Housewife Tips For Your Health

As busy moms and wives, accomplishing daily tasks can really take a toll on our bodies. I recently found myself having random aches and pains while doing several tasks around the house that I could see having further impact on my health. In an effort to start being more mindful of how I go about my daily chores and mom duties, I would like to point out a list of common housewife things that we do every day that I find to be taxing on our bodies, and solutions for how to avoid exacerbating these aches. Although this list is short, I believe these things have the biggest impact on our bodies because these are things we do multiple times a day, every day.

While thinking of the things I do around the house that cause strain, I find myself thinking about my family and the role I play as wife and mom. I am so thankful I get to have these roles. This post is dedicated to my boys, Timothy (5 months), Samuel (25 months), and Christiaan - not pictured- (475 months). I am thankful that I get to clean up your messes and take care of you, even if you all can be a big pain in my ....

Let's get right into it!

Washing and Scrubbing Dishes

Have you ever been scrubbing a pot or pan so vigorously you may as well have put a hole right through the bottom? I understand that sometimes stubborn little bits of fried on food just won't come off the pan, but be careful how hard you are scrubbing, as this can put tremendous strain on your hands and fingers. Instead, try soaking your dishes in hot, soapy water before scrubbing, or add little water to your pan and place it back on the stove to heat it up while gently scraping off the stuck-on bits with a wooden spoon.

Always carrying your baby/child on the same hip

Usually, moms often resort to always carrying their child only on one side of their body. For me, I always carry my boys on my left hip because it is most natural to me. Carrying your kids on one hip obviously causes you to lean and contort your body to counterbalance the weight of your child. Over time, this can cause misalignment in your hips and spine, as well as your overall posture as one side of your body will become stronger than the other side, causing imbalance. Although it feels very unnatural, switch your kid to your other hip when you hold him every now and then to help even out your posture.

Poor posture while nursing

Speaking of posture, we all know that posture while sitting is quite important, but especially so if you are a nursing mama. I am guilty of slumping over, and to this day I still catch myself doing it. Use a nursing pillow, or any pillow for that matter, to bring your baby closer to you so that you do not have to hunch over. As your baby gets bigger, I find that keeping a pillow under the elbow that cradles my baby's head is enough to help me sit straight.

Cleaning without gloves

I get it, it is SO much quicker and more convenient to grab a rag and bottle of cleaner and just get to work, but whether you use natural cleaner or regular cleaner, you really do not want these substances on your hands. While I enjoy using natural cleaners, there's just some types of messes in my house that I need to call in the reinforcements, and have you seen the ingredients in a can of Easy Off? Cleaning products will irritate or dry out your hands, and I do not know about you, but when hubby holds my hand I do not want him to feel like he is holding hands with a construction worker.

Moreover, if you have kids, you do not want whatever you are cleaning with ending up on your kids' faces or in their mouths or eyes because you had residual cleaning products on your skin.

Cleaning under strain

Any type of pinching motion where you have to hold onto objects by pinching with your fingers (such as holding the dustpan, putting plates back in the cupboard, holding onto the side of a bowl while you scoop something out of it, to name a few) puts a great deal of strain on the joints in your hand. Be mindful of how you hold onto objects and take the time to find a better position if you feel your hands cramping. Repeated ignorance of these strains is what can lead to carpel tunnel and weak grip strength over time.

Here is an example of some of these tips put into action: While scrubbing this bowl I am holding it with my fingers rather tightly to counterbalance the intensity in which I am scrubbing. This puts strain on my fingers and hand. Moreover, I do not have gloves on, therefore the abrasive dish soap is drying them out.

Here, I have made some simple fixes: I have placed the bowl down so that all I have to do now is stabilize it on the side while I scrub. Moreover, I put some gloves on to protect my hands.

These are just a few things I have come across recently that make an impact on my body as I go about my housewifey things, and some of the solutions that work for me. I believe it is important to take care of yourself in these areas, because these are tasks we as mothers and wives do all the time. Ignoring the aches and pains associated with doing these activities may contribute to health problems down the road. That would really suck if that happens, especially because making simple changes to prevent any issues is totally doable.

Have you noticed any of these same aches and pains in your daily life? What types of tips can you share with us? I would like to know!

See You next Monday,

Mary