Travel can be challenging and leave us feeling sluggish but it doesn’t have to be this way. In part 1 of this ‘Travel Well’ series, Dr. Wendy Bazilian explores the power of self-care on travel days. Discover the benefits of in-seat exercises, creating your own ‘Travel Well’ kit, and setting healthy intentions. Whether you’re heading to a holiday celebration or navigating a business trip, these simple strategies can help you improve circulation, reduce stress, beat jet lag, and arrive energized and ready. 

FROM THE EPISODE:

“Small intentional actions can lead to significant improvement in how we feel during and after our journeys, and our journey can be better as we then arrive at the destination to have our adventure.”

WE DISCUSS:

Audio: 

(1:25) Traveling Well –Stories and reflections to inspire your ‘why’ 

(10:12) The ROIs of simple exercises on travel days 

(16:13) A Mindful Minute: A guided 4-7-8 breathing technique to help you feel grounded and reduce stress

(19:55) Practical travel tips: From creating your ‘Travel Well’ kit to using compression socks

(30:18) Simple in-seat exercises to boost health without leaving your seat

(35:32) A question to ponder and reflect on 

(36:21) Closing remarks and gratitude to my team and you for joining me on this journey

CONNECT WITH WENDY

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Visit my website: wendybazilian.com

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Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey–together. A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.

Health Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.

REFERENCES:

Clarke, M. J., & Atkins, C. D. (2022). Interventions to prevent venous thrombosis after air travel. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 20(1), 13-22.

Kent Precision Hydration. (2023). The cognitive effects of proper hydration. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/2023BeatTheHeatWinners/Contest_Innovative_KentPrecision_CognitiveEffectsHydration.pdf 

Kuipers, S., Cannegieter, S. C., Middeldorp, S., Robyn, L., Buller, H. R., & Rosendaal, F. R. (2007). The absolute risk of venous thrombosis after air travel: A cohort study of 8,755 employees of international organizations. PLoS Medicine, 4(9), e290. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0040290

Roberts, R. A., & Williams, A. D. (2022). Compression stockings for preventing deep vein thrombosis in airline passengers: Recommendations and effectiveness. American Family Physician, 105(1), 23-29. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2022/0100/p23.html 

TRaTBiKiRPfd55c3sf74

Travel isn't just about the

destination.

It's about how we care

for ourselves along the journey.

Every small movement and mindful

choice we make turns those

travel minutes into opportunities for

wellness.

We experience 1,000 waking

minutes on average every day.

How are you spending yours?

I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian and

you're listening to 1,000

Waking Minutes.

I can't wait to connect

with you here with practical

ways to eat well, move

daily, and be healthy, to

optimize every waking minute you

live for a happier, healthier

life.

Thank you for sharing some

of your waking minutes with

me today.

Let's get started.

♪♪♪ Hello and welcome back

to 1,000 Waking Minutes.

I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian.

Here to talk about how

to enhance our days and

our health with small practical

choices that help us make

the most of our waking

minutes each day.

Today's episode is part one

in what I will begin

over time as a series

around traveling well.

Today I'll be focusing on

movement and a little bit

of self-care while traveling.

Whether you're catching a plane,

getting on a train, or

road tripping in a car,

travel often challenges our ability

to stay active and comfortable,

stay healthy.

But here's the thing:

With just a little intention

and a few strategies, you

can actually feel better while

traveling and arrive at your

destination ready to enjoy it.

As we approach the bustling

holiday season that is now

upon us, with Thanksgiving right

around the corner tomorrow and

Christmas and Kwanzaa and Hanukkah

all coming at the same

time this year and New

Year's right after, many of

us are preparing to travel.

In fact, a 2024 This

Year survey by The Vacationer

that was led by a

mathematician and statistician named Eric

Jones from Rowan College found

that 22% of Americans

will be traveling this Thanksgiving

holiday season and a third

of us will be traveling

both Thanksgiving and into the

winter holiday in December.

That's a lot of people.

That's more than 92 million

bodies in planes, cars, trains,

and buses in the next

month and over these holidays.

So let's dive in and

I'm going to share today

some research-backed insights, some

personal tips, and even some

simple exercises that you can

do right from your seat.

So hopefully this will take

you from your seat at

your desk if you're a

working individual in front of

a computer or certainly help

you when you're in a

seat confined for usually a

number of hours.

And then we'll work in

our mindful minute today and

we'll head on our way

to a healthy holiday season.

So I wanted to start

with a little story about

a woman that I worked

with for a number of

years.

I'll call her Anne.

She was a client and

she was an active professional

woman, general counsel for a

major global corporation, and she

had to travel to Asia

at least once a month

from New York.

That was a 13-hour

flight at minimum if nothing

went wrong in the travel,

enough, you know, over the

course of a year to

get halfway to the moon.

And to cope with these

marathon trips that she would

do, she developed on her

own a disciplined self-care

routine.

She would walk the aisles

during her flights.

She would do stretches in

her seat.

And the part that I

loved, especially loved, if that

isn't enough, is that when

she landed, no matter what

time it was, sometimes it

was an overnight flight, sometimes

it was midday, sometimes it

was in the evening about

ready to go to bed,

she felt like she would

always put in 45 minutes

as a workout.

Sometimes she wouldn't change her

clothes even.

She'd have her travel clothes

on, and it could be

walking, it could be jogging.

If the weather was nice,

she would do it outside.

Otherwise, she would make sure

that she scheduled into a

hotel that she was familiar

with with a fitness room

so that she could do

that.

She would hit the ground,

literally running, so to speak,

and shake off what I

like to call the travel

gribblies.

You know that feeling that

you get when you're cooped

up in that stagnant air,

breathing is a little bit

different, we're stiff.

And she would do that.

It would jumpstart circulation, stretch

the kinks out, of course,

and it helps immediately start

to reset the circadian rhythm.

It does take a while,

but in a new time

zone, that movement and circulation

can really help.

So breaking a sweat, which

she would do, and it

wouldn't be a full-blown

workout all the time, she

would explain, but it warms

up the body also.

It opens our pores.

And then when it's time

for rest, it can help

create a better rest.

So as hard as it

might be to do that,

this was her strategy, and

I've come to appreciate it

and most times try to

do something similar.

It's not always 45 minutes,

but try to do something

like that.

Her approach might sound extreme,

but it does highlight the

importance of movement that doesn't

just keep up our physical

performance or help our heart

health or burn calories, all

the things that are important,

but it helps her adapt

to her lifestyle and stay

healthy because travel was part

of her life.

So you don't have to

be a road warrior in

order to do this or

appreciate some of the things

that we're going to talk

about.

Small, intentional movements can make

a big difference.

I love learning from people

I work with who are

just like Anne, and I've

adopted some of those behaviors

and habits over time myself.

I also have a number

of them that I have

been doing for a long

time and evolved because I've

had a very active travel,

professional, and personal life up

until this point.

So I'll hopefully share a

few of those, and over

time we can share more

together, and you probably have

some that I could learn

from as well.

In fact, I just returned

home from a wonderful business

trip to Santiago.

It was my first time

in Chile.

It was a five-hour

flight, connection time, another nine

-hour overnight flight, and it

meant approaching about 20 hours

door-to-door, including the

arrival at the airport, the

layovers, customs, and all of

that.

Well, while I was equipped

overall, it felt pretty good,

and I was going into

meetings that day,

soon after, a couple hours

after arriving, after a little

bit of a rest. I

had some of my travel

comforts, but guess what?

My baggage for the first

time in forever was lost.

Well, it wasn't lost because

I really recommend an air

tag on your bag, so

I saw exactly where it

was, but it was delayed

significantly and wouldn't arrive until

a day and a half

later on the next appropriate

flight it could get on,

which wouldn't leave until that

night and then another plus

nine hours and get to

the hotel.

Well, that was stressful, but

it was less stressful because

all the other things were

pretty well lined up.

I was tired but not

as tired as I would

have been because I was

doing some of the things

that we'll talk about today.

When you're fit to travel

and when you set yourself

up, you can be more

resilient.

You can bounce back the

best you can.

The last thing I had

on my mind was to

go shopping at a mall

after arriving in Santiago, Chile

in the morning at 7:20,

but that's exactly what

I did. And I arrived

to a lunch that we

pushed back by only 30

minutes, dressed and ready for

the day.

So you don't have to

be a frequent traveler or

even a business traveler to

benefit from travel tips.

Even if you are an

armchair traveler, meaning that you

sit many hours at a

desk confined to a chair,

some of the movements in

particular can be very beneficial

for your health, and I'll

show you some of those.

But there is no question,

you have to be fit

to travel these days.

There's a certain level of

fitness that helps you get

into the airports and the

train stations and even into

your car, wielding your suitcases.

Certainly we're doing better than

my grandmother's and grandfather's era

when it was hard suitcases

with a single handle.

We've got wheels and everything's

a little more lightweight, but

it's tricky, and we've got

to navigate the time zone

changes if we're doing that.

We've got to navigate delays.

We've got to get around

people and be resilient.

We've got to eat, many

times on the road, and

find healthy choices for ourself.

Travel can be challenging, but

the thing is, when you

have a couple simple strategies

set up, you don't lose

a travel day, which we're

going to get to in

a minute.

In fact, it becomes part

of the journey, and it

can be very beneficial.

In fact, it can count

and enhance your health, believe

it or not.

It's not a lost day.

So we've got a couple

simple strategies for you today.

I sort of put this

into the 'move daily' of

eat well, move daily, be

healthy, because I'm going to

show you some specific physical

exercises you can do when

you're sitting at 35,000

feet or anywhere that you

might be in a chair

for a period of time.

So let's talk about the

ROIs, or returns on investment,

the benefits of having travel

well strategies into your life,

and some movement while you're

seated and when you're traveling.

improve circulation.

There is no question that

sitting for long periods of

time can actually put you

at some health risk.

The risk of DVT, which

is called deep vein thrombosis,

is written about.

While many of the airplane

magazines I've noticed have kind

of gone out of style

or are digital now - you

can't pick them up out

of the seatback pocket - very

often in the back, there's

a little health section, a

little blurb about DVT.

It's a condition where blood

clots form in the legs,

and this becomes more of

a risk factor when you're

not only at altitude but

sitting for long time periods,

like on a plane, but

also could be on a

train or in a car

for long periods of time.

According to research published in

the Journal of Thrombosis and

Hemostasis, simple movements like calf

raises and heel taps can

significantly improve your blood flow

and reduce this risk.

So seat exercises and also

hydrating, keeping the blood flowing,

so some of us forget

to hydrate adequately in those

dry, closed quarters, they can

really help.

And I'm going to share

some of those with you.

A second benefit is reduced

stiffness.

Chair exercises can't cure the

popping ears on the plane,

they can't cure if you're

not naturally flexible, but they

can start the process there

and they can go a

long way toward keeping you

limber during long periods of

sitting.

And they may benefit you

so much that you continue

them when you get back

home.

Stretches, shoulder rolls, shrugs even

up to your ear and

down can be especially helpful

for anyone who suffers back

pain.

Inadequate leg room can put

you cramped and make you

stiff if you don't either

get up or do some

chair exercises.

A study in the British

Journal of Sports Medicine found

that regular stretching during long

travel reduces back pain and

joint stiffness.

So there's research to back

this strategy.

This is especially important given

the ergonomics of those chairs,

or I should say lack

thereof, it feels like, on

planes and train seats.

Car seats may be a

bit better because we can

make some adjustments, but let's

face it, it's still very

confining when you're sitting for

long periods of time.

Combating jet lag is a

third benefit.

Brain fog, fatigue, disrupted sleep

patterns, these are all hallmarks

of that dreaded jet lag

that we experience when you're

traveling through and across time

zones.

The Journal of Physiology highlighted

how moderate exercise can help

reset our circadian rhythm.

Remember the story I told

you about before that's disrupted

by travel.

More studies are certainly needed -

this is not the complete

picture of the mechanism(s) - but

it appears that exertion can

alter our body clock by

affecting the way you release

melatonin.

That's one sort of working

hypothesis on this, which may

translate to less crippling jet

lag, that feeling that really,

really grips you.

It may mean less brain

fog and better energy and

more restful sleep.

And certainly that exercise does

all those things I said

before, like increase circulation and

shake off the gribblies and

move and replenish our oxygen

flow.

And a fourth benefit is

regaining lost travel days.

I sort of alluded to

this before.

Many of us feel like

travel days are like a

write-off for our health

goals, or even bad for

our health, some of us

will say.

And at minimum, it's neutral.

But it doesn't have to

be.

The stress and schedule upset

of travel can derail our

health goals if we don't

have a plan and we're

not proactive.

But when you incorporate some

small movements, like walking in

terminals between your planes if

you have a connection, or

doing these seated stretches, you

can actually use travel and

travel time to help maintain

or tick up your wellness

routine.

So the final benefit I

want to share today, and

of course there are many

more, but it's better mood

and reduce stress overall if

you incorporate some wellness strategies

into your travel days.

I'll be sharing some exercises

for the body, but I

want to emphasize how important

breathing exercises and maybe some

even meditative exercises can be

and how they can help

us mentally.

But breathing in particular can

help us oxygenate our bodies,

also shake off and transfer

out some of that stale

air that we collect over

the course of our indoor

hours, our indoor travel where

we're sort of canned up

together either with many individuals

or just in our car.

A study in the Annals

of Behavioral Medicine found that

deep breathing exercises can help

reduce stress and improve mood.

So we'll incorporate some of

that into our mindful minute

today.

So we know that travel

can be stressful, but incorporating

some mindfulness activities and remembering

that there are real tangible

benefits to some of these

strategies through self-care, they

can really help and they

can help us feel better

as we embark on our

holiday travel around the corner.

Now let's take a moment

to reset with our Mindful

Minute, something we do each

episode.

Wherever you are, whether you're

traveling or you're sitting at

home, this is your time

to pause.

It's the time to measure

one minute together of our

waking minutes and see how

powerful our practices can be.

I'm going to set us

up and then I'll start

the minute and let you

know when we do that.

I encourage you to sit

comfortably, your feet on the

ground.

We're going to roll our

shoulders back a little bit.

And if it's safe and

appropriate, close your eyes or

lower your gaze to something

and let your eyes blur

a little bit if you

prefer that.

We're going to practice a

little bit on the breathing

that I want to encourage

you to do when traveling.

First, let's just take one

deep breath in through your

nose and slowly exhale through

your mouth.

The breath that I'm going

to encourage us to do

during our Mindful Minute is

called or I'm calling it

a 4-7-8 breathing

technique.

We're going to inhale through

our nose to a count

of 4.

We're going to hold our

breath for 7 seconds, a

little bit longer, and then

we're going to exhale very

slowly to the count of

8.

We'll do this cycle three

times during our mindful minute

to arrive at one minute.

Let's do it together one

time and then I'll start

our stopwatch for our mindful

minute.

Let's breathe in 4 seconds.

1, 2, 3, 4.

Hold it.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, and slowly exhale

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, 8.

It feels a little unusual.

This is a very intentional

breathing technique.

Now let's begin.

Notice your shoulders.

As you breathe in, let

them lift a bit.

As you exhale, drop and

relax.

Feel your feet on the

ground or on the floor

when you're traveling.

Rock them gently just so

that you're aware of where

your toes and your heels

are.

Sense the connection to the

ground.

Now finish your last deep

breath.

Exhale and release it slowly.

There we go.

This is something you can

practice throughout your travels.

You'll find it helps level

you, maybe bring down your

stress a little bit.

Your energy may feel more

balanced.

You'll literally be helping your

body adjust to the travel

experience and good health.

It's amazing how a moment,

one minute of attention can

help us feel more grounded,

especially when we're on the

go.

Thank you for sharing that

mindful minute with me.

Okay, so let's get into

some practical stuff here.

Easy ways that you can

move and care for yourself

while traveling.

I'm going to give you

some tips and show you

just a few of several

exercises I have, so hopefully

over time I'll be able

to show you them all

or you can write in

and we can share them

together.

make a 'travel

well' kit.

I call it the 'travel

well' kit.

This includes things that are

your own creature comforts, but

a few that I would

recommend are some earplugs or

noise-canceling earbuds I have,

or some people have earphones.

An eye mask is always

good on the go because

airplane lights can be on,

or even if you're driving

and you're in the passenger

seat at the time and

you want to catch a

little bit of a nap,

it's better when you can

make it dark.

It's more likely that you'll

rest.

Bring your favorite lip balm,

perhaps some breath mints or

gum to help with your

ears if you're changing altitude

and to keep your teeth

feeling fresh and your breath

fresh.

A neck pillow or a

wrap that can double as

a neck pillow and keep

you warm.

A water bottle is always

a good idea, even if

they serve water on a

plane.

It's generally not enough for

what you need.

They even have collapsible ones

that roll up that you

can fill and then roll

up [when empty].

They take up virtually no

space.

Maybe some antibacterial wipes and

other comforts, like perhaps some

lotions and facial moisturizers under

3 ounces.

And some antibacterial wipes as

well, maybe, that you can

use to wipe down the

tray table and make your

environment feel healthy around you.

My daughter recommends a very

important go-to.

Don't forget your pajamas.

She actually stopped in on

this episode to remind me

of that.

The second benefit is what

I call the pre-flight

movement opportunity.

In other words, 'airport aerobics'.

There's a phenomenon, a little

trend that's going on right

now called the 'gate escape'

trend.

And this is where some

travelers are arriving at airports

early to actually engage in

some of the wellness offerings.

Maybe you've seen massage chairs

or even massage rooms and

shops, like little mini clinics

where you can get a

massage.

Even manicures.

And it's turning some of

the airports almost into destinations

themselves.

But airport aerobics, in other

words, walking around the terminal,

is the original wellness activity

you can do.

And you can do this

at train stations.

You can do this other

places at rest stops as

well on a road trip.

So instead of sitting at

a gate, once you check

in and get to your

gate, make sure everything's a

go, instead of doing that

"where should we sit?" routine

that many of us find

ourselves in and try to

squeeze ourselves between other people

with our luggage.

Just walk.

And take a walk.

And you can clock a

mile or even two by

walking around the terminal between

the gates.

Even when you're waiting, there's

plenty of cardio.

Whether it's the moving sidewalks

that you walk along, you

can take steps up the

escalator as long as you

don't have a roller board

bag, maybe a backpack.

You can just walk between

gates and you can really

make a go of it.

There's an opportunity there that

can turn a travel day

almost into a wellness day.

Some cities are especially good

at this and have terminals

that expand for thousands and

thousands of feet.

Atlanta, Phoenix, Denver, LA, Chicago,

all have tremendous terminals that

you can walk, really.

And some people actually intentionally

route themselves to places like

this.

Just a little tip, into

these major hubs so that

they can do some exercise

during the time, or movement,

at least, during the time

between their layover flights.

So one of those airports

that I just have to

mention, I'll mention two, is

Phoenix.

The Phoenix Sky Harbor has

a fitness trail built in.

Really, it makes it almost

like a destination invitation.

They have a mapped walking

route between gates A30 to

D18.

I'm reading it.

I've been on it, but

I didn't know that until

I had to look it

up to share with you

today.

And you can even see

picturesque views of Camelback Mountain,

of downtown Phoenix area, and

it's a scenic way to

walk at the airport.

And it is a fitness

trail.

That's what they call it.

Atlanta is another one that

actually shows the time and

sometimes the mileage between gates.

So while you can take

the tram if you're in

a hurry, it shows you

approximately how many minutes it

takes to walk between gate

to gate [terminal to terminal].

And on average, I think

it's about 0.3 miles from

gate to gate [between terminals].

A couple of the international

terminals I think are 0.5

miles, so half a mile.

In fact, a friend of

mine who was one time

the second fastest half marathoner

in the U.S. in

her age category, she used

to deliberately route her flights

through Atlanta.

So as soon as she

deboarded, she would always have

a backpack that she could

strap on, and she would

do a workout in Atlanta

Airport.

And I always chuckled, but

always admired that that was

her commitment.

Now, she's an athlete, but

there's no reason that we

can't do similarly.

So the third tip is

to plan for clean surfaces

when you travel.

At home, soap and warm

water can do the trick.

It's all that it takes,

really, to keep your surroundings

clean.

But when you're on an

airplane, with the constant passing

of the seats, you know,

the turnover from one passenger

to another, and the plane,

and everything that we're touching,

I just think that that

space can become sort of

a hotbed for bacteria and

germs shared from all over

the world.

Now I'm the first to

say that airlines have made

a seriously improved commitment to

cleaning their spaces, to the

highly purified and clean air

that we breathe.

But your physical seat is

an opportunity for you, as

well as washing your hands.

So maybe carrying some antibacterial

wipes or alcohol swabs, and

just give your space, make

a clean field, as we

say in health and medicine,

a clean field of your

space, just so that you

start off well and pay

attention to that.

We're very congregated in those

spaces and it can come

in handy to just literally

save you from touching or

feeling or being exposed to

bacterial exposure that may be

in the immediate area.

Your seats, your armrests, your

tray tables, things that you

touch, certainly, and your hands,

and I mentioned that before.

Just keeping your hands clean,

away from your face as

much as possible will minimize

your risk of contracting a

cold or a flu. And

washing them regularly with that

warm water and soap,

that's another tip.

Next tip is staying hydrated.

I'm going to really dive

into nutrition and traveling well

for next week's episode, but

bringing a refillable water bottle

and drinking regularly, ...I want

to start emphasizing that now.

The air is dry, you're

at altitude, your respiration itself,

even if you're not sweating,

is really putting off a

lot of the fluids, and

again, to reduce the risk

of deep vein thrombosis or

any kind of blood thickening

during flights and some of

the stiffness, staying hydrated is

key.

And then maybe packing smart

gear for self-care.

Compression socks used to be

the thing of old people,

and they were ugly, and

they were recommended only if

you had edema on the

ankles, but now they're cool.

I've got Argyle compression socks

and athletes wear them and

they feel really, really good.

So you might consider something

like compression socks, which actually

help the venous return of

your circulation and help your

body.

There are inflatable foot rests

and there are foot hammocks

that you can hang on

the tray table that do

no damage to or put

any strain on the tray

table, but they are lightweight

and ways that you can

get your feet up and

off the ground, the angle

of your knees. They can

help your legs, and there

are some just simple things

that take a very little

space and are lightweight that

you can put in your

toolbox for traveling well.

Because I'm talking a little

bit about compression socks and

foot rests, this is a

good time to mention a

few tips to offset deep

vein thrombosis.

Prolonged inactivity and sitting in

cramped spaces can increase the

risk of those dangerous blood

clots.

That's why you may have

heard about them.

Flying, in particular, is the

space where you'll hear about

them, where you must sit

at length in a chair.

So some of the tips

are getting up from your

chair and walking around.

Walk at least to the

restroom and back the length

of the plane for 3

-5 minutes every 1-2

hours.

Sit with your legs uncrossed

even if you feel comfortable

crossing your legs.

Uncross them.

It allows for better flow

to and venous return back

to the heart with your

blood flow.

Doing regular toe and heel

lifts and taps that I'll

share with you.

And then even a little

bit of calf raking, which

is using your fingers from

your ankles to your knees

to like sort of pull

and massage upwards, which is

a really great healing exercise

too.

And then hydrating regularly for

that.

Taking care of the human

body when you're at altitudes

of 35,000 flight, which

is still somewhat miraculous to

think about, at least for

me, is really critically important.

And I hope that you're

starting to see why having

a travel well routine can

really benefit you physically and

mentally.

And finally I'm going to

share with you a few

in-seat exercises.

I have a whole list

of these in a chapter

of a book that will

be published next year.

But I'll focus on just

a few here.

I can't emphasize enough how

important and effective these can

be when you're traveling, or

even if you work at

a desk.

But when you're traveling, as

long as you're not the

driver, you can do it

in the car, in a

plane, in a train, you

name it.

And they have real payoff

and they feel really good

too.

So these are some exercises

you can do while seated,

without looking too weird, you

know, and maybe others will

join you as you do.

One of the things that

can happen on planes is

you get swollen ankles and

back strain from the long

bouts of sitting.

So you need to move.

And in order to do

that, you feel confined, and

so you do have some

limitations on how much you

can do.

But number one are shoulder

rolls.

Sitting upright, with your feet

flat on the surface, on

the ground - it may not

be the ground, it may

be the floor - you just

roll your shoulders back and

forward five times.

So to the back, you

bring them up.

I always pretend when I'm

doing circular motion that there's

like a clock.

So if you're rolling them

back, your left shoulder is

going clockwise, your right shoulder

is going counterclockwise, but you're

making a big full circle

around the clock.

After five times, come forward

with that.

You start to the back,

you come up toward your

ears and forward.

You keep both feet flat

on the ground, you're seated

and straight up.

It will automatically also change

your posture in the seat.

It will create an instance

where you have to draw

in your abdomen a little

bit, you may breathe a

little bit different.

But you do that five

times, repeat it twice, and

then move on to another

exercise or relax for a

few more minutes.

The next exercise is toe

and heel taps.

This is really good for

your circulation, your venous return,

and just feeling better.

You start with toe raises

and that's basically just sitting

both feet squarely on the

ground, your knees about shoulder

width apart, and you can

do them at the same

time or left and then

right, whatever you prefer.

And you just from your

heel, you lift your toes

up toward the ceiling or

toward your knees and you

lift - toe raise - five times.

When you're done with the

first cycle of those five,

then you're going to come

up on your toes and

lift your heels five times.

And feel your calf muscles

contract as you do that.

Five times, and then toe

raises again five times, heel

raises five times, and you

repeat that two or three

times and you will feel

the circulation, you may feel

some warmth in your body

come up, and it really

helps with that venous return

and reducing the likelihood of

any kinds of clotting, G_d

forbid, but it keeps your

body while you're seated working

better.

The third and final one

I'm going to share with

you today - I told you

I have a number of

them - that I could share,

but this is one of

my all-time favorites, and

I call it the ladder

climb stretch.

It's a seated stretch you

can do, and if you

have shoulder limitations, then I

would encourage you to do

this forward or lift your

arms to the degree that

you are comfortable forward, I'll

show that in a moment,

but this is one where

you lift your arms over

your head without knocking your

neighbor in their seat, over

your head toward your ears,

and you sit up comfortably,

your legs are hip-width

apart on the floor, and

we're simply going to climb

an imaginary ladder, rung over

rung, up ten.

This, to me, feels incredible.

It stretches your torso, it

helps move your spine, and

you just climb up ten -

imaginary of course there are

no rungs there, so there's

a little bit of movement

up and down as you

go, up and down as

you go, and you climb

up ten times, maybe you

bring your elbows down and

relax again and then do

it one more time.

If you're doing it forward,

again [if you have] shoulder limitations or you

don't feel comfortable, you should

feel comfortable, but if you

don't feel comfortable reaching toward

the ceiling in an airplane,

you can reach forward, and

this would be another alternative

too because it twists your

torso while stretching it as

well, where you sort of

climb across a ladder with

your arms ten times.

This is one like I

said, it just feels really,

really good, gets your posture

erect, your breathing in check,

it stretches you out, it

helps with those joints and

kind of gets you feeling

better again.

That exercise as I sort

of mentioned, it like doubles

or even triples both as

a breathing exercise, a posture

exercise, and a stretching exercise,

so it really is a

really great one to experience.

So I hope some of

those tips and those exercises

are helpful to you moving

forward on your travel well

routine.

So as we near the

end of today's episode, let's

reflect on how we can

apply these tips during our

holiday travels and about how

you can incorporate small movements

into your next travel day.

So here's the question for

today:

What's one strategy you will

commit to implementing on your

next trip to enhance your

well-being?

What's one strategy you

will commit to implementing on

your next trip to enhance

your well-being?

Remember the small intentional actions

can lead to significant improvements

in how we feel during

and after our journeys and

our journey can be better

as we then arrive at

the destination to have our

adventure.

So as we wrap up

today's first episode on traveling

well, let's recap for a

moment.

We explored the importance of

movement in the airport terminals,

in your seat, by taking

regular breaks to get up

and move, whether you're sitting

on a plane or driving

in a car, and how

some self-care during travel,

like creating your travel well

kit, can help prevent some

of the health risks and

reduce the discomfort and help

you arrive feeling your best.

We also shared those practical

tips from the in-seat

exercises to doing some breath

work and making the most

of our waking minutes on

our travel days.

Thank you for sharing a

few of your waking minutes

with me today.

If you enjoyed this episode,

please consider subscribing and leaving

a nice comment.

I'd love to hear from

you.

And do share it with

a friend as well.

"Happy trails to you until

we meet again."

And with that, I'm Wendy

Baziian.

This is 1,000 Waking Minutes.

Until next time, be well.

Thank you for tuning in

to 1,000 Waking Minutes.

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our amazing collaborators, including our

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my family.

And everyone working tirelessly behind

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I'm saying Yes

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Yes I'm on my way, Yes...it's gonna be okay, yeah.