A guide to surviving the city break.

You're excited to explore the delights: breezing through bohemian Montmartre, where artists set their easels on cobbled streets, or you’re cycling the pretty canal streets dusted with sublime art, architecture, and the cosy pubs of the Dutch capital, or climbing the hilly heights to behold historic Budapest with its photogenic backdrop reflected in the river Danube. “Hurrah you shout!” Hitting that 44 thousand a day step count, having crammed in all of day one’s itinerary, expertly crafted from google searches must have experiences for your elected weekend getaway. However, as you giddily forget your back home reality and slip mindlessly into a new world where everything should feel effortlessly chic, agony strikes.

Hours of prolonged travel sitting, carrying rucksack, or pulling wheelie luggage at twisted angles, that boasted 44 thousand a day step count and climb you just had to make, “It’s a unmissable 360 balcony view after all,” comes at a cost. The tight and week muscles of dormant postural alignment issues (earned through your day job or lifestyle) seize their day, threatening to ruin the excursion. You name it: Backs, hips, knees, calfs, feet… whatever is your personal region of physical vulnerability, will start to scream loudly. So, let us consider what we can do to hush those muscles, so they don’t spoil the experience.

 Weather you have a quick roll and stretch mid trip or play catch up with the broken body on your return. Here are some tools you can use to reset your body.

•  Self-myofascial release exercises:

1. Feet

2. Piriformis

3. Quadratus lumborum

4. Adductors

5. Leavtor scapulae and upper Trapezius

Using a therapy ball, hold on the muscles trigger point until it releases.

• Stretch exercises:

1. Calfs

2. Soleus

3. Kneeling hip flexor

4. Pectorals

5. Latissimus Doris

6. Hamstrings

Hold each stretch for 30 seconds

• Core exercises:

1. Forearm plank 30sec hold

2. Spin curl 10 reps

3. Hip rolls – with feet on the floor 10 reps

4. Floor cobra 10 reps

5. Side plank 30sec hold each side

 Repeat 3 sets of the circuit.

• And there’s always the old nudge nudge wink wink:

Insinuating that your partner gives you a little shoulder rub, total body massage and maybe a little bit more. Unless they are out cold lullaby snoozing, then it’s: therapy ball, flex band and core exercise time, I’m afraid.

So, now we are free, post those covid years restrictions, and you have been a busy bee scheduling away numerous mini-breaks since boxing day, don’t let your body hold you back from enjoying the long anticipated and expertly crafted itinerary. Pack a therapy ball, flex band and have your core exercises to hand. This Article contains useful self-myofascial release, stretches and core exercise to reset your body during or post city break trip.