5 Simple Ways To Exercise In Your Car While You Commute
Your busy schedule doesn’t have to be an excuse to exercise. If you really want to get your blood pumping, you can exercise in your car on your way to work.
A lot of people spend a considerable amount of time commuting to and from work daily. As a result, this has become an excuse to avoid working out.
Did you know that there are some exercises that you can perform while still in the car driving?
It is healthy to incorporate some natural activities while you are stuck in traffic instead of hooting on other vehicles.
Therefore, you should not have any more excuses for not working out.
While attending a gym is advisable, you may not have the time to participate in. Thus these ways to exercise in your car are highly recommended to get your blood pumping.
Car exercises are not practical exercises for the body, but they are essential especially if you spend a lot of time stuck in traffic.
Car exercises can be beneficial to people who suffer from spinal conditions like low back pain and neck pain.
It is known that sitting for a long period of time in the same position can cause back pain. And concentrating on the road for a long time can also cause neck pain.
So you are advised to try out some of the car exercises such as pulling and stretching to relieve pain from joints as well as muscle tension.
How To Exercise In Your Car
Below are some of the most simple ways to exercise in your car when commuting:
1. Squeezing Activities
If you are driving a manual car, then rest assured that you are giving your legs the workout that they need.
If you are operating an automatic vehicle, then there are a few exercises that you can try to do to tone your buttocks and abs.
You can try to squeeze your glutes together while listening to music. You can try holding and count to five then release. Do this for one buttock at a time.
Repeat this exercise throughout the entire song, and by the time the song is ending, you’ll feel tightening in both the buttocks as well as the abdominal region.
If you repeat this exercise for three more songs, then you’ll have done roughly twelve minutes of abs and butt workout.
2. Steering Wheel Isometrics
These exercises are great for toning your muscles. They are also very safe since your hands are on the steering wheel the whole time.
If you want to work your chest, you should hold the steering wheel with palms facing in and start to push your hands together while you squeeze the chest muscles.
To work out the back, you should hold the steering wheel and begin to pull the wheel towards you.
If you want to do push ups, then press the wheel and flex your arms while keeping your back straight. Try to pull yourself coming to the wheel for some seconds then push yourself away.
3. Curls
Curls are great exercises especially if you love driving using one hand. This exercise requires a dumbbell of five pounds or something that is of equal weight such as your briefcase or a water bottle that is full. You can start with the left hand.
- While holding the weight, let the left hand curl up to your left shoulder.
- You can try holding the pressure in that position for ten seconds before switching to the other arm.
- Repeat this procedure with the right arm.
This is an excellent exercise for building your biceps.
4. Strengthening Your Thighs
This exercise can be performed by placing something such as a small pillow or a tennis ball between the feet.
Then try to lift up the item placed off the ground while squeezing your thighs. For safety purposes, this exercise is best performed when the car is not moving since both the feet will be off the ground.
Another exercise that can be performed to strengthen the thighs is to place the same item between the thighs and start to squeeze holding for a couple of seconds and releasing.
You can complete about two sets and with time you will be able to complete four sets.
5. Belly Busters
This exercise is excellent for working out the abs as well as burning the belly fat.
While you are driving your car, you can pretend to zip up your trouser while avoiding the stomach to be caught up in the zipper.
This will mean that you will suck in your stomach and try to pull it away from your pants towards the spine. Try to hold this for a few seconds, then release. You can repeat this exercise as many times as possible to see results.
Caution!
There are some safety measures to observe while doing these exercises in your car and they include:
Keep It Light!
Although activities that are performed in the car are safe and comfortable for a lot of people, you are advised not to overstretch. And you should stop exercising when you start experiencing pain.
Though it is normal to experience stretching in the soft tissue and muscles while doing exercises.
Safety Comes First. Always!
According to carcover.com, some of these exercises should not be performed while driving since it might not be safe.
- When you’re in the traffic jam, you are advised to apply parking brakes to avoid unnecessary accidents.
- If your car isn’t moving (maybe you want to exercise in your car while waiting your friend in a supermarket’s parking lot), it is advisable to turn off the engine.
Ask Your Doctor First
If you have back, spinal or neck problems, you are advised not to do some of these exercises.
Also, if you doubt that you can do some of these exercises, you should seek a medical opinion from a doctor. You can as well find medical advice from a physiotherapist.
Conclusion
You will most likely spend a lot of time in the car as you commute daily to and from work. So it’s important to try out some of these exercises, as we all know activities are essential for our bodies and you may not have the time to attend a gym.
It’s highly recommended to exercise in your car or anywhere else you’d want, but this on-the-go workout is not as effective as working out in a gym regularly.
