As I’ve been talking about over the last few weeks, I’ve been moving. Moving definitely counts as workout. I can’t even describe how many times I’ve gone up or down stairs, how many boxes I have lifted. Then there is the stretching—I’m short and shelves are often not—and the bending, because boxes to be unloaded hang out on the floor when I get tired of lifting them.
Which brings me to today’s topic: repetitive stress. I am a fitness professional, but this does not give me immunity from injury or stress, sadly enough. Due to my dissolute previous life in office management, I have threatening carpal tunnel in my wrists. Add in some years of long-distance biking and the result is: forearm tendonitis. I’m not here to whine (well, maybe a little…), but to talk about what to do when we have to do stuff that is not entirely good for us. I am just an example in this case.
So. The first thing to do with repetitive stress stuff is to figure out what support structures we can use. In my case, I wear wrist wraps and elbow wraps (what they advertise as support for tennis elbow) whenever I am going to do a bunch of lifting or I need to bear weight on my arms (like in yoga) or I have to do grip things (like biking or carrying boxes). This is not unlike a person with a complicated knee wearing a brace.
The second thing to do is to treat the body with respect. I kind of fail at this, until I am forced to concede. Do not follow my example in this. Sometimes respecting the body means getting help. Sometimes it means setting limits: I can lift that lighter box, but not that heavier one. Sometimes it is about knowing when to call it a day.
The third thing is to know what to do if we happen to overdo it. This might include ibuprofen, ice, heat, massage, foam rolling, and screaming loudly. We want to rest sometimes. We should pay a little bit of attention to hydration and eating decent food.
When the big event is over, it is important to thank the body for what it managed to do. And then it needs a real rest.
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