Reviewed by: Erica Grandjean, APD, BNutr&Diet
Long haul travel, such as a road trip over three hours, can put a massive strain on our bodies.
We’re just not designed to be seated for long periods of time. While a one-off trip is fine, in general sitting for an extended period of time has been shown to:
- Put pressure on your spine
- Slow metabolic rate
- Create poor circulation and oxygen intake
- Hinder digestion, leaving you feeling unusually bloated
All of these things will make you feel excessively tired when you arrive at your destination. So how can you combat this?
This road trip workout will burn a total of 200 calories over a three-hour period, thanks to a combination of short cardio bursts and active stretches.
Also read: Top 9 Snacks to Grab at the Service Station
12WBT’s Long Haul Workout
This only works if you’re a passenger in a car. For plane travel, simply ditch the cardio (for obvious reasons) and focus on the strength moves.
Driving? Repeat the cardio sequence every 90 minutes.
30 minutes into the journey: active stretches
Repeat this sequence twice.
- Move your head from side to side, focusing on stretching out the neck and spine, 20 times each side
- Do 40 seated knee raises (20 each side) by lifting one foot off the ground in a controlled raise while keeping knees bent
- Stretch your arms with a combination of cross-body arm stretches and tricep stretches
- Do 20 waist rotations, moving from the torso and keeping legs straight
50 minutes into the journey: active stretches
Repeat the above.
90 minutes into the journey: cardio
Pull over to a safe recreation area or suburban street.
Repeat the following three times:
- 4x sprints for 10 seconds, with a small rest between each sprint
- 20 functional squats
- 10 full burpees
- 20 push-ups
- 20 jumping jacks (this is a great one to get the kids involved!)
Repeat this sequence at the same interval points throughout your journey. So, if you’re travelling for three hours, you’ll repeat this twice.
