Living is easy and best of all its vacation time! Most of us drive when we go on vacation, sometimes for hours at a time. So, by the time we get to that wonderful vacation spot we are in pain and pretty miserable!
That’s because the car is the perfect unilateral instrument; meaning we use only one side of our bodies to operate it. We use the right foot for the gas and brake pedals and most of us steer with our right hand. The body, however, is a bilateral system and it needs more stimuli using both sides of the body. That’s even true for most aspects of our lives – mainly one-sided, the car is just a perfect example.
Take a moment to look down at your feet next time you are standing. Do they point straight ahead? If not then you are out of balance. For most of us the feet splay out, one more than the other, which is a clue that the body is not symmetrical or equal one side to the other.
The great thing is even if you are out of balance the body will quickly re-learn how to balance because it is an intelligent system and wants to be balanced. You can do a few exercises and feel much better! The exercises below will provide a new stimulus that asks the body to work equally. You can even do them while you’re at the gas station or at the rest-stop.
STANDING QUAD CONTRACTIONS
Stand with your feet straight ahead
Tighten then relax your thigh muscles (like pushing your knees back, then relax)
Do 3 sets of 15
STANDING ELBOW CURLS
Stand with your feet straight ahead
Place your right hand on your right shoulder; left hand on left shoulder
Touch your elbows together then take them as wide as they’ll go
Do 2 sets of 10
ARM CIRCLES
Stand with your feet straight ahead
Extend your arms out to the side, a little lower than the shoulders
Squeeze your shoulder blades together – lock out your elbows – make a loose fist
Fingers toward the floor, circle the whole arm forward 30 times
Keeping the elbows straight, turn the hands up, fingers toward the sky and circle backward 30 times
COUNTER STRETCH
Place your hands on the roof of your car about a foot apart (SUV owners, use the window sill)
Step back from car about 3-4 feet, get your feet straight ahead then bend from your hips to get your back flat and then put an arch in your low back.
Tighten your thighs and hold that for 30-60 seconds
When you have done these 4 exercises, notice how you feel. You should feel more balanced left to right, a little taller and breathing a little easier! Do these whenever you can on your trip. When you get home, look us up and let us help you get straighter, stronger, more balanced and pain free! Happy trails!
