Most of us cannot avoid having to spend a great deal of time in a car.  And while dealing with the usual hassles — traffic, long commutes, weather — can be a royal pain, for many, the REAL “royal pain” includes a stiff, achy back as a result of sitting in a car seat for extended periods, which in turn impacts the quality of your day, and even your ability to engage in the activities you enjoy.

Thankfully, unless there is a specific underlying medical condition (please see your doctor to check  on this), tightness and discomfort caused by long car rides can be immediately alleviated — and eliminated completely for the most part — with just a few well-chosen stretches and strengthening moves.

But first it helps to know why sitting in a car is so counteractive to a healthy and supple low back in the first place.

Our body is most comfortable and stable when it is “neutral”; that is, when our muscles and joints are neither flexed nor extended at an angle.  This especially holds true for the back.  When the back is neutral, each vertebra is aligned, with equal space between each disk, and no pinching or compression occuring between two or more vertebrae.  And while there is still a need for muscles to contract to hold the upright, neutral body in place, that activity is minimal; there isn’t a need for excess effort or compensation just to maintain a reasonably normal position or movement (such as standing in place or walking).

All of this changes the minute we either move the body more dramatically — for example, when we engage in a sport, bend over to pick something up, or do housework….or we take the body out of a neutral alignment, which inevitably happens when we sit in a car or chair.  In the case of more dramatic movement, this is normal, and if the body is healthy and our muscles are strong and flexible, we can accommodate these movements with no issue.  In the case of sitting, or if there is a lack of strength, endurance or flexibility, suddenly the back can find itself loaded and arranged outside of what it can handle.  That’s when fatigue, aches, and even injury become a real risk.

But given this article is focusing on sitting, I will stick to addressing what happens there.  When we sit, our pelvis is tilted, and suddenly our entire back (but especially the low back) is no longer neutral — the back of the spine is extended and rounded, and the front of the spine (which includes the muscles of the abdomen and chest) is shortened and compressed.  This is not a natural position for the body, and although the body is normally very resilient to such fluctuations throughout the day, the fact that we spend such long periods in these positions is why our body can’t completely compensate.  So what happens?  The low back gets overstretched, tired and weak; the muscles in the front of the body become chronically shortened and tight, and suddenly there isn’t that optimal equal space between each vertebra anymore.  Moreover, the lack of movement in other planes — such as twists and side bends — further reduces the low back’s flexibility, and the muscles of both the front and back of the leg become tight and stiff as well, due to the leg and knee each being flexed in that seated position.  Tight leg muscles and tight chest muscles will in turn put more pressure on a low back, as the body will attempt to compensate for the lack of mobility by trying to force the back, pelvis and shoulders to move more, often in ways that the body isn’t meant to move.

So now you take that collection of imbalanced muscles and joints, and it’s no wonder you feel a thousand years old when you attempt to stand up straight after uncoiling yourself out of your car!

Now that we know what long periods of sitting can do to the back, how can we fix that?  The answer can be broken down into five steps:

1. Return to neutral:  All too often, when we get out of the car, we don’t fully return to an upright, neutral, tall posture.  Instead, we return to about 90% of that, but that missing 10% is what can lead to chronically bad posture and a miserable back and neck!  So stand up tall, roll your shoulders back a couple of times, and stretch your arms overhead to help your body restore its full length BEFORE you take even that first step.  Better yet, borrowing from the other four points, put your body through a short series (we’re talking less than a minute) of light stretches of various muscles in various directions, to help take the edge off your body’s stiffness and get some blood flowing to achy joints.
2. Stretch the front of your body:  Muscles that especially need it are the hip flexors (think front of the thigh) and the chest.  These are best performed indoors, preferably on a daily basis, to help keep these muscles supple and to offset the effects of both your past and future car rides.
3. Stretch certain muscles of the back of the body:  This especially includes the hamstrings.  See Item 2 for additional explanation.
4. Strengthen the glutes, low back and upper back muscles, emphasizing exercises/movements that move the arms and legs behind the body (for example, from a standing position, raise one leg straight behind you, without tilting forward at all).  What comes with a long car ride is a back side that is virtually listless.  Wake up these muscles to help keep your body neutral AND comfortable (remember, a strong back won’t fatigue/ache as quickly!) both in and out of your car!
5. Move the low back through 3 types of stretches:  hyperextensions (which puts the back in a lightly arched position), twists, and side stretches.  This puts the back through movements that differ from the chronic trunk flexion of sitting, which helps to improve comfort, flexibility and protection against injury.

We may not be able to avoid sitting in the car (unless someone invents a SegwayMobile — I’d love to see THAT mock up!), but thank goodness at least we can do something to mitigate its side effects! 

PS:  If you’re in need of specific stretch examples for the above, I invite you to consider purchasing a membership to The Flexibility Coach (www.theflexibilitycoach.com).  As of right now, a one-time-only fee of $34.95 will bring you access to over 50 custom stretching programs, audio instructions and videos, including five routines I have specifically designed to promote a healthy low back.  Come on over where I can help you further!

Confession time:  Unless I’m training for a running race or fitness competition or other specific event, my runs tend to fall into a fairly predictable pattern, at least in terms of overall structure and pace.  I step out, I set my body’s dial on auto-pilot, and I zone out — pleasantly, I might add, but still zone out — until the run is finished.  I then walk for whatever length of time I have planned to be my cool-down, stretch, sip water, shower….you know the rest (well maybe you don’t know the rest, but the rest, for the most part, is probably not compelling article content!).

But as we know, variety is the spice of life.  And definitely the “spice” of a fit body.  And we also know that time isn’t always on our side on the subject of long, meandering zone-out workouts such as the one I describe above.  I — make that we — need something to address both of those realities.

And happily, we have it!  Given that my work includes those days in which I’m at home, attending to the ”behind the scenes” tasks of running my online business, I sometimes find that I need a kick-start first thing in the morning, to rev up my engine and get my head on straight.  And this routine works fabulously:  It’s quick, it’s convenient, it’s enjoyable (especially on the good-weather days, but it’s surprisingly energizing even on the bad-weather days), and as a bonus…..it helps cut my appetite!  When you have a home-based business and often spend long stretches of time alone, this is a blessing that canNOT be underestimated!

So how does it work?  I have broken it down in the following layout:

• Minute 1:  Stumble out of the house, start a gentle walk, adjust my outerwear, look at my watch, etc.  In other words, “get situated” and get underway.
• Minutes 2, 3, and 4:  I pick up the pace and walk very briskly, chest up, shoulders relaxed, squeezing my glutes and lightly contracting my core muscles.
• Minutes 5 and 6:  I break into a light jog — emphasis on LIGHT — easy, relaxed, and still with good form.
• Minute 7:  I increase my pace to a fairly ambitious run; not a sprint by any means, but a rather hard effort, one I might use when I’m running a 5K.
• Minutes 8, 9 and 10:  I turn and begin double-backing on myself, retracing my course back toward my house, and reluctantly — Minute 7 really stoked me up! — I slow back down to a jog for the next 2 minutes.
• Minutes 11 and 12:  I return to a fast-paced walk, taking longer, more reaching strides than I did in the beginning, since by now I’m warmed up and can move through a greater range of motion.
• Minutes 13 and 14:  I slow the walk way down to finish the return back home at a cool-down pace.
• Minute 15:  I use either a wall or stairs to do 2-3 stretches.

DONE!

Now you might notice that I change the exact timing of my walks/jogs between the first half of the workout and the second half.  That’s somewhat flexible; I do that because I sometimes find that I don’t always jog or walk at the same pace the second time around, so I leave room to make adjustments depending on how far away I am from my house.

The bottom line is, I feel GREAT upon returning home.  My mood is up, I feel good about myself, and I find that I’m much more capable of handling whatever stresses come my way that day.  Pretty impressive for something that takes less time than most people’s commutes to work!

I am truly humbled at the athleticism we witnessed this past Sunday at the Chicago Marathon.  For starters, as much as I love to run, I have serious doubts that I will ever be able to run that distance (my body seems best suited for mostly runs of 10 miles or less), never mind at some of the paces we witnessed!  Truly remarkable, especially given the cold weather.  Those of you who braved the elements and gave it your all should be mighty proud!

My better half (that’s Mr. FlexibilityCoach) managed to snag a looooong video of nearly every runner at Mile 2.1 — at least, everyone who passed that point by the 53 minute (gun time) mark.  After that we had to stop the video in order to scurry to Mile 22.5 and cheer on friends who were running the race.

Because the video is so large, it’s been divided into a 6-part playlist.  To view, click on the link below and follow the instructions on the page:

Long Video of 2009 Chicago Marathon (Mile 2.1)

PS:  If you’re wondering how he shot it, he had his camera up on a camera mount about a foot above his head, to give him more of a “bird’s eye” view!

Yes….this has been edited from the initial post, in which I was hoping to temporarily offer videos from the members’ side of my website, www.TheFlexibilityCoach.com.  Turns out it’s beyond my personal technical prowess to do that — sorry for the inconvenience if you tried to pull up the videos unsuccessfully.  However I CAN temporarily offer the AUDIO of my Stretches for Tight Calf Muscles program.  So that’s what I’m doing, hope it helps!

Holy SMOKES!  What a difference a marathon makes!  My “What Causes Calf Muscle Tightness?” has been one of the most popular posts on this blog from the get-go, but little did I anticipate the spike in hits coming off of this weekend’s Chicago Marathon!  Knowing this, I’m offering some temporary relief, in the form of 2 of my calf stretch videos  audio instructions, normally only available to members of my website, TheFlexibilityCoach.com (shameless self-promotion here:  lifetime memberships are currently available for as low as $34.95).

Of course I can’t paste this without including the reminder to please check with your physician before performing these or any other stretches, and to stop immediately if you feel any pain, discomfort or lightheadedness.

Now, onto the stretches.  The following will help stretch the hamstrings and calves, including both the “bigger,” more visible calf muscle (gastrocnemius), and the deeper calf muscle (soleus), which is often just as tight if not tighter than the former in runners.

• Audio Instructions:  Stretches for Tight Calf Muscles (this is the companion to my printable Stretches for Tight Calf Muscles sheet)

Hope this helps!

Just one final word:  In fairness to paying members of the Flexibility Coach website, I will only leave these videos this audio up for a short time, so watch them while you can!

As a yoga instructor, it’s a question I receive often enough that I figured it might help to post how I go about cleaning my yoga mat.  I have actually read that it’s possible to put the mat in the washing machine, with a mild detergent and on a gentle setting (no spin cycle), but I have not worked up the nerve to try this one — I have these nightmares of the mat emerging from our still-fairly-new machine looking like it’s been through a cheese grater.

So here’s what I do when the mat is approaching that not-so-fresh feeling:

1. Gather my tools:  mild soap, the yoga mat (duh), washcloth and 2 beach towels (or very large bath towels).
2. Fill up bath tub (not real high) with warm water, adding about a capful of the soap I have used from the beginning:  Dr. Bronner’s castile soap (link), usually the peppermint scent.
3. Place mat in soapy water, and run a washcloth over the surface of the mat to help remove embedded dirt.  Do this for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Drain the water with the mat still in the bathtub; fill bathtub now with tepid water (no soap), to begin rinsing mat.  Swirl mat around water for 1-2 minutes.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Drain water and lift mat, wringing gently to remove excess water.
7. Place a large towel on the floor, and the mat on top of the towel.  Place the other large towel on top of mat.
8. Roll the towels and mat together, squeezing the roll to help further remove excess water from mat.
9. Hang mat either on a drying rack (best) or over the shower door and let air dry, flipping the mat over after a few hours.  The length of time needed to dry will depend on how much air is circulating around the mat and how much water the mat soaked up in the first place.  To be safe, I usually set aside a day or two, just to ensure a thorough drying.
10. Enjoy a clean yoga mat, ahhhh!

How sad that my hankering for the above is so strong so as to compel me to write about it!  It seems I always have some kind of a food kick (my polite term for “addiction”) going on at the moment, and this one just doesn’t seem to be losing steam, even though it’s been a while.  But be that as it may….

Many of you know that apples are probably my favorite food on earth (though I must immediately confess that the many items tied for second place include less-than-virtuous specimans, such as peppermint candy and McDonald’s hotcakes).  So I’ll suspend my gushing about apples for another time.  I have also always been a nut (sorry) for peanut butter, which means of course I’m well-versed in the classic snack of peanut butter on apple slices.  Especially crunchy peanut butter.  Crunchy peanut butter slathered on an extra-large Fuji.  ::drool::

But I’m beginning to think I have found something even BETTER:  sunflower seed butter (crunchy, always crunchy) on that apple.   Holy Honeycrisp, that’s about as close to sweet-salty heaven as you’re going to get!  And this from someone who has experimented with all sorts of “other” butters on apple — cashew (another favorite of mine), almond, macademia nut, pistachio, sesame (though I guess technically that’s tahini).  And although they all have their merits, there is still SOMETHING about the taste and texture of the sunflower butter that simply has no equivalent.  Try it and see if you don’t agree with me!

But don’t say I didn’t warn you:  Dangerous cravings ahead!

Well, if you didn’t catch the cultural reference in the title of this blog (hint:  Annette Funicello), no need to worry, my husband didn’t have a clue, either.  Nevertheless, it doesn’t change the fact that there are many ways to create tasty eats with pita bread (even if it’s more tame than wild), and I’ve gathered a few of my personal favorites below.  Try them for yourself, or feel free to use them as fodder to come up with your own ideas (and please tell me about it in the comments section — I’m always up for a new variation!):

• Peanut Butter, Banana and Apple Pita:  Finely chop a small apple and mix it with 2-3 Tablespoons of peanut butter, enough to coat the apple generously.  Slice a ripe banana into the mixture, and mix gently to avoid pulverizinig the banana.  Stuff in a whole wheat pita for a great post-workout “sport” meal!
• The Pita That Thinks It’s a (Healthy) Calzone:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare the pita by cutting it in half and stuffing each half with about 1/4 cup (1 oz.) of shredded low-fat Mozzarella.  Set Aside.  In a small saucepan, saute a small amount of chopped onion and diced zucchini (about a 3/4 cup altogether) in a little bit of olive oil, until softened.  Turn the heat down and add about the same amount of your favorite pasta sauce and a sprinkling of dried oregano or Italian seasoning, stirring until well-combined and heated through.  Remove from stove.  Stuff the mixture into each half of the pita, wrap the pita tightly in aluminum foil, and place in the oven for about 5 minutes, to melt the cheese.  Serve hot.
• Grilled Boca Burger with “The Works” Pita:  Prepare pita by cutting in half and lightly stuffing with lettuce or greens of your choice.  Using a grill pan or outdoor grill (lightly sprayed with cooking spray), grill one or two fat-free Boca Burgers until hot.  Cut into chunks and place inside lettuce-lined pita.  Top with chopped or sliced tomato, dill pickle or dill relish, stoneground mustard and/or ketchup.  Incredibly tasty and filling, and still quite low in calories!
• Salmon, Cottage Cheese and Cucumber Pita:  Pretty much says it all:  Combine 3-4 ounces of canned (or vaccum-pack) salmon with a cup of low-fat cottage cheese, 1/3 cup finely diced cucumber, and a small sprinkling of dry dill.  Stuff in pita for a simple, moist and tasty sandwich that’s rich with protein and omega-3!
• Carrot-Raisin-Cashew Salad Pita:  Combine shredded carrot with a container of (honest!) pineapple-flavored yogurt, a handful of raisins (I prefer golden raisins for this one) and 1-2 Tablespoons of crunchy cashew butter (peanut butter will also work).  Stuff in a whole-grain pita.  It sounds like a crazy combination, I know, but it really works well together!
• Grilled Vegetables and Roasted Red Pepper Pita:  I found this one by accident but it worked out well!  The vegetables I often grill include thinly sliced zucchini, yellow squash, carrot, and red onion:  coat well with olive oil, season to taste with black pepper and (optional) a small amount of salt, and grill in a grill pan (medium heat) until softened and desired grill marks have appeared.  Meanwhile, open a jar of roasted red peppers and slice a few pieces into strips or chunks.  Stuff a pita with both the grilled vegetables and the roasted red pepper chunks, and spoon some of the liquid from the jar of red peppers over the entire mixture.  Healthy and flavorful!
• Crazy Caprese Pita:  Easy, easy, easy and so good:  Cut a pita in half.  Thinly slice a large, ripe tomato and place inside pita.  Slice 2-3 ounces of fresh Mozzarella (the kind that floats in liquid in its packaging) and place in a small bowl.  Tear up a couple of leaves of fresh basil and add to the bowl with the cheese.  Mince a small amount of sun-dried tomatoes (the kind that come in a jar, packed in oil), and add to the bowl, along with a Tablespoon or 2 of the liquid from the sun-dried tomatoes jar.  Toss gently until the bowl’s contents are combined, and stuff into the pita with the fresh tomatoes.  Buon appetito!
• Chicken-Avocado-Salsa Salad Pita:  Combine diced cooked chicken with diced avocado, and stuff in pita along with salad greens and (my personal preference, anyway) a fruit-based salsa, such as mango or pineapple salsa.
• Apple-Yogurt-Sunflower Seeds Breakfast Pita:  Many of you know I’m the queen of quick-prep food, so this one suits me particularly well.  Chop up an apple and combine with plain yogurt, a drizzle of honey, and a little cinnamon.  Mix in a small handful of roasted (shelled) sunflower seeds and stuff in a pita.
• Baked Pita Chips with Apple-Pumpkin “Dessert Dip”:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut a pita into small pieces, about the size of a tortilla chip each.  Place on cookie sheet that’s been spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake until crisp, about 6-8 minutes (keep an eye on them as they can burn easily).  While the chips are baking, combine equal amounts of applesauce and pumpkin butter (look for the latter either at farmer’s markets or in the jam/jelly aisle at the grocery store) in a bowl and mix well.  Serve the baked pita chips on a plate with the apple-pumpkin mixture as a dip.  True, this deviates from the theme of STUFFING a pita, but if you taste this easy, guilt-free dessert I think you’ll forgive the transgression!

Now, to come up with my next cringe-worthy cultural reference.  Maybe “Peach Blanket Bingo”?  “Citizen Candy Cane”?  “Wouldn’t You Like to EAT a Pepper, Too”?  Hmmm, on second thought….

In my work as a flexibility coach and yoga instructor, the most common complaint I hear is that of low back stiffness and discomfort.  Happily, I have also been witness to countless students and clients who have successfully alleviated this issue.  There is nothing like the feeling of gratification I get in knowing I have helped someone break up stressful movement patterns and establish the kind of strength and flexibility that keeps their back healthy and ready for anything!

So what have I found to be a major culprit in creating stress on the back in the first place?  Easy answer:  sitting.  Think of it.  At this moment, you are probably sitting.  You are probably also not sitting with “erect” posture (be honest, now!), meaning, your shoulders are rounded forward, you’re somewhat crunched down, and you’re probably somewhat asymmetrical — maybe one leg is further forward than the other, or you’re leaning slightly to one side.  I’m willing to bet your neck is extended slightly forward, and probably a bit tense, as well.

If most or all of this is true, here is what is happening to your anatomy right now:  your chest and front shoulder muscles are shortened.  Conversely, your upper back and the back of your shoulders are overstretched, contributing to (among other things) weakness in your rotator cuffs.  The front of your ribcage is dropped closer to your hips than is the back of your ribcage, which means your abdominal muscles and hip flexors are shortened, while your low back muscles are lengthened, which contributes to low back weakness and fatigue.  Your neck is overstretched in some areas, and severely shortened in others.  I don’t think I need to say what this does to the comfort of your neck and shoulders — you probably have a good idea, already.  And because of the position of your legs, your hamstrings and hip flexors (which are the topmost muscle on the front of your thigh, where your leg meets your hip) are shortened, while your glutes are on permanent vacation, further promoting weakness there.

Add it altogether and you have a number of forces that are inevitably going to worsen an already vulnerable low back.  I could go into detail as to why, but it can be summed up by saying the FRONT of your body is now excessively tight/short, while the BACK of your body is now weak/underused.  When you have this imbalance, the low back is chronically out of a neutral alignment, and worse, is constantly over-firing to try to overcome the tightness of the front of the body.  The result is that nagging stiffness that can be an awful ordeal to live with.

But there is a way to prevent and resolve this imbalance!  In the most simple of terms, you must slowly stretch and lengthen the muscles of the FRONT of the body, slowly build strength in the muscles of the BACK of the body, give your body stretches in the FRONTAL and TRANSVERSE planes (think side stretches and twists), and gradually restore your body to a NEUTRAL alignment.  I address the details of these steps in a number of my office, low-back, and stairway themed flexibility programs at www.theflexibilitycoach.com, but to help get you started, here are some examples of the above in action:

Stretching the front of the body:  The muscles especially in need of this include the hamstrings, the hip flexors, the chest, the biceps and the abdomen (including the waist).  Examples of stretches may include doorframe-based chest stretches, a kneeling lunge to stretch the hip flexors, a forward bend with hands resting on a chair seat (to stretch the hamstrings), and the elbow-based cobra to gently arch the back and stretch the front of the trunk.

Strengthening the back of the body:   The muscles especially in need here are those of the upper back (trapezius, posterior deltoid, rhomboids, rotator cuffs), the low back muscles (erector spinae), and the glutes.  Examples of movements to help acheive desired strength include the bridge, the “superman” low back exercise, the cat stretch (done on hands and knees), the opposite arm-leg reach (can be done on the knees, more effective even if on the stomach), and a lunge twist (one arm reaching up for the ceiling).

Stretches in the frontal and transverse plane:  The reason for this is to give the body more dimensions of movement besides just the “forward-back” repetition which we experience every day.  An example of a frontal plane stretches would be the triangle, while an example of a good transverse plane stretch would be a supine spinal twist.

Restoring neutral alignment:  A whole book can be filled to describe neutral alignment of the body.  But here is the Cliff Note version:  Try the following 2 tests.  Test #1 — Stand with your back up against a wall, your heels about 2 inches away.  In an ideal neutral posture, the back of your head, your shoulders and your hips/glutes should be in contact with the wall, while your low back and the back of your neck should be slightly removed from the wall (neither one excessively curved or arched.  Your chin should be level (no cheating by lifing your chin to force the back of your head back!).  Test #2 – Lie down on the floor with your legs extended.  Lift your arms so as to reach the back of your hands to the floor behind your head.  If you were standing, this position would look like the top part of an overhead press.  Ideally, you should be able to keep your elbows FULLY STRETCHED and comfortably make contact with the floor with the back of your hands, without having to hyperextend your wrists.  If not, tightness somewhere in your body is preventing your shoulders, or back, or hips, or all 3 from achieving and maintaining a neutral alignment.  Over time, with the right stretches and exercises, this imbalance can be overcome.

So there you have it.  Yet another reason to give yourself a stretching break from sitting at least once a day!

Oh no, I don’t mean me.  Well, yes, I do mean me, but I also mean YOU!  Let me guess.  You’re probably sitting down right now.  You’re probably feeling some stress from the day.  I’ll also bet that if asked, you can name at least one part of your body that feels either a) stiff, b) fatigued, or c) tense.  Maybe you’re also feeling fidgety, or bored, or even hungry, even though you have plenty yet to do and it’s not time for a meal at the moment.

Ah HAH!  If you’ve answered in the affirmative to any of the above, YOU would probably do well with a snack!  But not the kind with high fructose corn syrup, or caffeine, or even 100% of your daily vitamin C requirements.  No, I’m suggesting you stop right now, stand up from your chair, and take the next 2 minutes to stretch.  Any stretch will do (provided your doc says OK, your doc DOES say OK, right???).  The main goal here is to relieve some tension, clear your mind, take a few deep breaths and get a wee bit of circulation going.  Go ahead, I’ll wait for you!  In fact, I’ll go and stretch as well.  Ready?  Go!

Now.  Doesn’t that feel SO much better?  Did you end up using slightly more than 2 minutes?  Isn’t it great when that happens?  So what stretch(es) did you do?  I managed to squeeze in a chest stretch (hands clasped behind back), a forward bend with my hands on the chair seat, and a side stretch with my foot resting on the chair.  Talk about instant  energy!

Best of all, this is the one snack for which you’re encouraged — if not urged — to go ahead and indulge in second, third, or even fourth helpings!  Hmmm.  Think I might take a nibble on that chair-based seated low back twist…..

We’ve all been there.  You’re on a long drive or road trip, you’re hungry, and the only options looming before you are either the vending machines at the next rest stop (which doesn’t always mean total disaster, but that’s a subject for another post) or….the dreaded gas station store.  Some of the most frightening concoctions on the planet can be found there, begging the question, “Who actually EATS this stuff????”  Sure, the obvious solution is, make sure you pack a cooler or a stash of non-perishable safe foods in your car, so that you need never encounter this scenario.  But sometimes, for whatever reason, you still find yourself singing the Gas Station Store Blues.

Ah, but if you’re willing to make more than one round through the sugar- and fat-saturated aisles, you’ll often be surprised at the healthy (or, if not truly “healthy,” at least either “neutral” or…”minimally unhealthy”) diamonds buried in the rough.  Behold, some examples (you might want to print this and keep it in your glove compartment for the next time you find yourself in this predicament!)…..

Whoops, one quick suggestion before we begin:   I highly recommend you keep an ”emergency kit” of the following items in your car:  a can opener, a package of plastic cutlery (knives, forks, spoons), a roll of paper towels, and a microwavable bowl, plate, and mug.

Assuming the above is in place, I now give you the list:

–Protein bars:  This was an easy one.  More and more gas stations are stocking their shelves with Balance Bars, Power Bars, and other reasonably clean “sport snacks.”  The only catches:  you often have to look hard for them, and be watchful of how long they’ve been there (sadly, they seem to be much more apt to collect dust than, say, those godawful marshmallow-chocolate bombs).

–PB&J Sandwich (buy a loaf of bread, a jar each of peanut butter and jelly):  This is also an easy one, though it might not be immediately obvious.  Particularly good if you have a cooler, as you can store and keep fresh the unused portion of the peanut butter and jelly.  If you’re lucky, the gas station’s store will have gift items that include local “gourmet” artisan jams!

–Breakfast cereal, with either skim milk or orange juice and any of the following options on top:  banana (many gas stations now sell some basic fresh fruit), raisins or almonds

–Yogurt, topped with a crumbled granola bar or a small amount of trail mix

–Graham crackers and skim milk, eaten together the way you would breakfast cereal

–Cottage cheese, topped with a can of plain tuna or WELL-drained canned fruit (drained because most canned fruit at a gas station will be syrup-packed)

–Tuna “salad”:  buy a can or two of tuna, a small container each of mustard (or mayo) and relish, mix to taste, and eat with some multi-grain crackers

–Fresh apple (again, some gas stations do offer them) with peanut butter

–Animal crackers, string cheese, and a small bottle of fruit juice or V-8 (an odd combination, yes, but still better than a greasy hot dog!)

–If you have access to a microwave, chicken noodle soup is often a safe bet.  If that’s not available, consider a can of green beans, a can of tuna, and a SMALL amount of cream-based or other rich soup (more for flavoring than the main part of the meal).

–Again, if you have access to a microwave, quick-cooking or instant oatmeal is a quick and safe bet.  If you can’t bear eating it plain, consider buying a package of instant hot cocoa.  No, it’s not the most nutritious option, but a little bit goes a long way, and it’s easy to stash and store the rest without making a mess of the car!

There are plenty of other options, so hopefully this list gave your creative juices a kick start.  It’s good to know that a decent (if a bit improvised) meal can be had almost anywhere, if you’re only willing to look for it!