Stay Healthy And Injury Free While Recovering From The Ice Storm

My family like many Houstonians had an impromptu camping trip. We finally got good use out of winter clothes since we wore all of them at one time. Our kids were having a great time on our mini winter vacation. We were without power for 48 hours then we lost our water on day 3 of this storm which resulted in a pipe bursting over our master bathroom. We were able to quickly turn off the main water supply and then my husband, thankfully, was able to get the parts he needed to fix the leak and get us up and running again. 

But that kind of got me thinking that there are probably lots of Houstonians right now that are looking at either one or multiple busted pipes. Which could mean days or weeks of renovation that need to be done on their home. And in order to save money they might try to do the demolition themselves to prevent further damage to their home from having wet drywall. 

I have a few tips that can help you stay healthy during this time. You don’t want to get sick or injured on top of all of that drama. 

1. Plan your meals: I know that in my household if we get on a project that is all we’re thinking about. Everything we talk about and plan is related to that one project. That can become a problem especially if you’re like me (I get hangry!) Plus when you are not eating enough or good quality food your body is not being replenished with nutrients it needs to stay healthy and strong through the project. So plan when and what you are going to eat to fuel your body. 
   
2. Stay hydrated. You don’t think about it but we get dehydrated quickly when it's cold outside. Many times you get dehydrated more quickly when it’s cold because the air is dry. We just don’t realize it because we are not sweating. To prevent dehydrating have water available all the time so that you have a licue to keep drinking.  
   
3. Get your 8 hours of sleep. When we start to burn the candle at both ends injuries happen. That’s also when emotional stress kicks in. Without sleep we don’t have time to heal my body, minds or soul. 
   
4. Stretch. Unfortunately if we are tearing down walls, pushing and pulling things overhead for hours we are going to get sore. Just like after a hard workout which is exactly what demolition is stretching is the best thing for sore aches muscles. So after a hard day of labor, take the time to stretch your whole body to help calm those achy muscles down and kick start their healing. 
   
5. Ice. What if one particular part of your body is sore for instance your shoulder, lower back or knee? Try icing that part for 10 minutes to calm down the inflammation that is caused by lifting, pushing, and pulling. Working out and/or remodeling is not bad for your body but muscles do get a workout. Icing can calm down the normal inflammation process that causes the muscle soreness. 
   
6. Get Physical Therapy: Even under the best circumstances injuries happen. You hold your arm over your head for too long, you reach too far, you stay crouched for too many hours and now you have an injury. You just know that this ache or pain is not just muscle soreness this is an injury, now what? Don’t put off seeing a medical professional. Go directly to a physical therapist. You don’t need to see a primary care first you can come directly to a Physical Therapist. Which is great because on the first day you will have someone put their hands on your injured joint, they will find the root cause of the pin and start treatment  that same day. You don't have to wait for an XRay, MRI or medication you can start feeling better right on that first visit.
   

 We did it Houston! We made it through the worst freeze in decades now I just have to pick up the pieces. I hope these tips help you stay healthy. Have a great week. 

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