- Knee Lifts: I’m not going to lie …this next one might draw a few peculiar glances. But, who gives a damn? Keeping your legs bent, lift your knee up as to your chest. Bring it back to the normal position and repeat with your other leg. Repeat twenty to thirty times for each leg.
- Shoulder Roll: For this next one, think of slow-motion shoulder shimmy. Lift your shoulders upward, and then pull them backward, downward, and forward, creating a gentle circular motion. Continue for thirty seconds. Then reverse direction if desired. Again, you must realize that anyone watching you will find what you’re doing to be strange. Just laugh it off. You know how to prevent DVT. Don’t tell them. They’ll suffer later.
- Arm curl: Start with arms on chair rests, bent at a 90-degree angle. Raise one hand up to your chest and back down. Alternate hands and continue for thirty seconds. Coincidentally, this exercise done simultaneously with the above “Shoulder Roll” could be your next favorite dance move next time you hit the clubs.
Okay, you can actually feel your right arm and that pain in your legs is gradually subsiding. You’re ready for some tomato juice and peanuts. Not so fast, Missy! You’re only half-way done!
Continue with these important seated stretches:
- Knee to Chest: With both hands clasped around your right knee, bend forward slightly and pull your knee to your chest. Hold the stretch for fifteen seconds; then slowly let your knee down. Repeat the same stretch with your left knee. Perform ten stretches for each leg. This stretch feels great and really should be performed daily, in-flight or not.
- Forward Flex: Keep both feet on the floor and slowly bend forward, reaching for your ankles. Hold that stretch for fifteen seconds. Stop. I know what you’re thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter. With that being said, don’t be surprised if you draw an adolescent boy’s stares. His perverted brain knows not of the great work you’re doing to prevent DVT from ravaging the lower half of your body.
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