I recently started following the hilarious @passengershaming IG feed (you should too for guaranteed wtf?! laughs), and I can’t help but giggle audibly when a new photo is posted. However, the other day, a photo of a man doing pushups in flight was posted and it had me wondering… should passengers be “shamed” for at least trying to stay fit in flight?
Granted doing push-ups in the galley/invading the flight attendants’ space is a bit over the top, what about the people who discreetly hang by the bathroom and bend over to stretch their hamstrings? Or those who do wall pushups? At what point should people be encouraged to get up from their seats and move around a bit on a long flight?
I personally applaud those who dismiss what others are thinking and go ahead and try to stay active in flight or at the airport. In fact, most of my layovers include me doing laps around the terminal (or visiting the yoga studio at DFW) just because it’s literally a pain in the butt to sit for so long in flight.
Speaking of yoga… I did indeed do a full session in flight once… but that was when I practically had the whole Cathay Pacific first class cabin to myself… ;)
What are your thoughts? What kind of inflight “fitness” is appropriate before crossing the line?
Big difference bt working out and stretching. Push-ups or pull-ups are ridiculous in flight and is too much.
Stretching is a smart thing to do on long flight flights – especially if the person has a history of DVT.
I agree with Sean. Doing push ups is better done at the hotel room or once the passenger is back home. Stretching, on the other hand, is more understandable. Doing yoga makes sense if you have the space for it. I’d say anything is fine as long as it’s safe, won’t endanger you if plane goes into sudden turbulence, and does not make you perspire & sweat (unless you’re in the Emirates A380 first class!)
Just thinking more about it, I’d rather be with passengers who stretch out and hydrate versus those who cannot control their alcohol.
I am totally guilty of stretching and doing some restorative yoga poses in the galley on a regular basis. It’s completely necessary for me. If I don’t stretch, my habitual pre and or post flight runs or other workouts suffer from being tight on a plane.
I haven’t done push-ups or anything requiring me to touch the galley floor, more because I don’t want to touch the galley floor and less because I don’t want people to roll their eyes at me.
This might make me start :)
I wonder if I can run a marathon – or at least a 5K – running around the aisles of a plane such as a 747. Even better, if it has a second floor, I could run up and down the steps. I’m sure no one would mind, right?
Alternatively, I could sit in my seat, drink champagne, and get up and take some breaks just to keep my legs from getting stiff.
what I”d really like to do is run a marathon on the moving walkways at an airport such as DTW!
nice seeing you last weekend,
Kathy
http://www.willrunformiles.boardingarea.com
Thanks for the post, it made me LOL I think this particular incident fall into category of “ridiculous” rather than “shameful.” I mean, seriously, push-ups? That’s dedication for you!
As long as their workout isn’t disturbing others and they aren’t getting back to their seat sweaty, I think it’s fine. So this probably precludes anything I would call a “workout”, but a quick set of pushups and some stretching are okay.
The idea of putting your face that close to an aircraft floor… well that’s just nasty.