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Hello, it’s me Alyson, Sarah’s assistant! I have had a lot of varied past work experiences, one of which is that I was previously a certified fit4mom Stroller Strides and fit4baby fitness instructor. This means I wrote workouts geared toward mostly pregnant and postpartum women, however, that means I also know a lot of stretches and modifications for lower impact exercises.

I may write a series about good hotel room workouts, if people are interested. I have been exercising in my tiny shed since the pandemic began, so I am well versed in making the most of a small space!

I thought I would begin with these thoughts:

You have 20 minutes before your next flight starts to board, and you already took a bathroom break, and bought your water and snacks. What do you do with that time? Move through a few quick stretches and your body will thank you.

Disclaimer: Always check with a medical professional before starting any new fitness regiment.

Hold each stretch for 10 seconds before switching to the other side. Try not to move around during the stretches, especially not when stretching your neck. Hold onto a wall or chair if you need to for balance.

Shoulder stretch against a doorway or wall. Stand next to the wall, and reach your hand backwards so that your palm presses onto the wall at almost shoulder height. Press your shoulder toward the wall so that you feel a nice stretch, but not so far that it hurts. Switch sides.

Neck stretch, 3 ways. Clasp both hands at the base of your skull and gently press forward and down, so that your chin is to your neck. Hold your head still and relax your shoulders. Remove your hands and bring your chin back up.

To stretch each side of your neck, place a hand on the opposite side of your head and gently pull your head toward your shoulder. Keep both shoulders relaxed, and only pull until there is slight resistance and no pain. Stretch the other side of your neck next.

Tricep stretch. Raise your arm to shoulder height and bring your arm across your body toward the opposite shoulder. Use your other arm to pull the back of your arm near the elbow toward your chest. Switch sides.

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Hip flexor stretch. In a standing position, put one foot ahead of the other, and bend your front knee. Put most of your weight in your front foot, bending at the knee, and your back leg should be angled somewhat straight behind you. Press your back hip forward, so that you feel a little stretch in the front of your hip. Switch sides.

Outer hip stretch. This one will maybe get you a few weird looks, but it can feel so good. Standing next to a chair or bed, stand on one foot and put your opposite ankle up on the surface with your knee bent and angled outwards. Lean down or forward, so you feel a little stretch in the outside of your hip that is bent towards the chair.

Quadricep stretch. Hold onto a wall or chair for balance and stand on one foot. Bend your other leg and bring your foot up towards your butt. Hold the foot comfortably close to your butt so you feel a stretch through the front of that leg.

Calf stretch. Place one foot ahead of the other, and while bending your back knee, lean forward over the straight front leg, heel on the floor, toes up. You should feel a stretch along the back of your front leg. Switch sides.

Twisting Back stretch. From a seated position reach, sitting up tall, reach an arm across your body and hold the opposite side of the seat. You may need to reach a little farther to get a good spinal stretch.

Ragdoll stretch. Do NOT attempt if you get dizzy easily! From a standing position, slowly allow yourself to fold over at the waist, and hang your upper body toward your feet. Clasp your hands on the opposite elbows and gently swing your upper body slightly side to side.

Wrist stretch, 2 ways. Hold one arm out in front of you at shoulder height, palm up. Use your other hand to gently press down on your fingers, which stretches your wrist and forearm. Then rotate your outstretched arm so your palm is down. Gently use your other hand to press down on the back of your hand. Switch to the other arm.

Apologies for photo quality and the fact that I’m not as photogenic as Sarah! But also, thanks to my 10 year old son Sidney for taking the photos 🙂

I hope that helps travel feel a little more comfortable!

AWS Staff

This post was published by the Adventures with Sarah team. Click here to find out more about the people that make everything at AWS happen.

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