Winter has well and truly arrived here in Glen Forrest. The foggy mornings are becoming more frequent and its getting harder to get out of bed when it is cold. For many reading this, you have already been spending many days chopping wood for your fires, clearing property breaks and tending to horses. You may feel that this is becoming more difficult as the weather gets colder.
On these colder days muscles are forced to work harder to complete the same tasks compared to milder weather. This can cause more damage to the muscle tissue which is what you are feeling when your muscles are sore. Prolonged periods of increased repetitive movements like swinging an axe, weeding and lifting/moving heavy objects can lead to your joints seizing up and can progress to acute back and/or neck pain.
You may be asking yourself what can you do to stay healthy this winter. We have some suggestions:
- Make sure you’re drinking enough water. Just because its not hot outside doesn’t mean you won’t get dehydrated. Have you tried hot water with lemon instead of coffee or tea?
- Pace yourself when doing outdoor activities. Don’t go for prolonged periods in the same position as your back is likely to seize up. Like any exercise, it is recommended that you stretch before and during bursts of exercise.
- Eat well and nourish your body. Winter is notoriously known for increased consumption of comfort food. Add lots of greens to soups and stews to increase the fibre in your diet. Also remember to eat in moderation. If you find yourself constipated its likely you’re not getting enough water or fibre.
- Start your day with a bit of stretching. Before you get out of bed do a little stretching when lying in bed to warm up your back.
Winter is a good time to take care of your body so you can be in shape for the warmer weather in the coming months. Do you find your headaches are not resolving? Have you wondered if they may be coming from your sinuses or even your jaw? Is that shoulder pain coming from your back or are there some underlying issues within the shoulder joints such as bursitis or tendonitis which we can work on with you to recover faster. You may benefit from certain trigger point protocols or modalities such as ultrasound which can help reduce flare-ups of your symptoms.
If you haven’t been to see us in a while, now is a great time to bring yourself and the family in for a mid-winter tune-up to keep your body going strong this winter.