Shoveling Snow? Protect and Nurture Your Muscles & Spine (Part two)

​So you have practiced great body mechanics, or maybe not (see part one here) and the job is complete (for now). Looking after those hard working muscles needs your full attention, now,  to avoid becoming stiff and sore or experiencing muscle spasms later.

Nurturing the muscles needs to carry on for a few days and not just the day that you worked them hard. Here are the ideal ways to nurture yours;

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1) STRETCH! You may be exhausted but take 15 minutes to STRETCH those muscles after the shoveling workout. Heavy labour and intense exercise causes muscles to bunch and knot which puts an added strain on ligaments, tendons and joints.
Gentle stretching encourages muscles to relax and open. Pay particular attention to stretches for your back, sides, neck, shoulders and arms.

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2) SOAK - toss a good dose of epsom salts (1 to 2 cups) into a hot bath and soak for at least 15 minutes. Epsom salts give muscles an extra dose of magnesium which is absorbed quickly through the skin. The magnesium combined with warm moist heat from the water is a perfect combination to relax any tightness in the muscles and put heat into the joints.

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3) MASSAGE - as soon as you can book in for a session! So many clients will come in a week or two later because they have "twinged"a muscle and they don't know what they did. The heavy work out from moving snow may not feel sore at the time, however, if muscles are not given a full recovery it leaves them susceptible to a knot or spasm from what may seem like a move that was slight. Massage treats all parts of the muscle and encourages it to recover fully and to rest.

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