Prevent recurrent daily PAIN

"It hurts every time I..." Fill in the blank. What activity causes you some pain or discomfort every time you do it? Here are some examples:

1. Feeding the dog.

2. Blow drying your hair.

3. Playing tennis.

4. Running.

5. Working in the yard.

6. Picking up your child.

7. Sitting in a certain chair.

8. Closing the trunk of your car.

You get the idea. So can you think of something you do that causes pain regularly?

Here are the steps to fix it. 

1. Name the activity and the area of pain.

2. Think about how you do that activity. What about that activity causes you pain?

3. Think of ways to modify the activity to make it easier for you. Are you using the right body mechanics? How is your posture? Is there a tool you could use? Could you simply use two hands instead of one? Are you using a small muscle to do something a large muscle could do easily? Could you take a few rest breaks? Is there a stretch that helps? Brainstorm ways to modify the activity.

4. Test out the modifications to see what works the best. 

5. Implement your new way of doing the activity. Modify it as needed. 

6. Do it consistently for best results!

Why live with pain if you don't have to? Catch your pain before it is too late! If you catch it early, you can prevent it from becoming an injury.

How to PREVENT PAIN when relaxing

If you are like my husband, you like to sit back and chill when you get the chance. Of course, with two babies, he doesn't get that chance very often... (I am the opposite; when the kids are asleep, I start cooking, cleaning and blogging).

So while you are watching your favorite team or holiday movie, here are some tips for future PAIN PREVENTION.

1. What position are you sitting in when you watch TV? Instead of slumping, try sitting up with a small pillow behind your low back. Or lie on your side for awhile. Or lie on your tummy on the floor.
2. What are you snacking on? If you start bad eating habits when you are younger (when your metabolism is higher), they are hard to break later in life (when your metabolism slows).
3. Make a healthy eating rule for yourself. No junk food until you have had 5 servings of fruits or vegetables that day. So at 10 pm if you want to snack, you may need 3 cups of berries.
4. What are you drinking? Make a healthy drinking rule. No calorie-filled drinks until you have had 6-8 glasses of water that day.
5. Enjoy your relaxation time, but try to add more activity. Exercise is a great form of stress relief! And it helps you to sleep better.