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Shovel Trouble-Watch Your Back
In the past few weeks we were fortunate enough to receive a healthy dose of the white stuff from above. I say “fortunate” because snow supplies us with much needed water. As much as we don’t like driving in snow, walking in snow or trying to remove snow, it’s pretty valuable if you don’t want your lawn to look like shredded wheat in the summertime.
What I want to address, however, is some of the nasty physiological results you get when you try to move it via shovel (or any method that puts strain on your body). Shoveling, in of itself, is a lop-sided activity where you most likely favour one side of your body and put strain on that side. If you can manage to switch sides with every shovelful, use a device with a long enough handle so you aren’t bent over, and portion out the work done to allow adequate rest, then you should be fine. While I would recommend this method of snow removal, I’ve never met anyone who does it (me included).
In the aftermath of clearing a heavy, wet snowfall, there are a couple of things we can do to minimize the damage of this lop-sided activity:
- Stretch– Before and after you dig your way to freedom, make an effort to stretch your muscles. This will help warm them up prior to clearing snow and prevent injury. Afterward, stretching will help relax muscles which have been put to use.
- Magnesium– Here I go again with Magnesium (my favorite mineral). Magnesium is excellent for muscle function and preventing muscle cramps. Many people will use magnesium to treat leg cramps but it can be just as effective for back spasms. I love to mention that every time your heart beats you are using magnesium, so it’s a pretty important supplement.
- Arthritease– This product from AOR is an effective supplement for reducing inflammation. Scientists have discovered two novel plant ingredients that not only worked synergistically but also inhibited both the COX and LOX enzymes thus contributing to a rapid and more potent anti-inflammatory action and pain relief but without the side effects typical of currently used NSAID’s like ibuprofen and naproxen. These ingredients are found in Arthritease.
If it’s affordable for you, hiring a snow removal professional is another good way to prevent injury to yourself and provide employment for a local citizen. Win, win.
Speak to your doctor, physiotherapist or one of the Live Well Team at Pharmasave about dealing with body and muscle strain and how to avoid it. Stay safe!
Dan Cassidy, Nutritional Product Advisor