Healthy In-Flight AirPlane Stretching

by Shawn L Fitzpatrick

There are all sorts of things you probably should pack in your carry-on (another pair of underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, a book), but there is one thing you should never want to forget: a Tennis Ball.

Stick with me, here. The ball is not so you can spend your flight bouncing your tennis ball against the airplane cabin wall (really, don’t do that). Instead, use it to help out with some mid-flight stretching.

We all know sitting for an extended amount of time wreaks havoc on your health, so it’s no surprise that long-haul flights are not high on the list of healthy activities. Getting up, walking around and stretching are going to help keep you comfortable and make battling that jet lag just a little easier on the muscles.

Ali Gjoz, a surgeon from the London Orthopaedic Clinic shared a few tips with us. “Taking a tennis ball or a even massager on the plane will help increase circulation,” he says. Roll it over your shoulders, lower back, legs and especially roll it on the floor using the bottoms of your feet (hopefully with socks on- those floors are filthy) to help get your blood flowing again.

If you just can’t fit that tennis ball in your bag (no shame – cramming a week’s worth of outfits into a carryon is sometimes necessary), Gjoz suggest massaging your legs. Hand massage starting with the ankles and moving up, to help get the blood moving back toward your heart.

And if you are worried about what your fellow fliers will say – don’t be. We are pretty sure that “In-flight masking” will still grab more stares than your stretching and massaging with a tennis ball will.

“Do not go where the path leads, travel instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”   @wbbrjp

LastMinuteFlight.com / Phone  213-387-4345 / 3407 W 6th Street, Los Angeles CA