Long haul flights can be a pain and if you’re not careful, dangerous. Recently while on a flight with Cathay Pacific I found this handy little guide in my seat back with illustrated exercises for the long flight. It recommends doing this every couple of hours but having experienced painful swelling in the past I did this every hour (which was a lot considering it was a 19 hour flight)!
Something to keep in mind next time you head to say, Australia or Japan.
Inflight Exercise
Prolonged sitting in a fixed position can make you feel uncomfortable in the plane. Following are some easy exercise* that you may wish to follow every couple of hours to loosen your muscles.
1. Start the exercise by sitting comfortably in your seat in an upright position.
2. Rest both feet on the floor. Flex both feet with toes pointing upward, and then point your toes downward.
3. Bend your upper body slightly forward and clasp your hands around one knee. Raise you knee gently towards the chest for a few seconds and then release, placing your feet back on the floor. Continue with the other leg. Repeat 5 times for each leg.
4. Place your hands under one thigh, and gently lift toward your chest. Rotate your ankle in a circular motion for 5 seconds. Repeat with the other leg. Perform this exercise 5 times with both legs.
* We suggest you stop doing these exercise immediately should you feel pain or discomfort.
(Illustrations by Bernard Chau. Extract from Discovery, Cathay Pacific’s in-flight magazine)
