By Lisa Lin, BA, RMT
Yesterday I went for a walk in my neighborhood, phone camera in tow, looking for signs of spring. As when we see signs of spring, we see signs of hope in our lives. Hope for healing, hope for renewal, hope to just be the essence of who we truly are inside, and hope for the courage to express who we are in the outside world with as much authenticity as possible. Yes, spring brings empowerment with it as we shift out of the heavy slumber of winter. On my mini adventure, I ended up in my backyard looking for signs of spring – I found one – the earliest of buds on one of the trees. A plump, green and golden bud ready to blossom and burst when the rains come later in the season.
What does this have to do with spring cleaning, well everything. As we shed the heavy layers of winter clothing to don on spring jackets, umbrellas and rain boots, so too do our homes want to be aired out, area carpets shaken, clutter reorganized for upcoming garage sales, and good, old-fashioned elbow grease to scrub away neglect and disuse. This weekend my kids were out of town visiting their grandparents and I took the opportunity to take stock of a few rooms in the house and see past their habitual appearance to how the rooms want to express themselves. I delved into the kitchen and the master bedroom. Yes, it was an all-day reorganizing, decluttering, scrubbing fiesta of those two rooms.
Self Care Practices Calgary
Being trained in holistic health practices and massage therapy, I became very aware of what an arduous process housework can be on the body. I take very good care of myself especially through functional fitness and nutrition so my body was cruising through it, loving it. If I hadn’t been in good shape though to do all that scrubbing, lifting and vacuuming I would have had a seriously sore back. I came up with a few tips for you as I don’t want to see any weekend cleaning warriors hobbling into my massage practice in pain when it is mostly preventable.
Top 3 Tips To Protect Your Back When Spring Cleaning
- Bend your knees, bend at your hips. Do not bend forward with straight legs, hanging from your low back. Get help with lifting heavy objects (even if you are feeling impatient!)
- Take rest breaks, eat regularly, drink lots of water. Spring cleaning takes as much mental energy as it does physical.
- Keep your shoulders down (away from your ears), tuck in your lower belly to your back. This protects your back, shoulders and neck from strain.
But What if You are Reading this Article too Late and You are in Pain?
- Rest (I know, frustrating, especially in the middle of a project, but please do it for a few days or you will injure your back worse)
- Ice bag or hot water bottle/wheat bag for 10 min 2-3x per day. Protect your skin with a cloth. *Use ice if the injury feels weak, warm and swollen or puffy. Use heat if the sore spot feels cool, contracted and tense. When in doubt, ice is the general protocol for injury.
- If it still isn’t improving at all or getting worse after 4-5 days, get it checked by a doctor, physio or chiropractor. Massage therapy can aid in relaxing the tissues and prevent tightening of other muscles protecting the injured area. It can help ease the mind as well. Licensed Massage Therapists like myself are trained to deal with injuries carefully to support healing and prevent injuring the tissues further.
Schedule an appointment today with Docere Wellness. Best Wishes for a Healthy Back During Your Cleaning Adventures this Spring!