B. Carfree

Yesterday I had to drive a disabled friend to get some medical treatment in a city that is 150 miles away over the mountains. Long story short, I rented a car at 8:00 A.M. and didn't get back home until 8:00 P.M. Most of that time was spent driving. Today, while walking to meet my wife at her gym, I noticed the top of my right foot/ankle aching from the driving. I guess I'm just not strong enough to be a motorist. Good thing I can cycle the sixty miles I need to travel tomorrow.

Fizzaly

I know how you feel my knee cramps up if i sit in a car for too long

Sixty Fiver

Yep... I have trouble sitting anywhere except on my bike and after a longish walk yesterday my feet and legs are sore.

Slogging through the slush on my bike today was much better.

bragi

I pretty much walk, run or bicycle everywhere I go, and thought I was in good shape, but flying on commercial flights over the holidays nearly undid me. After 12 hours of sitting in airplanes or cooling my heels in random airports, I could barely walk. There is something kind of deadly about being utterly sedentary...

CarFreeFam4

I have this problem every time we rent a car for travel. On top of the sore ankle/foot, I usually wind up with an aching back and a headache I can't beat. And then there is the part where my children hate being the car and make sure that we know it . . . I'll take the bike any day, no matter how cold or windy.

gerv 

If you are in the habit of moving around a lot, getting lots of exercise, a day spent couped up in a car is abnormal. That's why you feel poorly.

Of course, if you are used to spending all day in a car, a metric century bike ride will likely kill you.

B. Carfree

I heard a piece on NPR a few years ago that listed the top ten forms of "exercise" that Americans participated in. Two of them were driving and eating. I'm not sure if pressing the remote was on the list, but it seems like it should have been. The whole thing gave my then teen-age son quite a chuckle.

cycleobsidian

I drove every day for about 30 years. About 3 years ago I adopted a car-lite lifestyle and tend to drive less and less as time goes on, going about 2 weeks or so in between driving.

Now I find every car trip more stressful; I worry about traffic, I have been honked at for pulling out in front of someone; my spatial awareness when parking has gone down the tubes.

I now get stressed at the idea of parking my car in the city.

In other words, my driving skills are deteriorating. An unintended consequence of going car-lite.

Has anyone had any similar experiences?