Quick relaxation tips for a long commute

Are you the types who spends long hours on the road commuting from home to work place and back? Does your body show signs of stress with neck, shoulder or back pain? Well to address all such teething issues we shall share with you a couple of simple exercises which could help in solving these health issues.

Before we begin, there are a few things to keep in mind. This one is for the guys to always remove the wallet from your back pocket when sitting in the driver’s seat. Not a known fact, but keeping a wallet while driving tends to press the sciatic nerve in our body which results in pain being experienced in the leg and lower back. The other aspect is to never transfer stuff from the rear seat towards the front while being seated as it directly impacts the lower back muscles. If not then, it could be harmful to your body in the long run. Having discussed this, let us now take a look at how one could make their commute less taxing.

Breathing: Breathing is the most essential activity of the human body and during peak traffic hours the snarls can invite an element of stress. This gets visible in the form of a shallow breath which is in fact the first sign of fatigue. During such situations one must keep a track of their breathing and in order to avoid stress one could perhaps look at taking up 2 minute breathing exercises while on the go. Unlike normal scenario wherein one breathes via chest, it is recommended that you should take in and release air through the abdomen. This would help relax the body and mind.

Isolations: Any sort of movement made via neck, shoulders, hands and legs is referred to as isolations. During a long commute first things that tend to start creating an issue are your feet which are heavily involved in pressing the clutch and brake during ‘stop-go traffic’. To avoid stress, pointing and flexing them can help to a great extend. When it concerns the neck, one can easily rotate and tilt the head from side to side in order to loosen muscles. Shoulders can be in done in the same way following clockwise and anti-clockwise movements. Though bear in mind that while moving the shoulder up you should inhale and while bringing it down exhale air.

Eye Focus: Eye strain is a common problem while commuting long distances. In order to have a watchful sight of the road, it is recommended that while waiting on traffic lights or at the time of queuing for paying toll tax one should move their eye balls up and down, left to right to relax the muscles.

Back Stretches: Most of us tend to recline our seats while driving, this is main cause of back pain. One should always sit upright as keeps the tail bone in contact with the lumber support and thereby decreases the amount of stress to the lower back. In order to relax the muscles, it is recommended that one stretches their shoulders and back from time to time to avoid stress. Sitting upright while driving, without slouching will help you in keeping your spine healthy. Most people's posture while driving is such that, it can easily lead to neck and shoulder pain. While doing this, make sure that you inhale while stretching and exhale at the time of contacting which shall surely improve the condition of your back.

Apart from these few simple steps, we recommend that a daily workout in the gym shall surely keep you fit and away from these complexities of long commuting. For now: happy driving.