Sore
muscles: Use these stay-safe fall cleanup tips to avoid back, neck and arm
strains
Garden safely so you hopefully avoic back strain and pain. (Google
Image / November1, 2012)
|
Fall is here and that means it's time to break out the rakes and
leaf blowers for yard cleanup ... which is prime time for muscle challenges.
Common tasks such as raking can cause muscle strain, back pain, repetitive strain injuries, tendonitis
and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome if not done properly. But thanks to pain-soothing
products, symptoms of aches and pains don’t have to interfere with autumn
cleanup.
Here are some safety tips to add to your
fall cleanup checklist:
·
Warm up for at
least 10 minutes before doing any heavy yard work.
· Cover any exposed area of your skin with a natural sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
· Use a rake that is comfortable for your height and strength.
· Wear gloves or use a rake with padded handles to prevent blisters.
· Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect skin from scratches caused by low-hanging tree branches and other plants.
· Wear shoes or boots with slip-resistant soles.
· Keep a roll of trash bags close by while cleaning the yard to easily place fallen leaves and other debris into the bags so you will not trip over something that might be hidden by the leaves.
· Never throw leaves over your shoulder or to the side, which puts undue stress on your back.
· When picking up leaves, bend at the knees – not the waist.
· Vary your movement and alternate your leg and arm position when picking up leaves.
· Make sure to switch which arm is dominating to work the muscles on both sides of your body equally when raking leaves. Switch sides often to prevent overworking certain group of muscles.
· Wear safety glasses to keep eyes protected from flying dirt and debris.
· Be sure to have a family member hold the ladder in place when climbing a ladder and do not stand above the level indicated by the manufacturer.
· Wear gloves and a facemask when handling chemicals such as lawn fertilizers and keep these items away from children and pets.
· Wear earmuffs, a hard hat and a steel mesh face visor when using a chainsaw.
· Wear durable safety gloves to keep hands safe from the bite of insects or plant-borne disease.
· Cover any exposed area of your skin with a natural sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
· Use a rake that is comfortable for your height and strength.
· Wear gloves or use a rake with padded handles to prevent blisters.
· Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect skin from scratches caused by low-hanging tree branches and other plants.
· Wear shoes or boots with slip-resistant soles.
· Keep a roll of trash bags close by while cleaning the yard to easily place fallen leaves and other debris into the bags so you will not trip over something that might be hidden by the leaves.
· Never throw leaves over your shoulder or to the side, which puts undue stress on your back.
· When picking up leaves, bend at the knees – not the waist.
· Vary your movement and alternate your leg and arm position when picking up leaves.
· Make sure to switch which arm is dominating to work the muscles on both sides of your body equally when raking leaves. Switch sides often to prevent overworking certain group of muscles.
· Wear safety glasses to keep eyes protected from flying dirt and debris.
· Be sure to have a family member hold the ladder in place when climbing a ladder and do not stand above the level indicated by the manufacturer.
· Wear gloves and a facemask when handling chemicals such as lawn fertilizers and keep these items away from children and pets.
· Wear earmuffs, a hard hat and a steel mesh face visor when using a chainsaw.
· Wear durable safety gloves to keep hands safe from the bite of insects or plant-borne disease.
Healing therapies
Hot and cold therapy will shorten the duration of the recovery so pains or
injuries heal faster and you feel better sooner. It’s important to think safety first during this year’s fall
cleanup. When symptoms of pain strike, you can treat them with products such as
biofreeze , which has a compound Ilex, a
natural pain reliever.
·
Ice is the first
course of action, for the first 24 – 48 hours to help with inflammation. Ice
therapy has an effect when the ice is removed. Ice stops the blood flow, when
removed it releases fluids and toxins, stimulates lymphatic and toxin draining
and more blood flow. Basic procedures for ice therapy: 20 minutes on every few
hours.
HEAT: 48 – 72 hours after injury try using heat on the injured area. You’ll know it’s okay to continue if you don’t feel worse afterwards. Heat draws more blood to the area and removes toxins.
ALTERNATING HOT AND COLD: Cold and heat can be very powerful when used together at this point. Protocol – takes about 45 minutes:
Start with HEAT for 10 minutes; followed by 5 minute break. Then COLD for 10 minutes, followed by 5-minute break, then HEAT again for 10 minutes. Follow with application of biofreeze.
Here is a recipe for a nice Thanksgiving
gluten free dessert!
Chocolate
Mousse Cake
Ingredients:
One cup
sugar
One cup
butter
One cup
water
One teaspoon
instant coffee granules
16 (one
oz.) semisweet chocolate squares
8 eggs
1/2 cup
heavy whipping cream
Directions
1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease one 9 inch springform pan.
2.
Heat white sugar, butter, water, coffee and
chocolate in a 3-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until
chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat. Beat in the eggs
and pour into the prepared pan. Batter is very thin. If side and bottom of pan
do not fit tightly, line the pan with foil.
3.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until a
wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool
completely. Remove sides of pan. Cover cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate
until chilled, at least 4 hours.
4.
Remove plastic wrap. Beat whipping cream and
confectioners' sugar in a chilled 1 1/2 quart bowl until stiff. Garnish top of
cake with whipped cream and, if desired, whole almonds. Refrigerate any
remaining cake.
