Car stress busters

Car comfort
Increase your driving comfort and decrease fatigue and stress with these tips from fitness expert and lifestyle coach David Essel, M.S.(http://www.davidessel.com):
• Adjust your neck rest, seat, and steering wheel at the optimum positions for comfort and safety.
• Sit upright; don't slump. Sitting hunched puts stress on the spine and neck, and leads to backache and fatigue. Sit tall with your spine, neck and head aligned and your shoulders back. (Make this a habit when you're standing, too.)
• If your car seat does not permit you to sit up comfortably, roll a towel behind your lower back, or buy a commercial, contoured back rest.
• Try the beaded seat covers. These not only feel good, they increase air circulation and let perspiration evaporate instead of sticking you to the seat.
• Invest in high quality sunglasses to avoid glare and eye fatigue. Get the kind that blocks out both UVA and UVB rays.
• Wear shoes that breathe and allow you to wiggle your toes.
• Wear loose-fitting, non-binding clothing, preferably beltless. Dressing in layers lets you adjust to temperature changes. If you wear shorts on a hot day, put a towel under your legs to avoid sticking to the seat.
• Wear sunblock if you drive with an open window.

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Mental fitness
Relaxing your mind without losing your focus is essential for deflecting travel stress and keeping your tension level down. Here are some strategies:
• Leave 10 to 15 minutes early for every hour of expected travel.
• Listen to soothing music to calm you, recorded books to stimulate your mind, or vibrant music to energize you, whichever you need.
• The next time you want to honk the horn at someone, count to 10 slowly first. Then don't honk.
• Face a tension-provoking situation with this philosophy: If you can do something to control it, do so. If it's out of your control, release it. Let it go.
• Breathe! Slow down your breathing to relax. Never hold your breath!

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Fit wheels, will travel: A guide to healthy car trips
Car travel is great for seeing the sights, traveling according to your own schedule, and stopping where and when you want, but sitting in a car for hours is physically uncomfortable and often emotionally stressful. If you finish your vacation day feeling cramped, tense and aching, what's the point? Your vacation is supposed to revitalize you - not drain your energy and send you home more tired than when you left. By incorporating fitness minutes - and good eating habits - into your trip, you'll return stronger, healthier, and more rested.

Rest stop romps. Stop for brisk exercise activity breaks every hour or two. Choose a rest stop or scenic spot along the way, or head into town (whatever town you might be passing through) in search of a park, playground, quiet country road - anywhere you can get out of the car and move around vigorously. If you plan your exercise break ahead, you'll have more options: Keep a Frisbee, jump rope, rubber ball, or basketball in the car, for example. Be sure to wear walking or running shoes. Even 5 minutes of activity will invigorate you mentally as well as physically. Thirty minutes will make you feel like a new person.

Pedal sightseeing. Put a bike rack on your car and carry bicycles. Each time you pass through an interesting (and not heavily trafficked) town, explore it by bicycle. You'll get plenty of exercise and see sights that you'd miss in the car. You'll also travel longer distances than you can on foot. Be sure to carry a good bicycle lock.

Prepare for hunger pangs. Rather than relying on what you'll find at rest stops, plan ahead and carry healthful, low-fat foods. Eating the high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar snacks you usually find on the road will leave you feeling sluggish, bloated, and irritable - and send you home with extra pounds on your belly. Before you leave on your trip, pack some nutritious foods that travel well in a cooler: fresh and dried fruits, cut-up fresh vegetables, frozen bagels. Other nutritious snacks that don't need cooling are dry cereal (great as an out-of-the-box snack), rice cakes, and sunflower seeds. Also carry plenty of water.

Picnic power. If you're traveling with a companion, and especially with children, pack for a picnic along the way - much more fun than visiting a chain restaurant that's just the same as the one you have at home. And a picnic will let the kids run around instead of making them sit in a restaurant after sitting in a car for hours. Instead of leaving a restaurant bored, cranky and crazy from lack of activity, the kids are likely to be cheerful, and maybe even tired enough to sleep in the car.

Excerpted with permission from Anytime, Anywhere Exercise Book: 300+ Quick and Easy Exercises You Can Do Whenever You Want by Joan Price. Joan is a fitness expert, speaker and author whose website (www.joanprice.com) offers plenty of motivatiing exercise information and tools to help you reach your goals.