Dancers are certainly used to dealing with aches and pains, but even professionals like Betsy McBride, a soloist with American Ballet Theatre, aren’t immune from the stiffness, swelling, and general exhaustion that can follow a 14-hour flight. “It’s really hard to get your body going after flying,” McBride says over Zoom in the midst of an international tour in China. “For me, I swell so much flying, and I notice that my ankles feel thicker and not as supple, and my muscles feel almost heavy.”
Though based in New York City, McBride and her colleagues spend about 11 weeks each year on the road, often with minimal time to recover before having to perform in packed opera houses. Racking up all those air miles, McBride has had ample time to figure out the tricks and products that help her fight airplane-induced inflammation and feel like herself again. While your next travel plans probably won’t require you to dance on pointe after you land, following McBride’s tips can certainly help lessen post-plane aches.
Travel days start with stretches
Whenever she can fit it in, McBride likes to begin any travel day with some morning yoga. “Just to get my body moving before sitting on a plane for hou
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