Enjoy Long Flights....and experience Joy of Flying...

 We are on a trip from Gold Coast to Cochin and now on transit at Klia international airport and thought of posting this blog in my daily journal, while relaxing at the airport.
 We need to fly two legs, one up to Kuala Lumpur and then to Cochin. The time required is 8 hours 35 min and 4 hours 10 mins respectively. The first leg is a long one where we need a little in-flight  exercises to experience the 'joy of flying'.
Since we need to fly to USA and Australia frequently, we used to do some simple exercises to feel and stay healthy. Whether a short or long flight it is good to do exercises for neck, shoulders, knees, ankles and legs. Some of the exercises are included in this blog. These exercises can be done before going to a sleep and waking up, which keep the blood circulation good.
Shoulder and neck exercises
Sit straight, slowly bring your right ear towards your right shoulder, hold it for ten secs, then to the normal posture, again slowly towards left, hold it for ten secs, then again straight, Do it fives times on both sides. Feel the pressure on neck and shoulders and then the easiness of the neck and shoulders. Then bend the head forward and touch with the chin just below the neck. Hold for ten secs, go back slowly again hold for ten secs, then return to original position. Repeat for five times.

 Foot pumps
Sit straight. Keep the feet on the floor. Keeping both heels on the floor, point feet upwards as high as you can. Hold for ten secs and return feet to the original position.Then lift the heels while keeping the toes on the floor. Hold for ten secs. Repeat the exercise five times on each parts.


Knee exercises
Gently lift the right knee straight up towards your chest and hold the position for ten secs. Gently lower the knee and repeat on the left knee. Like wise do it five times on both knees.
      Walk up and down the aircraft aisle a few times at an interval of one or two hours to have good blood circulation in your legs and to keep your legs flexible. Also perform few tip toes and stretching up and down on your toes, stretch your hands towards front and up.
  Sip water intermittently to keep yourself hydrated. To avoid popping ears due to change of pressure or altitude and also ear ache while take offs and landing, chew, chewing gums or if not having it, mimic the act of chewing and swallowing, which help to relieve from the discomfort and stabilize the pressure in the ear canals. Pacifiers can be used for infants and toddlers.
 If we are well prepared with some of these tips, flying can be made pleasant. Don't forget to take your favorite reading material and don't forget to have a sound sleep.