly bent, shoulders pinned back to the wall. The idea is to peel forward one vertebra at a time, from your neck to your lower back. Release your breath out, sucking in your abdominal muscles and curving forward, relaxing your arms as you hang forward. With head and neck relaxed, bend your knees a little, breathe. Then re-stack your spine, from the bottom up, again drawing in your tummy muscles, until the back of your head is resting on the wall again, shoulders are relaxed and arms hanging by your sides. Repeat four times and you will increase your mobility.
Injury - one of the most common injuries whilst traveling is neck, shoulder or lower back pain from not ‘handling’ baggage correctly. To prevent injury, remember the old saying “don't use your back like a crane”. Brace, engage your pelvic floor, use your knees and your breath. ACC does cover you for an injury sustained whilst you are away on a trip. Osteopaths are accredited ACC providers, so upon your return please contact us immediately and we can assist you with assessment, filing in forms and treatment - no need to see a doctor first. (SARAH-JANE ATTIAS)
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Disclaimer: This article is for general information purposes only. If you have a specific health problem you should seek advice from an appropriate registered health care provider. Living Osteopathy is a Primary Health Care Provider registered with ACC and the OCNZ. Living Osteopathy does not accept any liability other than to its clients.