Category Archives: Life

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Parenting, Tips

4 Tips to Stop and Prevent Soreness When Playing With Your Kids

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As a parent, no matter your age, you will want to spend quality time with your kids, whether it’s some fun wrestling, hiking, or even playing football. No matter what you’re doing, there’s a chance that you’re going to get sore. It’s just something that comes with old age. Not everyone can easily get assisted stretching for back pain, or any other pain. So, how can you stop or at least prevent that stubborn soreness when you’re physically active with your little ones? Keep reading on to find out!

father walking with toddler son on beach

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Take a Eucalyptus Bath

A eucalyptus bath is a great way to relieve soreness and help you relax. The two main benefits of using eucalyptus are that it is anti-inflammatory and has antiseptic properties. Eucalyptus also helps with respiratory problems, colds, and other viruses. It can also help with sleep issues and improve your mood. 

In addition, it is an all-natural product with no harsh chemicals or artificial ingredients. Something known for being just as effective would be some Epsom salt in the bath. However, if you don’t have a bathtub, then letting the water hit your muscles as you shower can also help you out.

Dress Comfortably When Playing

There are two things that you should remember when playing with your kids. One is to dress comfortably, and the other is to ensure you are doing it in a way that will not cause pain or injury. Just as children need to have “play clothes” or “outdoor clothes,” the same thing can be said about you as the parent. It’s vital to dress comfortably when being physically active with your kids. 

Your clothing choices are going to help you a lot. Plus, it’s going to help add some mobility too. So, while you’re out there creating a healthier life for your little ones, make sure to dress comfortably.

Drink a Cup of Hot Tea

There are many ways to prevent muscle soreness, such as ice, heat, and massage. However, one of the most popular methods is drinking hot tea. The idea behind this is that the warmth of the tea helps relax muscle tension and pain. This makes it easier for muscles to recover from the strenuous activity they may have done in the past few hours. 

It has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for soreness prevention. Does it matter what type of tea? Usually not, though you may want to steer clear of any that has caffeine in it.

Let Your Kids Know Your Limits

The older you get, the more your muscles will ache and the harder it will be for you to move. As a parent, you need to know your limits, so your children do not push themselves too hard. There is a fine line between pain and discomfort when it comes to muscle soreness. When you are feeling sore, taking a break from your activities and giving your muscles time to recover is important. 

You have to know your limits. Maybe this means you can’t tackle anymore during football, pick up your kids, or even push them as high on the swing set. They can still have much fun with you, even with these limitations.

Going Healthy, Health, Life, Tips

Put Your Best Foot Forward: Essential Foot Health Tips You Can’t Afford To Ignore

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We all know how important taking care of our physical health is, but how many of us include our feet in our care? Probably too few as there are many ways our foot health can be less than optimum. Fortunately, you can read about some of the most common foot health issues, and how to deal with them in the post below. 

Choose the right footwear 

One of the most important actions you can take to promote foot health is to choose shoes based on fit and comfort. Unfortunately, many of us put the look of our footwear before anything else and this can lead to discomfort while wearing, as well as damage to our feet long term. 

Concerning shoe size, it’s important to remember that you may not take the same shoe size across all the different brands you wear. Just like clothing shoe manufacturers use patterns that can differ from one another, so you must try them on before you buy. 

Also, when trying shoes on you should do it at the end of the day rather than the beginning. This is because our feet swell during the day, and you will ensure a much more comfortable fit this way. 

When it comes to comfort there are a few things you need to look out for when choosing your next pair of shoes. The first is there is enough room in the toe of the shoe so your toes can move about. Secondly, it’s important to choose a shoe that is wide enough to accommodate your foot comfortably, this may mean choosing a special wide-fit shoe sometimes. Lastly, be sure that the sole of the shoe you are buying is thick enough to provide a cushion against the impact of your foot repeatedly hitting the ground. Shoes with thin soles will wear down faster too and generally are a poor choice for your feet, usually if you are wearing them regularly. 

Take care of your heels 

Our heels are some of the most neglected parts of our feet, if not our whole body. After all, we can’t see them very easily and it’s often a case of out of sight, out of mind. 

However, our heels can get very dry and cracked, and even become vulnerable to infection if we don’t take proper care of them. With that in mind, regularly filing our heels and using a moisturizer specially designed to keep them supplied is the best course of action. 

Never ignore foot pain 

You won’t ignore pain in any other part of your body, so why do it with your feet? While it can be tempting to hope foot pain will resolve itself on its own, our feet are very complex structures full of tiny bones, ligaments and muscles that all need to function in the right way to ensure operation. With that in mind, treating foot pain is crucial if you want to preserve function. 

The good news is that a pedorthic specialist like Healthy Steps can help you. Indeed, pedorthic specialists can offer a range of treatments such as custom orthotics, compression therapy, bracing and recovery products, and even custom footwear and footwear modifications which help minimize your pain and maximize your function. 

Guard against ingrowing toenails 

If you have ever suffered from ingrowing toenails you will know just how painful they can be. Fortunately, there are ways of preventing them, and the chief among these is to make sure you cut your toenails in the right way. This means trimming straight across the nail and filling any sharp corners with an emery board. You must never cut down into the corners because this is the main cause of most ingrowing toenails. 

Also, if you find yourself in a position where you already have ingrowing toenails, there are several treatment options you can choose from. The first is to treat them at home yourself with products you can buy from pharmacists or online. Although home treatment is only really ever advised for minor cases. For ingrowing toenails that are more serious seeing a Podiatrist is the best option. In some cases, surgery may be needed to correct an ingrown toenail, but it’s always best to try and treat them before you get to this point. 

Exercise regularly 

Last of all, to maintain foot health it is very important that you exercise. The best exercise for foot health is walking because it keeps the foot mobile without putting too much weight or strain on it. 

Exercise is also crucial to foot health because it can help you maintain a healthy weight, which means less stress on the feet over time.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Life, Lifestyle

Coping With A Disabling Injury In Your Life

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Injuries happen. We’re all likely to experience one, some way or another, at some point in our life. However, some can be a lot more serious and a lot more long-term. If you have experienced a debilitating injury, one that results in some level of disability, then you might find that your life has flipped around and you’re not sure how to carry on with it. However, here are some of the ways you can adjust and maintain as much of your independence as possible.

man holding walking cane, disabled, injured, injury, healing

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Talking about the road to recovery

If your disability is temporary, then it’s important to know that there might be options to help you recover your range of motion and your independence more quickly. To that end, aside from keeping up with your doctor’s recommendations, you may want to ask about talking to a rehabilitative physiotherapist who can find the mixture of exercise and recovery methods to boost your road to recovery. You might also want to think about talking to someone about the emotional side of your health, as well. Aside from the trauma of an accident, there are negative emotions that can hold onto when we have trouble doing the things we once used to do quite easily.

Getting compensation for your injuries

If you’ve experienced a disabling injury, it is important that you seek experienced legal representation as soon as possible. For example, if you sustained injuries due to a dog bite, then an experienced dog bite lawyer can help you recover any damages that are owed to you related to your injuries and other losses incurred due to the incident. Cases like these are complex and require a licensed attorney’s expertise to ensure you’re getting the compensation you deserve.

In addition, if your injury was caused by another person or entity’s negligence, seeking legal representation can also help protect your long-term interests and ensure that you receive the full compensation owed to you. This is especially important if you’ve experienced a severely disabling injury that has caused long-term health implications. Consulting with a Long Term Disability Lawyerr can provide you with the specialized knowledge and support needed to navigate the complexities of your case and secure the benefits you deserve.

Finding the aids to help you live freely

If you have trouble moving around by yourself, then it can certainly get in the way of your freedom and independence. You might have to rely on others more, but that doesn’t mean that you have to rely on them entirely. You may be able to make use of mobility aids that can not only improve your independence but may also reduce pain, leading to a better quality of life as well as increased confidence. This doesn’t just mean wheelchairs or canes, either. Orthotics and prosthetics can be a huge help for those who have experienced foot or leg injuries, allowing them to walk with some adjustments. Talk to your doctor about the mobility aids that might best suit your needs.

Adjusting the home to your needs

Aside from using the equipment that helps you get around, you might also want to think about how you can better suit the home to your needs. For instance, you might find it harder to get up the stairs than usual, so you could look at installing something like a stairlift in your home to help you reach all the rooms that you want. Otherwise, you might look at moving your bedroom downstairs and making sure that you have access to all that you need where you can reach. There are plenty of guides for adapting key areas of the home such as the bathroom and kitchen so that you can use them independently, so it’s worth looking them up.

The specifics of how you face your disability is largely going to depend on the specifics of your injury. However, talk with your doctor, with mobile aid providers, and with others who specialize in helping those who are living with disability and you are certain to start seeing change.