Exercises you can do in your car
Road trips are awesome. They provide hours of great conversation, an opportunity to rock out to your favorite jams, and an unexpected journey. Unlike traveling via plane, every stop isn’t planned, so you don’t know exactly what you’ll end up doing that day.
One thing you can know for sure, though, is that hours seated in a car will leave you stiff as a board. Road trips are more often accompanied by tight hamstrings and lower back and hip pain than crazy adventure. Unfortunately, the only preventive measure against those common ailments is getting out of the car and moving every hour, which you aren’t going to do unless you have multiple traveling companions with pea-sized bladders.
Therefore when you do stop, you better make it worth your while by getting as loose as you can. A few exercises I’d suggest, beyond simply moving around, are frankensteins, lunges with a twist, and side lunges (Bonus list of dynamic stretches).
The goal of these movements is to stretch your hamstrings, loosen up your lower back, and otherwise just get your muscles moving in larger ranges of motion.
Needless to say, none of those exercises can be done in a car, but that doesn’t mean that no exercises can be done!
Here are the three best exercises you can do while driving:
#1 Grip Trainers
I keep one of these in my car at all times.
They’re especially useful for people with road rage, and while I wouldn’t say that I have it, the fact is sometimes people drive like douchebags. When I get mad about that, squeezing the shit outta something with all my might usually cools me down pretty quick.
#2 Kegels
Kegels are a great way to get a workout in without anyone ever knowing. They strengthen your pelvic floor and stop you from urinating accidently. To perform a kegel, imagine that you are going to stop urinating mid-stream and hold that for three to five seconds. You can do as many sets of these as you’d like, but the important thing to focus on is performing the kegel without flexing your abs, squeezing your butt, or holding your breath. The first time you try this, it may be harder than you think.
#3 Trap Stretch
Wait for a red light to perform this one. (Getting in a car accident while your head is turned to the side is about as dangerous as it gets.) For the trap stretch, sit with good posture—chest up, back straight, and chin back. Then stretch your traps by gently moving your ear towards your shoulder, while keeping your shoulders in place (Trap Stretch Video).
Those are the three best exercises you can safely do in your car.
PSA: Your car is a terrible place to exercise. But, it is also a terrible place to have sex, and that never stopped anyone who was properly motivated.
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