Within the next month or so, I plan to be taking a cross-country drive. I’m relocating from east coast U.S.A. to west coast U.S.A. with my two dogs, Moose and Lally, and after considering all the options, we’re going to be doing it by car. In theory, I’ll leave New Jersey on a Monday and be in Oregon by Friday.
According to the AAA website, the journey will take me a little over 42 hours. Splitting it up over five days gives me a little more than eight hours of driving time each day. Yikes! Driving is gonna be my new full time job… at least for one week. (I don’t envy truck drivers one bit.)
Naturally, my thoughts have now turned to healthy driving. I tend to get achy in my hips and knees when I sit in one position for a very long time. I think eight hours in the car qualifies as a very long time! So I went looking for some driving tips.
- Get into (and out of the car) like an old-time movie star. Pretend you’re in a pencil-thin skirt and don’t spread your legs wide. Go in butt-first, sit, and swing your legs in. My usual method is to step in with one foot and flop into the seat… so I’ll give this a try. It’ll definitely put less stretch pressure on my hips.
- Concentrate on posture. Adjust the seat back so that your lower back presses comfortably against the cushion. Don’t slouch or hunch forward.
- Keep a good distance from the wheel. Don’t be so close that you’re hunched over the wheel, but don’t be so far back that you have to strain to reach the wheel or pedals.
- Skip the ten and two. Your arms sit more naturally at nine and three, if you imagine that your steering wheel is the face of a clock. Your hands should rest just below shoulder height, so adjust the tilt of your wheel accordingly.
I’m tempted to invest in one of those massaging or heated seat cover things, too. Don’t know what they’ll do for the driving pains, but I’d sure like a 42 hour back massage!