Although there is no real training for this adventure we do recommend a number of stretches to get ready for your long flight. 

One of the most unpleasant factors of air travel is sitting in a cramped seat for hours on end. A stiff neck, cramping, and sore muscles affect everyone, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to prevent them.

Doing yoga before your flight is a great way to prepare your body for the hours ahead. The following is a simple routine you can follow that will loosen up and stretch out the parts of your body that get hit the hardest during a long flight.

Neck Roll

Drop your right ear to your right shoulder as much as it naturally wants to go (don’t force it), then, using the weight of your head to facilitate the movement, gently roll your head around to the front (dropping your chin toward your chest) and then to the left side. Hold the side, front, and other side positions for a few extra seconds to maximize the stretch.

Walk Your Dog

Downward Facing Dog is a great pose for stretching your calves, and well-stretched calves decrease your risk of back pain during travel.

Foot Stretch

Wearing shoes for the entirety of a long-haul flight will cause your feet to feel stiff and cramped.

Stretch them out by tucking your toes under and sitting back on your heels for a full foot stretch.

Thread the Needle

This is a great pose to improve your neck and shoulder flexibility, which will decrease your risk of neck pain while building shoulder fitness.

From all fours, bring one shoulder and ear to the mat while sliding the arm on that side under your supporting arm, then repeat on the other side.

Butterfly

If you’re stuck in a small seat for hours, the groin and hips will stiffen up, but by practicing butterfly pose, you can loosen them up beforehand.

Sitting up tall, bring the soles of your feet together and allow your knees to drop toward the floor into a diamond shape. To try a more intense version of this stretch, try to bring your heels closer to your hips.

When you sit in the same position, your hip flexor muscles will be in a constant state of contraction, which causes low back pain and tightness. Loosen these muscles before your flight with these low lunges.

Bend your right knee, keeping your right ankle directly beneath it, and place the left knee onto the mat and untuck your toes. Sink your pelvis forward as you place your palms on the front knee for balance, then switch.

Ankle Over Knee

One of the many problems of sitting for long hours is the pressure it puts on your sciatic nerve, the longest and widest nerve in your body (it extends from your lower back into your legs). The best thing you can do to alleviate sciatic nerve pressure before a flight is to stretch your glutes out with this pose.

Lying on your back with bent knees, cross your right ankle over your left knee and interlace your palms behind the left thigh, then gently draw your knees toward your chest, keeping your feet flexed. Repeat on the other side.

Prepare for Travel

So, you’ve been planning your trip for a while now. You are getting ready for every detail – but is your body ready as well?

Many people in their 60s are worried about their physical health in relation to travel. They are concerned they aren’t going to have the energy and endurance to keep up with their family and travel partners.

To explore a new city, you will likely encounter historic streets and stairways, mountains, and hillsides. Many times, the terrain on these sites is uneven. You might be walking and on your feet for long days, keeping up with tours.

What about hiking or exploring areas where there are no handrails. Do you have the strength and balance to safely navigate these areas while taking in all the sights? You may even have to rush through an airport or two.

What are your travel plans? Whether you plan to go to the beach, the mountains, the lake, or explore a new city, you want your body to be fit to travel and be ready to enjoy every adventure!

Meditation for your Travel

Before you even head out on your new adventure, you need to make sure that you already have a meditation practice in place. The more set you are with your meditation routine—the easier it will be to keep meditating when you travel.

In the days and weeks leading up to your trip, be more strict with yourself about your meditation practices. Don’t just meditate in the morning, meditate at 7:00 AM every day. Don’t skip your meditation because you’re tired or busy—stick with it.

If you are diligent with yourself ahead of time, it will be easier to make sure you make time for your meditation practice when you are away from home.

To gain a better understanding of how mindful breathing and other meditative techniques can help, it’s best to practice them before your trip. If you can manage to develop something resembling a daily or regular habit, the effects tend to be greater.

Follow your own practice

Your meditation practice is a deeply personal experience, and there is no one way to do it. How you choose to meditate, where and when, is entirely up to you. Some people like to be fluid with their practice, others like the ritual of it.

Just follow your own practice, be open to adjusting it if you need to, and set your intentions. Your travels may even inspire you to meditate differently and deepen your practice.

Pack something to set the scene

Be it a yoga mat, prayer beads, crystals, a small candle, some essential oil rollerballs, just don’t forget to pack what you need to meditate! I usually travel with a little essential oil diffuser, which I turn on just before going to sleep, my favorite time to meditate is right at the end of the day, and it just helps me get in the right frame of mind. You know what you need, so bring it along with you, or purchase a travel-friendly version of it.

Try an app

If you find travel disrupts your practice, there are so many apps available that can help you meditate on the go.

Try a guided meditation or podcast

Apps aren’t the only place to score some guided meditation. If you’re struggling to get in the right mindset, you can find some great guided meditations on YouTube or even try a podcast. It’s great if you’re traveling as part of a group and need a little more “you” time on the go or it’s hard to find a quiet space, just download a podcast, pop your headphones in and listen away.

Think quality over quantity

Even five to ten minutes of mindful meditation can be better than nothing. At times just taking a few moments of calm and some deep breaths can be more than enough to notice a change of consciousness.

Even you don’t meditate regularly, take out a little time for yourself every day to breathe and be present while traveling, and exploring the world will be even more amazing than it already is.

Stretches For Your Adventure

Whether you are going on your first hiking trip, or you are an advanced hiker, it is important to know how to prepare for a hike. 

A lot of people will talk about hiking tips such as: what to bring on your hike, hiking safety tips, and where to hike. But they leave out one of the most important parts of hiking: preparing your body for a hike. 

Not a lot of time is spent talking about hiking training or conditioning. But, it is important to make sure your body is ready for the activity.

One important way to prepare your body for a hike is to do a dynamic warm-up routine before you hit the trails. Dynamic stretching is important for warming up your muscles and getting them ready for the adventure. It will help you to perform your best and get you to your hiking goal, no matter how big or small that goal is.

A pre-hike stretch should only take about 10 minutes, and then you’ll be ready to hit the trail. Follow this dynamic stretching routine before your next hike to get your body ready.

Alternating knee lifts:

Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Lift one knee towards your chest and grab right below your knee with both hands. Bring your knee as close to your chest as you can and then slowly lower the leg back to a standing position. Repeat with the opposite leg. Don’t hold the stretch longer than a few seconds. You should be moving through the stretch.

Squat to hip flexor:

Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Lower your bottom like you are sitting back in a chair, keeping your knees tracking behind your toes. While in the squat position, bring one leg back so that you are in a lunge position. Keep your hips pushed forward to get a good stretch on the hip flexor. Return to a standing position. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Alternating high kicks:

Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Bring one leg straight out in front of you and swing the opposite arm over your head to try to touch the top of the foot. It’s ok if you can’t touch the foot, but try to keep the leg straight. bring the leg back to standing and repeat on the opposite side. Take these slow to maintain good balance.

Torso twist:

Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Bend at your waist and twist your shoulders so that you touch one foot with the opposite hand. Return to standing and repeat to the opposite side. If it is difficult to touch the foot with the opposite hand, try spreading your legs wider apart.

Alternating quad stretch:

Start standing with your feet hip-width apart. Bend one leg so that your foot comes close to your butt. Reach your arm behind you to grab the top of that foot with your hand. Pull your foot towards your butt to deepen the stretch. Release the foot and return to standing. Repeat with the opposite leg. Feel free to grab a railing or friend to help you maintain balance during this stretch.