8 ways that flying impacts our bodies

I recently wrote a blog post on the importance of movement and moving often (link here) which looked at the detrimental impact that sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time can do for our bodies and actually how few of us are probably not overly aware of the negative impact that sitting for what we believe to be such a short space of time can have over the duration of our life time (so much so that those who sit in periods of more than 30 minutes at a time for a prolonged number of hours a day are actually putting themselves at a higher risk of early death than those who move and move often)

When I then happened to be on a five hour flight shortly after, it got me thinking and gave me inspiration for this post. Granted, it’s not long haul but it’s certainly long enough to make you feel like your joints and muscles are getting a little cronky. 

I’ve never enjoyed the sedentary nature of flights and it wasn’t until flying this time that it really struck just how detrimental flying is for our bodies can be; sitting in the same seated position for an extended period of time, often for hours on end with very little movement. So the purpose of this blog is to inform you as, as the old adage goes, knowledge is power.

Once you are clued up on the impact that flying might have on your bodies, you can then understand what to work on pre and post flight!

Why is flying so sub-optimal for our bodies?

Let’s dive straight in and look at why flying might not be optimal for our body then that will give us a better understanding of the areas we need to address.

1. The affect of being on an airplane on our posture

Let’s face it whether you’re flying in a PJ or on a budget airline in cattle class, plane seats are not doing anything for our posture. They are often horribly un-ergonomically designed with their near-on right-angled upright seats that they encourage us to sit sub-optimally allowing our posture and our all-important Triple S to become far from their happy neutral positioning.

Typically the neck gets pushed miles forwards and the back takes a general rounded position from the upper spine, all the way to the lower spine - in an attempt to get comfy in the hellishly un-comfy chairs. And the bum slides forwards towards the edge of the chair. Pushing us in to a posterior pelvic tilt. 

The very process of thinking about this positioning has made me horribly wince!

2. The affect of being on an airplane on our hip flexors

As I mentioned the often horrible position that the plane seats put our posture in means that due to the nature of being sat down for an extended period of time, we are putting our hips in permanent hip flexion. This causes them to shorten and tighten when kept in a fixed position of an extended period of time.

3. The affect of being on an airplane on our quadratus lumborum

The quadratus lumborum or QL is often known as the ‘grumpy troll’ - it flanks the lower back either side of the spine. Extended periods of sitting can cause it to become very tight and sticky. It can often be the cause of lower back pain - especially for those who sit a lot as a desk.

4. The affect of being on an airplane on our shoulders

As I mentioned an optimal neutral postural position is very hard to keep when in crappy airplane seats. As a result the curving of the seat causes us to become rounded in shoulders as they come in to internal rotation. This can also then lead to causing the pec muscles to tighten and shorten to adapt to the forward rounding of the shoulders.

5. The affect of being on an airplane on our neck

The neck as we know is a hugely important part of our body when it comes to postural alignment and in the age of ‘tech neck’ we’re already fighting against our daily tech habits which coerce us in to a forward head position causing huge strain on our upper neck and shoulder muscles. 

Add to that equation the sub-optimal airplane seat ergonomics and the very low drop-down tray table height which whether eating, watching movies on our devices or working on is going to contribute further to a more forward head position (and rounded shoulders for that matter!), then it’s clear that when on a plane its very easy for us to let that forward head position reign indefinitely. 

6. The affect of being on an airplane on our upper back

Our upper back, known as our thoracic spine - does naturally have a small kyphotic (rounded outwards) curve. However, as I mentioned above about the difficultly in keeping a neutral posture and our ‘triple S’ when sitting in a plane seat, and the tendency for our shoulders to internally rotate and round forwards, doesn’t do anything to help our upper back when it comes to keeping it in an optimal posture. 

As a result, it will become even more rounded as our head drops forward and our bum scoots towards the edge of the seat in an attempt to make the plank-like seats marginally comfier.

7. The affect of being on an airplane on our ankles

When sitting for an extended period of time, it’s likely we are going to have our ankles in a permanent dorsiflexion and also probably pretty still.

Any joint which is stationary for a period of time will inevitably become a little stiffer. 

Why?

Because joints need movement for hydration.

8. The affect of being on an airplane on our booty (glutes)

Just like in our common sedentary lives, our glutes often get a little snoozy (something known as gluteal amnesia). This happens when we spend a lot of time sitting down on them. The glutes become weak and lengthened. Obviously if we’re sitting down on a plane for an extended period of time, it’s going to have a similar effect as if we were sitting on a chair at work or home for an extended period of time.

To conclude on how flying impacts our bodies

So in summary - the above is a brief overview of a few ways as to how flying will affect your body. None of this is of course permanent, but it’s important to be aware of the sub-optimal positions we will be put in whilst in flight - especially if it is something we have to do regularly for work (or if you’re lucky, pleasure). Because these are often the times and moments that we are not in conscious thought about what we are doing to our body.

Want to know how to fix it? I always love to help so message me by clicking below or at taisie@taisiegrant.com.

My next post will break down 10 simple exercises that you can do when on a plane to combat these effects of sitting for extended periods of time and alleviate the effects of those grumpy muscles that will result.

Love,

T xx