Happy Holidays! It’s hard to believe I’m writing the December newsletter right now, and later this afternoon I’ll be heading to my neighborhood tree farm to find the fattest little fir they have. Nevertheless, here we are at one of the busiest times of the year for most people and incidentally also a time when pain can be at its worst!

Most people allow themselves to get carried away in the busyness of the holidays. Cooking, shopping, wrapping, parties, plays, recitals, traveling, and cleaning are squeezed into our already jam-packed schedule of routine life. It’s totally nuts what we do to and expect from ourselves in the 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s no wonder people are so desperate for some relief to help them get through the holidays!

You may not have considered how all these added stresses take a toll on your body. Shopping usually results in hours on your feet, or if you’re a cyber-shopper, it could be hours hunched over a computer or phone screen. Wrapping presents isn’t much better. If you aren’t twisting yourself into a pretzel reaching for the tape and cutting the paper just right, you’re hunched over a table for days on end making the perfect wrinkle-free wrap job. Then there’s the plays, recitals, or travel where you’re stuck sitting in an uncomfortable chair, car, or plane for what seems like a lifetime. And we all know how our backs feel after vacuuming and mopping in preparation of hosting friends and family.

Alas! Relief isn’t so far away – we’ve got a few tips to make your holidays more jolly! First, be sure to wear comfortable shoes if you go out shopping (we like HOKAS for their cushioning and support). If you’re doing your shopping online, be mindful of your posture and avoid long periods of looking down at your phone. For those of you wrapping a mountain of presents, consider sitting at a table and taking short breaks between each gift. Be sure to bring a lumbar roll with you if you’re expecting long periods of sitting and select an aisle seat where you can easily exit for frequent standing breaks. To avoid severe back pain, consider hiring a service to mop your floors and clean your showers. If that’s not an option, plan to give yourself extra time to complete the chores and allow yourself plenty of rest (before the pain starts).

Lastly, consider booking a couple massages to help you manage the extra mental and physical stress of the holidays. It would be a major disappointment if you had done so much to prepare for a magical time with friends and family only to be suffering from all the extra work and chores you did to get to that point. If you’re looking for an excellent, relaxing massage while also being effective in loosening up your tense muscles, we can help! You can book one of Our Therapeutic Massages available Tuesdays and Thursdays! Call us to book your 45-minute or 75-minute session (504) 407-3477.