As I get closer and closer to a flight to Singapore I keep thinking about the dreaded discomfort of sitting for a bit over 8 hours.
Don’t get me wrong, sitting on a plane is almost my absolute favourite thing. Problem is, I get terribly uncomfortable even on short flights. I have a tendency to retain fluid and by the time I get to the other end my legs are like balloons and I can barely walk.
DVT
Back in the 90s and early 00s talk of DVT (or Deep Vein Thrombosis) on flights was in all the newspapers, it was the talk of the industry with countless deaths contributed to this horrible infliction but then as the years rolled by it moved from the mainstream to a small section on the back of the inflight safety card and somewhere about page 40 in the inflight magazine.
Are we all so used to travel that we don’t think twice about giving our ankles a twirl or going for a little motionless jog in the plane these days?
These little exercises are normally a bit of a life saver for me even if they only help a little.
There are now fitness websites dedicated to inflight exercises (see below).
I’d love to hear what my readers do to stem the discomfort of a long flight or if like me you suffer discomfort even on a short flight.
Here’s QANTAS’s inflight exercises video for anyone keen
What about Dehydration and Dry Skin?
It’s no secret that the air in planes is dry and often quite stale. This is due to pressurisation where air is pumped into the cabin from the engines to pressurise the plane and supply oxygen.
On long flights you’ll be so parched by the time you get off you can’t talk. It certainly pays to take a bottle of water on board with you or take advantage of the inflight menu if it’s available.
If you suffer from extremely dry skin you might want to use a little sorbeline or something similar to moisten yourself up a bit before or after your flight. I don’t recommend onboard as the smell is annoying and will surely drive your seat companions crazy.
Websites to Read
There are so many websites dedicated to inflight exercise, im surprised no one has started a mile high gym yet.
- QANTAS’s Inflight Health and Wellness
- Airplane Yoga8 Step Fitness Workout
- Top 10 Exercises to Reduce Jet Lag
- Stop The Clot – Prevent DVT in Flight
- How to Avoid Inflight Bloating, Dehydration and Jetlag
There are many more just do some Google searching on in flight exercise, how to avoid dehydration etc and you’ll surely find something to suit you.
Please leave comments below and share your stories.
By the way, I couldn’t think of a more suitable feature photo for “In Flight Exercise” than some strong man pulling a plane across the tarmac. Great hey! Take a look over here at Youtube –> https://youtu.be/0xpuub2DBB8
The video was very helpful, I ‘ve bookmarked this post for when next I am going on a flight.
Remember to drink lots of water and take little walks, it really does help.