We all know that performing household chores is a task none of us like doing. You may have a hundred other things you need to do, but a messy home will not let you focus on your tasks and if you are a neat freak (like some of us out here), then a cluttered home can surely create havoc in your mind.
Before you gear up to start with your chores, let us warn you to be careful while doing them. Doing household chores can, at times, cause you physical injuries. Chores like mopping, dusting, lifting grocery bags, or even something as relaxing as gardening can strain your muscles. It affects areas like your spine, waist as well as your joints.
Does that mean that you cannot perform these tasks at all? Of course not! We give you 5 ways you can prevent these injuries to your body that you can make use of as you carry out your household chores:
The majority of us experience lower back pain at some point in our lives. This pain is either a result of an injury, such as muscle sprains or strains due to sudden movements or poor body mechanics while lifting heavy objects.
Most of our lower back pains are caused by failing to preserve the lumbar curve during any type of activity. So, it is imperative that you maintain your body’s lumbar arch curve position while doing tasks that require you to squat such as mopping or sweeping the floors.
Bending is an action that comes so naturally to us that we never think twice before doing it. However, as much as bending is required in many household activities we do not know the right way to bend. It is an action that we perform while lifting bags filled with groceries, sweeping or mopping the floor or even picking out containers from the bottom drawer amongst others.
Bending the wrong way can affect your spine and cause injuries like slipped or herniated discs and even sciatica. To avoid such injuries, you need to be careful about the way you bend. While bending, you have to maintain your normal lumbar arch and bend at your hips and knees (so we end up using larger and stronger muscles of our body) and not your waist or spine just as in the picture.
While carrying out your household chores, there are many instances where knowingly or unknowingly, you may stand in the wrong position. For example, when drying clothes on the clothesline outside the window, you can experience a gap between you and the clothesline.
Bring your body close to the wall touching the front of your thighs against it before you lean forward to hang the clothes. Also, maintain the normal lumbar arch curve and bend your knees slightly. This ensures that your body weight is balanced on both your feet and the knees instead of standing in an imbalanced way. One wrong position can cause you spinal injuries and muscle strains which can be avoided.
A good tip to relieve pressure off your back and support the spine would be to squeeze your abdominal muscles. Do this as you squat down, stand for long periods, or bend forward to lift something. Furthermore, adopt a practice of intermittently squeezing abs muscles even while walking, standing, and sitting to help relieve some pressure off your back.
Standing in the kitchen and other areas at home to perform household chores gives us freedom of movement. However, it is always a good idea to perform certain tasks such as chopping vegetables while sitting down.
Standing for longer periods adds strain to your leg muscles. Sitting relaxes your body and prevents muscle strain, eventually saving you from any injury. It’s a great idea to invest in a high bar stool type of chair to be at a decent height above the platform. Alternatively, you can sit at your dining table for chopping.
Preventing oneself from injuries that are caused while performing household chores is as vital as keeping your home clean. Unless you take care of yourself you cannot take care of your home. Small changes in your daily life can prevent you from injuring yourself in a major way. We hope the steps given above help you lessen the strain on your muscles and leave you with enough energy to sweep your home clean!
