- Take a break from sitting for long periods- If driving, make sure to take a 10-15 min break at least every hour to not only wake you up but to give your spine a comfort of decompressing from sitting in a vibrating vehicle. If you have a long flight, make sure to put a pillow behind your lower back to provide lumbar support to assist your posture while sitting. Take frequent bathroom breaks and walk around for 10-15min to improve circulation in your body.
- Be careful lifting heavy luggage – Bend your knees and use your leg muscles keeping your back straight when lifting heavy luggage out of the boot or off an airport baggage carousel. These can be tricky, so position yourself so you can lift in one simple movement to avoid the twist and turn to swing your bag off the carousel. Also be cautious with lifting the Ham out of the oven on Christmas Day!
- Avoid grannies old bed – Grandmas bed may have been passed down over generations, but it isn’t necessarily the most supportive for the back. If the bed is too soft, get help to pull the mattress off the base and onto the floor to provide better support.
- Consider a travel pillow – If you have space take your own pillow. If the hotel pillow is unsupportive, use a bath towel to make a neck roll and place it in the pillowslip to create more support in the neck. Or pick a hotel that has a pillow menu option.
- Switch off the video games, iPads & computers – while new electronics are a popular gift this Christmas, avoid excessive usage especially for those under the age of 16. 35-40 minutes is long enough at any one point and then only 2-3 hours per day. Anything more than that has been shown to cause quite serious strain and sprain, especially on the neck and shoulders.
- Ease into New Year fitness resolutions – Don’t be too aggressive with that new yoga or pump class. The first 4-6 weeks of a new exercise regime should be taken easy because that’s how long your body normally takes to adapt to the change of stress on your body created by a new exercise or activity.