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Written by McClatchy-Tribune
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Wednesday, 04 October 2006 |
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Tired of whining about all the construction zones and traffic slow downs around your town?
There has to be something more constructive to do than just sit there and stew in one’s own impatience. Well, there is.
GET CHEEKY
Get in an isometric workout behind the wheel.
“If you can concentrate on flexing a muscle, you can use your muscle without utilizing any weights,” said YMCA personal trainer Jill Cornine.
Sit up straight; retract your shoulder blades back and down. Tighten your stomach for 15 seconds, then release. Contract again for 15 seconds, and release. Repeat as often as you can. “It’s like doing an ab exercise sitting up,” Cornine says. You can do the same type of squeezes with your buttocks.
THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS
Breathe. Relax. “Every emotion has an impact on our breath,” says Sunil Prabhu, a meditation teacher at the Art of Living Foundation in Kansas City, Mo.
“Conversely, our breath alters our emotional state, too. Taking long, deep breaths helps us be at ease in the moment.”
Let yourself glide into a state of acceptance of the moment. Thinking “This is how it is now” will let you respond to the situation, not react, he said.
“Value peace of mind more than time. Value reaching home, work, whatever we are heading to, in a pleasant state of mind more than being on time. ‘I am stuck in traffic. I see that I am losing time. The best I can do now is to not LOSE MY MIND.’”
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STRIVE FOR FIVE AT 5
Nichole Burnett carries a bottle of water with her in the car. You’d expect that of a registered dietitian.
But why not use that traffic tie-up to drink the water you know you should be drinking? Or sneak in a serving or two of fruits and veggies. Eating a healthy snack is probably no more dangerous than yakking on your cell phone. (But, do we have to say it? Use caution.)
“Apples, bananas, carrots, celery, pears and snow peas are a few tasty fruits and vegetables you can eat in the car, especially while sitting in road construction,” says Chelsea Curry, a registered dietitian with the University of Kansas Weight Control Research Project.
“They can easily be packed in a cooler or even thrown in a paper or plastic bag.”
Or use an insulated lunch bag, says Burnett, a family and consumer science agent for Johnson County K-State Research and Extension. If you’ve cut up the fruit or vegetables, or taken them out of their original packaging, slip an ice pack in with them, she says.
“Sitting in traffic is a great time to amp up your antioxidant intake,” Curry says. “You’ll need those antioxidants to help combat the stress of road construction.”
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GET THE KINKS OUT
Be your own massage therapist.
But safety first: Don’t take both hands off the wheel unless you’re at a complete stop.
This is from free-beauty-tips.com:
Head: Place your hands on your scalp at the roots of your hair. Spread out your fingers and thumbs to cover as much area as possible and rotate them gently in a clockwise pattern. As you massage, breathe deeply through your nose. Slowly work your hands all over your scalp, from hairline to nape, until it starts to tingle. Reverse direction.
Face: With the index and second fingers of each hand, make small circular motions around your eyes, across your cheeks, forehead and chin. Cup your cheeks for a minute so the warmth from your hands relaxes the tissue. Then repeat the circular massage.
Hear a book
Here are the recent top 10 best-selling audiobooks on audible.com:
1. “Judge & Jury” by James Patterson and Andrew Gross; narrator Joe Mantegna; 8 hours, 14 minutes; $27.99.
2. “The Afghan” by Frederick Forsyth; narrator Robert Powell; 10 hours, 45 minutes; $24.47.
3. “The Black Dahlia” by James Ellroy; narrator Stephen Hoye; 13 hours, 59 minutes; $20.97.
4. “Ricochet” by Sandra Brown; narrator Dennis Boutsikaris; 12 hours, 40 minutes; $34.97.
5. “Plain Truth” by Jodi Picoult; narrators Christina Moore and Suzanne Toren; 16 hours, 45 minutes; $40.57.
6. “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen; narrators David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones; 11 hours, 31 minutes; $24.46.
7. “Small Is the New Big” by Seth Godin; narrator Seth Godin; 7 hours, 27 minutes; $20.97.
8. “This American Life,” radio show; WBEZ Chicago; one-month subscription; $3.95.
9. “Pulp Physics” by Richard Berendzen; narrator Richard Berendzen; 9 hours, 35 minutes; $20.97.
10. “The Book of Fate” by Brad Meltzer; narrator Scott Brick; 18 hours, 10 minutes; $27.99.
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MAKE A FACE
Why let a little bad traffic age you prematurely? Though this facial exercise would probably be best done in the privacy of your home, we think it would certainly amuse your fellow rush-hour captives.
From womenfitness.net:
1. Scrunch up your whole face. Furrow that brow, shut those eyes and mouth tightly.
2. Now, do the opposite. Open your mouth and eyes as wide as you can (you’ll look like you’re screaming) to release your throat muscles.
3. Close your mouth, purse your lips and push your mouth up to the left, then to the right.
4. Grin, trying to stretch from ear to ear, and open your eyes wide.
5. Hold and repeat the grin, but this time, tuck in your chin to tighten your neck muscles. | Only registered users can write comments.
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