I spent most of the day today driving home, from Chattanooga to Pittsburgh.  It is about ten hours of driving.

Sitting in the same position for ten hours straight is not a good thing, especially for active athletes like myself.  I have learnt from experience that it is important to do a few things, to help with such a journey.

The most obvious thing is to try and take frequent breaks, where you get out of the car and walk around for a few minutes.  This gets the blood flowing again and stretches out a few of your muscles.

The other tip I have, is to wear compression sleeves on your calves.  I started doing this on airplane flights, and have now taken to also doing it on long drives.  They do a great job of reducing the swelling in your feet and ankles. 

I wore compression sleeves on my lower legs for the drive home today (not an attractive look, but who cares?).  While I did experience a little swelling of my feet (my shoes got a little tighter), they were back to normal a few minutes after arriving home and moving around.

Next time you have a long road trip, try wearing compression sleeves… hopefully they help you, like they help me.