How to Prepare Your Body for Vacation
Simple Exercises to Keep Cramps and Aches Away
Hi, this is Dr. Lin, Physical Therapist. Welcome to Everyday PT where we help people live and move better every day.
As you start to plan your vacations for the year, here are some tips to help you best prepare:
1. Toe raises (wall lean)
Usually your shins are the first to ache after a long day of walking. Start adding 3x10 twice a day ideally at least 2 weeks before your trip to start condition. Lean against the wall, heels on the ground and slowly pull your ankle up and down. Too easy? Step out further and increase your reps to 15 or 20.
2. Stair Dips Usually your quads start quivering at the end of your hike especially when you’re coming downhill so combat the cramp with this exercise. Start on the first stair, tap your heel to the ground and then come back up. Start with one or two hands on the railing especially if you don’t feel balanced or have any hip/knee/ankle pain and then progressively wean off. You should be able to do this exercise without “dropping” or the knee giving out.
3. Build in time for recovery. When designing an itinerary, balance your adventurous escapades with relaxing self-care days. Stretch your calf, hamstring, quads and glutes in the evenings. And if you can’t pack a massage gun, try bringing at least a lacrosse ball to roll out those trigger points. Try these out and let me know in the comments which were particularly helpful. Have a great trip!
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