On the road again… Gee, it’s good to be on the road again…

I’m partway between Phoenix and San Francisco, in Merced, the “Gateway to Yosemite”. I’m headed out for our Napa Valley & San Francisco trip that starts in a couple of days, and driving so I can bring all the trip stuff we need.

As I reached San Bernardino, I hit a big ouch! Less than 6 hours into the trip, my driving leg was seizing up, with intense painful cramps in the front of the shin. This could have been dangerous if we’d been going more than 5 miles an hour (San Bernardino at rush hour)! I could brake left-footed, but whenever I needed to touch the gas, OUCH!!!

The problem was with the shin muscle. If you put your foot flat on the floor, and keep your heel down while you lift the front of your foot, you’ll feel this muscle. I’m in pretty good shape and do plenty of hiking, but this one little piece was not up to a 6-hour drive, and decided to rebel.

I’ve always thought about getting in shape for hiking trips or ski trips, but never thought about getting in shape for a long road trip. Obviously this calls for a set of driving exercises - the pre-road-trip workout.

A little research revealed the muscle in question is the anterior tibialis, that runs along the front of your lower leg. Here are some suggested exercises:

Toe flexes
Shin stretches
Walking on your heels

The other kind of “driving exercises” are those you can do while you’re on the road. Why not make use of that time?

Get fit while driving

- Deanna.