As this season only lasts for 3 months, a lot of people tend to rush into doing summer activities. There’s yard work every morning, playing sports over the weekend, and a lot of traveling over Christmas. While all of these are undoubtedly fun, bear in mind that they can also be a source of pain.
You see, we don’t often think of these things as activities we should prepare for physically. But in reality, summer activities can be the most strenuous of all and requires extensive preparation.
If you have been very inactive over the winter and spring season that may mean that your muscles remain stiff. If you suddenly go all out and over-exert your body, this might cause you painful tears, sprains, and strains. With this in mind, we encourage you to optimise your body and your spine first before rushing into strenuous summer activities.
Try to stretch and warm up before doing anything physically straining. Focus on areas where you feel stiff so that you’ll increase your range of motion. Also it is important to improve your posture so that you will be able to adapt better to excessive stresses like lifting and driving. By doing all of these, you can protect yourself from possible injuries.
Here are other notable tips for a safer summer:
- If working in the garden, bend with your knees and not with your back. Always use a proper form and avoid slouching when lifting heavier loads, or with activities like mowing.Â
- Always stop for a break when fatigue starts to set in.
- Make it a habit to drink water from time to time. Dehydration means you also dehydrate your spinal joints. So drink up so replenish the necessary fluids and electrolytes.
- Avoid heat exhaustion as much as possible. If you are sensitive to heat, you should wear loose and light-coloured clothing and avoid strenuous outdoor activity when the sun is at its peak.
- If you feel sore after an activity, apply ice to the affected area. This can help reduce inflammation and improve recovery time.
- Know your limits! If you think your body cannot handle it then it’s probably true. Always use protective equipment because you’re better to be safe than sorry.
- The most important thing— If an injury is experienced, it is advisable to consult a health professional immediately to determine the extent of damage. Chiropractors are spine experts and they will be able to help you recover from falls, whiplash and sports injuries.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Optimising your body and spine is not an easy task. If you are at a loss and don’t even know where to start, our doors are always open for consultation and spinal checkup.
Here at North Shore Chiropractic, we will check your body for imbalances, misalignments, poor posture, mobility issues and other things that need correction. Once we correct these problems, it will help restore nerve system coordination resulting in better body-brain function and optimum healing. This way you don’t just save your spine but you also enjoy the summer season to the fullest.