During my master’s program we learned about the term ‘Weekend Warriors”. The term was used to describe individuals who work at a sedentary job during the week and then complete physical, heavy tasks on the weekend. These individuals may become injured as their bodies are not used to the increased heavy work. With the nicer spring time weather approaching many people will start to become these ‘weekend warriors’.
Spring time tasks may include yard work which may require raking, bending to pick up sticks and other springtime debris, and prolonged bending to work up ground in flower beds and plant new flowers. Even though I try to be physically active during the week, after a long weekend of spring cleanup of our yard I find my back feels like it had a big work out and may remain sore for a couple days.
Another heavy task may include changing tires of a vehicle from snow tires to regular tires, which includes repetitive bending and heavy lifting. Springtime may also include cleaning the inside and outside of vehicles. This task includes repetitive bending, reaching, and awkward positions.
Luckily my husband always completes the job of climbing onto the roof and cleaning all the leaves out of the eaves troughs, but by the time he is done he tends to mention about pain is his back and knees from being bent over for so long.
Although these tasks need to be completed some things that may help decrease the chance of injury during the task or pain after completion may include: a proper warm up including a short walk and dynamic stretches, and a proper cool down including static stretches once the task has been completed.
So if you think you are strong like a warrior, remember to protect your body from injury and pain before entering the battlefield of a task.
Nicole Weishar BSc HBKin MScPT
I was out for a walk with my husband and kids the other night when we walked past a driveway filled with sidewalk chalk and the saying “Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving.” Although everyone should be practicing social distancing at this time it is still important for physical and mental health to stay active.
Although the options may be limited compared to times prior to social distancing there are still many options to choose from.
With the weather changing and becoming warmer, walking or biking around your neighbourhood or along many of the walking paths around town is a great option as long as you keep a distance of at least approximately 2 meters from anyone around.
On days when the weather doesn’t cooperate and you are forced indoors, there are many online yoga and exercise classes that you may be able to join. Prior to beginning any class make sure you have been cleared by a medical professional to exercise and pick a class that matches your fitness level. Another fitness activity you may complete if you love the stair master at the gym is walking or running up/down the stairs in your home (if you have any).
If you are lucky enough to be able to still work from home, if your business has closed its doors, try to stand up and move approximately every 30 minutes. My husband is able to work from home, but rather than being able to walk to and from his desk for meetings or to have consultations with different coworkers he is completing those tasks from the same chair in his home office. I educated him to get up and move as much as he can as his sedentary job has become even more sedentary.
If you have been able to continue to be active during these tough times make sure you continue to stay hydrated. Also, if you have been able to stay active but are still struggling with stress and anxiety try some meditation to help with mental health. Taking repetitive deep breaths may also help with relaxation.
Please try to stay healthy during this time but at the same time keep moving to stay balanced.
As a registered massage therapist who provides sports therapy massage, often to complement the physiotherapy center in our clinic, I advise clients to stretch after any physical activity to prevent injury and improve their overall health. Sports physiotherapy or sports physio along with massage is not only for the elite athlete. Customized treatment plans are created for the weekend warrior as well. I recently had a client ask me what muscles they should stretch before and after rock climbing. Laughingly I said I would get back to them with accurate stretches after our health team went for a fun day of indoor rock climbing at Climbers Rock in Burlington.
Climbers Rock was awesome for giving us tips when climbing. We started the day with a lesson to gain confidence with the ropes and equipment. After we all passed the training we were set to start climbing. As a beginner I found that my muscles were fatigued and sore after a few climbs and that rock climbing is truly a full body workout! I highly recommend it and hope to go back someday and improve my technique.
From the experience I can say that some of the key muscles to stretch after your climbing adventure would include your latissimus dorsi, the muscle you use to pull yourself up the wall. Biceps brachii also used to pull up and stabilize on the wall. Forearm flexors that flex your fingers and hang onto the holds and surprisingly your gastrocnemius and soleus used to push up and balance on small toe holds.
Whether you are a seasoned athlete looking for sports therapy or just starting out and considering a physiotherapy clinic with massage to guide you through your athletic goals come visit our team. Using a collaborative approach our team works hard to help you move better, feel better and play better.