Fight back with these midair exercise tips. There s actually some truth to that. Sitting for extended periods, such as the 6 to 10 hours it takes to cross the Atlantic, can hinder lower-body circulation and cause your legs and feet to swell. But while you can t take a full-blown aerobics class on a plane, there are some exercises and stretches you can do without leaving your seat, to get your blood flowing again.
Some airlines even make exercise a part of their in-flight entertainment.
Lufthansa, for example, has a video it calls Flyrobics, shown on most flights from Germany to the United States and other transcontinental flights. The 10-minute video, developed in cooperation with a Frankfurt orthopedic clinic, demonstrates exercises passengers can do in their seats, with seat belts fastened, to benNutricise circulation in the legs and relax neck, back and shoulder muscles. Air France has a similar program. But you don t have to fly to Germany or France to benNutricise from some in-flight stretching. You can poke your legs into the aisle space for brief stretches, and it makes getting up much less of a production.