After the tentanus booster I have experienced more muscle aches and pains than I have ever before.
So now, I have to be much more intentional about my movement for the health of my body.
1) Don't Lift Heavy Kids
Their weight is not fixed and if you are a parent you know exactly what I am talking about. If they move a few inches to the left or right and deviate their weight, they are instantly about 10 pounds heavier and it hurts.
Not to mention if they drop their weight and you were not prepared for it.
2) Take Ibp and Don't be Afraid to take it
Within moderation, don't be like me and try to get through the pain. I do this way too much and all it does is cause my body so much more pain in the long run. This doesn't mean but any stretch to take pain killers at any given time.
You must remember that your liver remembers everything you do. Good and bad. And your liver has a huge tolerance for things and it works hard for you. Every time you have to take a pain killer, you body has to work harder to process it. So try to be kind to your body in all respects.
Sometimes taking a pain killer in the one thing you need for your muscles to be able to relax in such a way that you are able to function again as if the pain was never there in the first place.
3) Take Vitamins-- B12, Glucosamine, Vitamin D, Fish Oil (Omegas), Capsaicin
Usually, when you are stressed, you back tenses. Vitamin B's tend to be your go to vitamins for stress but also it supposedly helps with easing back pain. According to Dr Oz, Vitamin B's help your body to encourage it to grow the protective layers around your nerves (in which gives you the pain stimulation).
Gluocasmine helps your joints.
Vitamin D, your sun vitamin, apparently can be very low if you have back pain. So if you are, check with your doctor, because they can do you CBC (complete blood count) and let you know if your count is low.
Fish Oil or Omegas can help with inflammation.
Capsaicin- the thing that gives your peppers their heat, can also help your back. Who knew? It comes in the form of creams as well and it was shown to help your back! This is also why you like icy hot.
4) Listen to Meditation Music and Stretch
Sometimes I will stand up and stretch while taking deep breaths and stretching my muscles. When the lactic acid builds up in your muscles resulting in tense muscles, you can do your body a big favour by putting on some meditation music, doing some deep breathes and stretching.
If you are worried about looks, just imagine in 10 years when all your cubicle mates who are laughing now will end up with back surgeries and back problems. Not that they deserve it, because that is not something to wish on anyone. But it will make you feel better to know that even if they are laughing, you are the one taking care of your body so it can last you many more years to come.
Usually I find that my muscles end up opening up after this.
5) Standing Desk
This is a dream item for me and I hear the can be quite expensive. I want to get these so I am not sitting all day and I am able to move my body around so it's not stagnant. The more stagnant your body gets, stiffness is sadly a natural follow to that.
So if you have to sit at a desk, make sure to get up and stretch often. Even if you look funny at your desk in your office doing it, you will be glad you did!
6) Lots of Deep Breaths
You would be surprised what managed breathing will do for your muscles. You can actually release so much tension this way! I have had times where I take a deep breath in and then I feel the pops in my muscles or body of the tensions letting go.
Remember, for this one, take a deep breath in through the nose for 4-5 seconds (or longer) and hold it for 4-5 seconds and then release through the mouth very slowly for the same amount of time. This allows for your body tensions to release if they are being held hostage by lack of oxygen.
7) Lots of Water
This one may have your head turned but hear me out.
If you are like me, water is not the top drink of choice. And even if you have to add a splash of juice to accomplish this, do it!
Your body depends on water to flush out the daily toxins your body takes in. We forget this.
The science of it is simple, and as a (budding) massage therapist I can tell you, when your muscles get over worked (or lack of oxygen, which is why deep breaths mean a lot), you build up lactic acid. If you have ever had a massage, they have or should have, told you to drink lots of water after. The reason is that massaging the muscles means that toxins have been released and need to be flushed out of the system.
The same works for any kind of lactic acid build up in your body-- which body aches can be attributed to sometimes. So it's worth a try to make sure you flush out what is causing that.
8) Massage Therapy
Totally not selling my services here as I am still budding as a massage therapist, but a lot of the times a massage therapist can be the facilitator of your body allowing itself to heal itself. This means that as the massage is going on, you are being guided to relax so your body can do it's job of letting go of tension and heal itself.
I highly suggest massage therapy. Sometimes, we can't release the tension in our bodies ourselves for a whole variety of reasons. So you can help aid yourself by asking for help.
9) Yoga
Y-to-O-to-G-to-A
Sometimes, if you are like me, you will start looking like a baby learning to walk and may fall. But it's worth a try to learn some yoga to help stretch the muscles in new ways. Muscle tension and relaxation can happen when you do this.
So get your tree pose on!
10) Detox Baths
So I am a huge fan of detox baths.
Detox Baths, such as this one, are helpful in drawing out toxins in the body. As said above, with massage therapy, drink lots of water after. You want to release the toxins in your body.
This one has worked for me. I came up with it when I was sick, but I have used it for muscle tension and everything in between and it's a been such a huge help!
11) Go to the Dr and request PT (Physical Therapy)
Sometimes, this is just not an option. You have to go to the doctor and get checked out. If you have pain that persists a while, go to the doctor and get a referral for some physical therapy. They can help you by giving you tools for pain management.
12) Learn to Let Go!
Letting go of even the smallest things can have a huge impact on your body. Our bodies remember our stress. And it adds up over time. Letting go can mean tremendous benefits for your own health.
Check out this post here!
13) Journaling
I wrote a post a while ago about journaling and why it was so important. It can be just the release that you are looking for. You may be unaware of what you are holding onto until you write it down. When you release it, you are able to have your mind tell your body that it can relax and move on to the next thing.
14) LOVE YOURSELF
Sometimes this may seem like an odd one, but we can forget our own bodies in the midst of our go-go-go society. Give yourself some love, which can be done many many ways. Here are some creative ideas for loving yourself!
15) Take a Break!
If you are like me, you need to hear this one. Sometimes the best cure is giving your body time to adequately rest between coming home, making dinner, going to bed, and starting the day again.
Schedule in some rest time!
Please share the love with this post and help someone else with their back pain!
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