Resets on a Plane

Categories: Blog May 10, 2015

[caption id="attachment_3309" align="alignnone" width="350"] The Australian plane ride is one of the longest I've been on! Plenty of time to press reset...[/caption]

 

Recently, on the Original Strength Alumni Facebook Page, a question was asked about how does one press reset when traveling on a plane. Due to traveling for Original Strength workshops, this a situation I have often been faced with. The problem with planes is that they really aren't made for your body. They are made to transport as many people as they can. So they squeeze you in and make sure that you can't really stretch your legs out.

If you are on a flight that last more than an hour and a half, it is a great idea to try to find creative ways to move. BUT be careful. People on planes get skittish. I have often entertained the idea of crawling up and down the aisles of a plane, but in my imagination that always ends with an electric shocking from an air marshal - not something I want to experience in reality.

One easy reset you can perform is the seated cross-crawl. Even though you might not be making grand movements, you are still crossing midline and touching opposite limbs together. This is great for your brain, and a healthy brain keeps a healthy body. For seated cross-crawls on a plane, all you do is touch your right hand to your left knee or thigh. This can be done fairly discretely. If you aren't worried about completely freaking out your neighbor beside you, you can touch your elbows to your knees. Be warned, this will make others in your row take notice of you.

Another reset you can do while seated in your chair is to perform head nods and rotations. Looking up, down, left and right can activate your vestibular system and keep you "sharp." To make these head movements more effective, you can sit up straight in your chair, with your back off of the seat. This allows your spine to rotate when you perform your head rotations, giving you more motion and rotation below the neck. This also gives you a chance to lengthen your spine and "grow tall"; kind of like putting space in between your vertebrae. This can be quite therapeutic on a plane, a long car ride, or an overly long office meeting.

My main reset that I often perform on a plane is the standing cross-crawl. Every hour or so, I will get up, walk to the back of the plane where the "laboratory" is and I will perform 100 cross-crawls, elbows to knees. This really gets the blood flowing and it simply feels wonderful, especially if you are on a long flight. It also helps to keep you sane when your body is screaming for movement. Oh, this is also a great way to get to know the stewards and stewardesses on your flight. You may even be able to score an extra bag of pretzels.

These are just things I do when traveling on a plane. You may have other ways you like to press reset. Just know, on a plane, any movement is good movement. Even if all you did was rock back in forth in your chair, like a rocking chair, that would be so much better than just slouching and being cramped up in your chair. Please understand, not everything you do has to be a reset, all movement is good; just reaching and stretching your limbs on a plane can be so restorative.

Traveling for long periods of time always has its challenges, especially when it comes to getting good, nourishing movement. This can become very frustrating once you are aware of how much movement is good for the health of your body. But if you are methodical and creative, you can figure out ways to move and press reset, even on a plane, between two people you don't even know. Don't be shy. Pressing reset on a plane is a great way to make new friends!

Easy Plane Resets:
Diaphragmatic breathing
Head nods and rotations
Eye nods, rotations, circles
Seated cross-crawls
Standing cross-crawls
Smiling
Sleeping - it is restorative....

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