Travel Mobility: 5 Moves to Feel Better After a Long Flight or Drive

Summer travel is fun.

Sitting in a car for six hours? Not so much.

Whether you're squeezing into an airplane seat, taking a road trip up north, or spending hours traveling for work, long periods of sitting can leave your hips tight, back stiff, and shoulders feeling less than great.

You don't need an hour-long mobility session to start feeling better.

A few minutes of intentional movement can help get your body moving again.

Here are five simple mobility exercises you can use after your next travel day.

1. Hip Flexor Stretch

Long periods of sitting keep your hips in a flexed position, which can leave the front of your hips feeling tight.

Start in a half-kneeling position with one knee on the ground.

Gently shift your hips forward while keeping your torso tall until you feel a stretch through the front of the hip on the kneeling side.

Hold briefly, then switch sides.

Avoid aggressively pushing into the stretch. Gentle movement is enough.

2. Open Book Rotation

Your upper back can become stiff after hours spent sitting in the same position.

Open Book Rotations help introduce movement back into your thoracic spine.

Lie on your side with your knees bent and arms extended in front of you.

Slowly rotate your top arm toward the opposite side while allowing your upper back to rotate.

Return to the starting position and repeat before switching sides.

3. World's Greatest Stretch

There's a reason this movement shows up in so many warm-ups.

Start in a high plank and bring one foot forward outside your hand.

Allow your hips to gently sink toward the floor, then rotate your torso toward your front leg and reach your arm toward the ceiling.

Switch sides and repeat.

This one movement works your hips, upper back, and shoulders.

4. Cat-Cow

After hours in a seated position, your spine may appreciate some gentle movement.

Start on your hands and knees.

Slowly alternate between rounding your back toward the ceiling and gently extending your spine in the opposite direction.

Move with your breath rather than trying to create the biggest possible range of motion.

5. Bodyweight Squat With Reach

Finish by getting your whole body moving.

Stand with your feet in a comfortable squat position.

Slowly lower into a bodyweight squat, then stand tall and reach your arms overhead.

Complete several controlled repetitions.

The goal isn't to make this a workout.

It's simply to remind your body how to move again.

Movement During Travel Matters Too

You don't have to wait until you reach your destination.

When possible, look for small opportunities to move during the trip.

On a road trip, get out and walk for a few minutes when you stop.

At the airport, walk around the terminal instead of sitting at the gate the entire time.

On longer flights, stand and move periodically when it's safe and permitted.

Small amounts of movement can make a long travel day feel much better.

Get Moving Again

At Gym MPLS, we believe mobility doesn't need to be complicated.

Sometimes five minutes of intentional movement is exactly what your body needs after hours of sitting.

If stiffness or limited mobility is affecting your workouts, talk with the Gym MPLS team. We can help you build strength and mobility that supports the things you want to do both inside and outside the gym.

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