Five Pilates Movements That Prepare Your Body for Travel

When I'm getting ready for Morocco — for the Medina stairs and the long Atlas drives and the hours on my feet weaving through Marrakech with people I adore — I make sure five specific movements stay in my week, every week. The point is that on day two of the trip I'm not trying to walk off the airplane out of my hips, or compensating for a sore back from a long flight, or skipping a hike because my calves are cramping. The point is to actually be in the trip, not negotiating with my body through it.

These movements are part of my regular practice. I teach them in my Pilates and mobility stretch classes, and they're the first thing I recommend to anyone heading into travel. They're Pilates-based, they don't require equipment, and they take about ten minutes a day. Three or four days a week for three to four weeks will set you up for a trip — and they're worth doing all year regardless.

1. Pelvic Curl (Bridge) Why: Builds flexibility through the spine and stability through the pelvis. Wakes up your glutes — the muscle group that carries you up every flight of riad stairs. How: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Tilt your pelvis to flatten your low back, then peel your spine off the floor one vertebra at a time until you're in a bridge. Pause. Then roll down the same way, slowly, one vertebra at a time. Reps: 8–10. Move slow enough that you can feel each vertebra.

2. Side-Lying Clamshell Why: This works your piriformis — a deep external rotator in your hip. Activating and strengthening it helps with stability on uneven ground and counters the kind of deep-hip tightness that hours of sitting tend to bring on. How: Lie on your side, knees bent and stacked, feet together. Keeping your feet touching and your pelvis still, lift the top knee toward the ceiling, then lower with control. Don't let your top hip roll back. Reps: 12–15 per side.
3. Standing Roll-Down Why: Lengthens your hamstrings (tight from the flight), mobilizes the whole spine, and lets gravity decompress your back. You can do this in a hotel room with no setup at all. How: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Tuck your chin and slowly roll your spine down toward the floor, one vertebra at a time. Let your arms and head hang. Pause at the bottom. Then roll back up the same way, stacking the spine vertebra by vertebra. At the top, reach your arms overhead and add a gentle back extension — a slight bend backward through your upper spine. This counteracts the lumbar flexion of long flights. Reps: 4–6, slow.

4. Swan Dive Prep (Sphinx in yoga) Why: The opposite of the rounded-forward plane and car-seat posture. Opens the front of the chest and helps your discs and SI joint go back into place after long sitting. Your shoulders will thank you. How: Lie on your stomach, forearms on the floor, elbows under your shoulders. Lengthen your tailbone toward your heels, then lift the crown of your head forward and up. Let your chest broaden between your shoulder blades. Breathe.Hold: 20–30 seconds. Repeat 2–3 times.
5. Heel Raises with Ankle Circles Why: Strong calves and mobile ankles are the difference between an enjoyable day of walking and a sore evening. Doing these on the plane every hour or two also helps with circulation on long flights. How:Stand near a wall for balance if you need it. Rise up onto the balls of your feet, then slowly lower. After a set, do 8 ankle circles in each direction with each foot. On the plane, you can do this seated — push down through the balls of your feet to lift your heels, then through your heels to lift your toes, and add the ankle circles. Reps: 15 heel raises plus the ankle circles. Once a day at home; every hour or two on the plane.

Add these to your morning or evening routine starting now. You don't have to do them all at once. You don't have to do them perfectly. The body adapts faster than people think, and four weeks of even a little of this is enough to feel a real difference when you land.

We do all of these in my Pilates and mobility stretch classes, along with shoulder openers that make travel feel even better. My classes are all Eastern US time zone and hybrid. Details on my new student special page if you're new.

Wherever you're headed this season may your body be a willing partner in the going.