Palms Up to Protect Shoulders

When my kids were little, my wife started having intense shoulder pain. She had been painting walls in our new home, and she kept lifting the heavy paint cans with her palms facing down. That night when she explained the pain to me, we got her some ice to help reduce the pain. (See our blog Heat vs Ice for when and how to use ice properly.) I then showed her a tip to avoid injuring herself in the future by lifting the paint cans with her palms up.

It's second nature for many of us to lift things up with our palms down, like if there's something you need in the back seat. If you find yourself needing to grab your purse or a diaper bag from the back seat, turn in your seat and lift the bag with your palms up. You'll help avoid injury of further injury to your rotator cuff. As I show in the video below, always lift with your palms up to avoid injuring your shoulder, specifically your rotator cuff.

The Bad Rap on Physical Activity

“I ought to workout more.”
“I would lose weight easier if I would just exercise more.”
“I know it’s healthy to exercise, but I just don’t have the time.”

Any of these sound familiar? If so, you’re not the only one who feels pressured or guilty about not being more physically active. After too many failed attempts to go to the gym, you may feel like being physically active is just impractical for you. Even if you magically find extra time one day, you may opt for some pajama bottoms to relax at home instead of changing into workout pants to go to the gym. For many of us, we view exercise as something that drains us and makes us hot, sticky, and tired; instead of viewing exercise as rejuvenating or relaxing.

A recent study conducted by BMC Public Health looked at how women, age 22 - 49, view physical activity on their to-do list. Not surprisingly, low-activity women often viewed physical activity as conflicting with their bigger goals, like family time or work. In contrast, women who were highly active viewed physical activity as contributing to their bigger goals, which were also family time and work. At the same time, some highly active women still reported that they felt pressured or guilty about not being active enough.

The good news for all of us, whether we consider ourselves physically active or not, is that physical activity is not defined by three 30-minute workout sessions per week. Simply moving more (e.g. taking the stairs instead of the elevator, taking the dog on a walk) contributes to a healthier lifestyle.

So how does a person start becoming more active? The recent study by BMC Public Health suggested that the best tip for women to become physically active is to include people in your exercise. Whether you go outside to play with your kids or go on a walk or bike ride with friends, your feelings toward physical activity may become more positive because your physical activity is aligning with the priority of relationships. In turn, the positive thinking and emotions about physical activity will help you stay consistent and see those health benefits.

For more tips and encouragement to become more physically active, follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, or LinkedIn; and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Our goal at Aptitude Physical Therapy is to give you the practical information so that you can better enjoy life.

To read the study, click on the following link.
Rethinking Physical Activity Communication: Using Focus Groups to Understand Women's Goals, Values, and Beliefs to Improve Public Health"

Travel Pains

Vacations are wonderful ways to create memories with loved ones. Traveling, on the other hand, can sometimes put stress on the body. For example, as we grow older, our joints are less forgiving when we sit in a car for too long. Whenever I am traveling, here are some of the things I do to avoid pain after a long day on the road or in the air.

If I am on a flight, I try to get up and walk up and down the aisle every hour to help stimulate blood flow. If I cannot get up because of turbulence, then I pump my ankles and “draw” circles with my feet. If I am driving, it can be hard to stop every hour, but I still try to stop as often as I can to get out and stretch my legs.

If your car or airline seats don’t have good lumbar support, bring a small pillow to put behind the arch of your back. I recommend back support for long and short trips.

Even if you're tempted to avoid drinking water while you’re traveling to cut down on bathroom breaks, make yourself sip water to stay hydrated. Whether I’m flying or driving, I pack a water bottle, so I can refill as often as possible. Staying hydrated prevents many stressful and painful conditions.

These three tips make traveling less uncomfortable for me, and I hope they help spur some good ideas for you to make traveling less stressful and painful.