Seasonal tasks like installing lights, shoveling snow, preparing your tree, and even holiday shopping can leave you feeling sore and not very festive.
So here are some holiday health tips to help keep your spirits bright.
As with avoiding most back pain, a major part of the solution is to contract your core whenever your back is vulnerable to injury to assist the rest of your body in withstanding physical stress.
Another key is to concentrate on proper body mechanics. For example, if climbing a ladder, be sure to hang on with both hands whenever possible and avoid both backward leaning and reaching overhead. Also, always make sure the ladder you use is well suited to the job to avoid compromising your balance.
As we all know, marathon shopping trips can strain your entire body with repetitive bending, carrying multiple bags, and frequent driving. Of course, the real trick is to avoid leaving all your gift buying to the last minute. But if you’re like most of us, at least wear your most supportive walking shoes and allow for 15-minute breaks every two hours, which is also the perfect time to refuel with healthy snacks! While you’re at it, balance loads evenly when carrying multiple bags, avoid over-straining yourself when unloading the car, and always stretch both before and after any epic retail excursion.
Safety is also a concern when moving your decorative tree; whether real or artificial, both can be plenty heavy! When you do lift your tree, be sure to ask for a helping hand. Too many back injuries occur every year from stubborn sorts who insist on lifting awkward or cumbersome objects all on their own. As ever, the key to lifting without injury is to bend at the knees and lightly contract your abdominal muscles for extra support.
Finally, if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with plenty of snow, apply these simple rules when shoveling the driveway: stretch before and after, do not overfill the shovel, toss snow on both sides of your body evenly, and always listen to your back if it demands a break.
Enjoy the festivities, everyone. Just try your best to keep fitness somewhat in mind, too!
Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. He owns Karp Personal Training and Rehabilitation Inc. in Burnaby. For further information call his office at 420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.