The 2021 Holiday season promises a big surge of road trips among families that had been forced to stay put in their homes for nearly two years, primarily because travel restrictions across regions and provinces have eased considerably now that Covid-19 cases are in rapid decline.
Despite the eagerness to go out for that long-overdue road trip, safety must still be our primary concern. This doesn’t just pertain to our continuing strict adherence to practices that are meant to keep the coronavirus at bay, such as physical distancing from other persons not belonging to the household, properly wearing masks, and washing of hands, but also to driving safely and responsibly.
Driving responsibly includes keeping our own bodies in the proper condition for operating these heavy motorized machineries. So, I asked health experts what type of exercises they would recommend for drivers and passengers on long road trips.
For joints and muscles
Dr. Russell U. Rivera MD-MBA, orthopedic surgeon for Tagaytay Medical Center, Gentri Medical Center and Ospital ng Tagaytay, said that since long road trips can be tiring on the body as a whole, one should plan out the trip to include appropriate stops along the way.
“A proper sitting position helps by making sure that there is less pressure on the lower back, and that it is fully supported while not reaching for the steering wheel to help reduce strain on the shoulders and upper back. Do not do exercises while driving, and instead use the planned stopovers to perform exercises,” said Rivera.
“Stretching the neck, chest, shoulders, and calves are a good way to start once out of the car. For the neck, doing a full range of motion stretch will start by bringing the chin to the chest then bringing the neck to the side by moving the ear to the shoulder then to the other side as well. For the chest and shoulders, bring your arm across the front of your body and support your arm with the elbow crease of the other arm then do this for the other shoulder. Once the shoulders are stretched, relax the arms and drive the shoulders back and squeeze to now stretch the chest. To do a calf stretch, lean a little forward and then bend one knee while making sure that the opposite heel is firmly planted on the ground,” said Rivera.
Rivera added that doing lunges can help by activating the big muscles in the lower body like the glutes, thighs and lower back. To perform lunges, stand with feet shoulder width apart, step forward until the thigh is parallel to the floor while keeping the body straight and upright.
“Sitting for prolonged periods will make the body stiff and tight. Exercising and stretching will alleviate joint stiffness, tight muscles and increase blood circulation,” he said.
For the eyes
Dr Rainier Victor Covar, MD, glaucoma, low vision rehabilitation and advanced cataract microsurgery specialist and clinical associate professor of the UP College of Medicine-Philippine General Hospital, said that, despite there being no evidence that eye exercises would improve overall vision, he said it is possible that some of these can reduce stress to make your eyes feel better, and thus allow you to focus more on the road. The use of eye exercises may also help delay the need for glasses or contact lenses in some people.
Covar, who is also a consultant of The Medical City, Rizal Medical Center and Asia-Pacific Eye Center, suggested motorists to: 1. Always clean the rear and side view mirrors; 2. Keep the dashboard dimly lit; 3. Avoid looking at headlights of oncoming cars; 4. Use car sun visors during cloudless days to avoid the sun’s glare; 5. Wear anti-UV glasses or driving glasses to protect your eyes from glare; 6. Apply artificial lubricants once you experience symptoms of dry eyes, and; 7. Always keep your eyes on the road.
Eye specialist Dr. Joy Go, OD, assistant vice president of the Ideal Vision Center’s marketing department, said that several eye movements can be recommended for drivers or passengers, and that they can do this whenever they feel the need to do so. These include: Looking up, down left and right, repeating them twice; then circular motions—clockwise and counterclockwise. “Consciously blink. During long road trips, there are times that we may blink less due to our concentrating on the road. This can then dry our eyes out, which can make them feel sandy, gritty and tired. Make a conscious decision to blink to replenish the tears and moisturize our eyes,” stressed Go.
She added: “Do not use gadgets while driving. Do not read or watch a movie in a moving vehicle to avoid eye fatigue.’’ Go also mentioned the palming technique. “Make sure your hands are clean and sanitized. Rub your palms together until they are warm. Place each palm on the closed eye and breathe deeply for five minutes,” said Go. Of course, this goes without saying that doing this exercise means the driver is stopped and parked safely off the road.
“It’s also important to sleep well before and after a long road trip, to allow the eyes to recuperate,” said Go.
Conditioning the body
Dr. Benigno “Iggy” Agbayani Jr, who specializes in orthopedics with sub-specialty in arthroscopy and joint reconstruction, said, “Exercise is good, but aches and pains on long trips are caused not by the trip itself but lifestyle, diet issues and general lack of fitness.”
“Driving is like any activity that if done for a period of time that one is not used to will cause novel muscle or joint pains and even eyes and mental strain,” he pointed out. Agbayani is the past chairman of the orthopedics department at the Manila Doctors Hospital, and the past president of the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines.
“The other type of problem is the repetitive or work hazard type injury. There are things done to minimize this problem like taking regular breaks, deep breathing exercises, eye protection and stretching, but nothing beats taking care of your mind and body outside of driving itself,” he stressed.
“To avoid travel aches and pains, consider exercising moderately and regularly, sleep at least eight hours a day, avoid sugars, and minimize processed carbs like bread, candies, pasta and cakes, eat healthy oils and fats, hydrate with mineral water with the occasional coffee or tea with no sugar, get regular daily sunlight or vitamin D, learn relaxation methods like meditation and deep breathing that you can do when not driving or in heavy traffic. Finally, listen to music that is most relaxing or that is awareness stimulating.”
