Health tips for the festive season

End-of-year celebrations, catching up with family and friends, and (hopefully) a little R&R, the festive season doesn’t leave much room for thinking about your spinal health. Yet the last thing you want to do is spend this special time of year dealing with back or neck pain.

So, here are a few health tips to help you enjoy the best of the festive season.

 1. Be aware of changed activity levels

You might be less active than usual during the festive season if you’re sitting down at school concerts, going to social events or watching Christmas movies with the kids.

On the other hand, your step count may be higher than usual if you’re speed-walking around the shopping centres buying gifts, dashing around your kitchen preparing a delicious feast or cleaning every last bit of your home before guests arrive.

Changed activity levels can have an impact on your health and well-being. If you’re less active than usual, you may notice that you’ve gained some weight, are less healthy or feel more easily stressed and moody because you’re missing out on the antidepressant benefits of exercise.

Being more active than usual might be good for you in some ways. But your body usually prefers a gentle increase in activity levels so that your overall condition improves. Doing too much too soon may increase your risk of injury. If that sounds like you, then don’t overdo it. Perhaps order some things online or make the rest of the family pitch in to help with cooking and cleaning.

2. Take a walk

Walking is a gentle but powerful form of exercise. You can go as fast or slow as you’re able and you can walk in many different – and often beautiful – places.

Walking can

• Help ease stress levels
• Reduce the risks of holiday weight gain
• Provide a bit of ‘me time’ if you walk alone
• Be an active way of spending time with family or friends
• Provide a change of scenery, either as a short interlude in a busy day or as a day trip to somewhere stunning.

3. Don’t strain

Christmas can be dangerous! In 2019, the Australian Medical Association warned that more people presented to the emergency department at Christmas than at any other time of year and urged people to be careful with Christmas trees, electric lights and champagne corks!

If you need to reach up high to sort out your decoarations then:

• Use a proper, stable ladder – don’t climb a rickety chair and hope for the best!
• Position the ladder in the right place so you don’t have to lean or stretch
• Don’t strain – lift, turn and reach safely.

Remember good lifting technique too. Bend at your knees and hips rather than your back. And get someone to help you shift the heavy items.

4. Take a tech break

Tech neck is the name for neck pain that’s caused by looking down at your phone too much. When you do this, you’re maintaining one position for a long time, which your body doesn’t tend to appreciate. And the position you’ve chosen involves your heavy head hanging forward – a recipe for neck pain if ever there was one.

During the holidays, you could create a ‘no phone’ policy for some part of every day. This would give the whole family chance to shut down the screens and make some memories together instead, whether that’s playing a board game, splashing in the pool or walking the dog.

5. Spend a few minutes a day on your own well-being

This is a busy season where you risk either doing too much or too little for your overall health and well-being.

There are some things you already do every day because you know they’re good for you. You brush your teeth, wash your hands, slop on sunscreen and drink water.

In just a few extra minutes, you can complete some exercises that help to stabilise your core muscle groups so that they support your spine well

Here are some core exercises you can try at home.

Hopefully, these 5 tips will help you have a low-stress, injury-free festive season, enjoying time with family and friends or venturing out somewhere new to explore.

Life doesn’t always go according to plan, though. If topple off the ladder while trying to put the star on top of your tree, we’re here to help. And if you wake up on 1 January vowing to get in better shape, we’re here to help with that too.

Disclaimer

All information is general and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Cannon Hill Family Chiropractic Centre can consult with you to confirm if a particular treatment is right for you.