The air-obics imperative

Travel TravailsII

There were tips on dealing with common ailments that tend to occur while flying for long in Tuesday's article.

But apart from those, one can also do some exercises while seated, to ease the discomfort caused by sitting in one position and place.

Doing a web search on deep vein thrombosis, for instance, will yield a surprising number of results and almost all websites have enumerated exercises to prevent DVT. Here are some exercises to beat the discomfort of long flights:

Sit upright with your back and buttocks against the back of the seat. Keep your body weight equal over each buttock. Relax the shoulders, keeping the spine upright and long. Take a large breath in through the nose, drawing the air into the sides of your ribs. Breathe out through the mouth, slowly releasing the air. Only repeat this for four breaths.

From the upright sitting position, turn your head slowly to look over one shoulder. Repeat to the other side. Only turn as far as you can comfortably. Repeat five times to each side.

Circle both shoulders backwards slowly five times. Relax the shoulders afterwards.

Raise one arm above your head and reach upwards to stretch your side. Repeat with the other arm.

Transfer the body weight from one buttock to the other to release pressure.

To prevent DVT you can try these:

Try to repeat these exercises regularly throughout your journey (twice every hour).

Loosen shoes or remove boots if you can to aid circulation in the legs.

Arch the soles of both feet and curl your toes 10 times. Pump both ankles forwards and backwards vigorously 20 times with your legs a few inches off the ground keeping your leg straight.

Tighten the thigh muscles 10 times. March the feet on the spot 10 times alternating between the heel and ball of foot. This will raise the lower thigh off the seat by a few inches. Clench the buttock muscles together 10 times.

Whilst queuing for the toilet, stand on tip toes to encourage circulation. On touchdown have a gentle stretch when removing luggage from the overhead locker.

If you are immobile for more than 30 minutes, perform the exercises twice per hour. These exercises are designed to make your journey more comfortable.