Last month saw the Great British Bake of 2012 Champion crowned the UK’s Best Amateur Baker and National Baking Week.
With so much baking going on it is timely to offer some ‘baking back care advice’.
While baking may conjure up a genteel and calm image – it may come as a surprise that baking and cooking often requires some arduous tasks and often long periods on our feet that can take its toll on back pain sufferers.
Here are some baking or cooking back care tips that will help bakers to maintain an optimum posture:
- Ensure that your counter tops are set up for your height. If the counter top is too low then you will find yourself stooping and if it is too high you will find you are having to over stretching. Both of these will result in you putting strain on your back. Unless you are about to have a new kitchen installed chances are you will have to do the best with what you have by standing with your legs further apart with your knees bent in the case of a low counter and standing on a small sturdy stool where the counter is too high.
- When lifting heavy pots, pans or utensils always face the direction in which you want to carry them. Always lift with a straight and relaxed back, making sure your feet are your hips width apart and using your knees to bend down. This will prevent you from straining your back muscles.
- Avoid bending from the waist especially when reaching down to lift up heavy objects or reaching into cupboards for ingredients. This will reduce the stress on your lower back. Never keep your knees straight as this can lead to over-stretching and cause damage to your back.
- If your back tends to fatigue when cooking, make sure you take a break and do some appropriate stretches whenever you are doing a repetitive action such as beating or whisking. Doing some simple wrist stretches and clenching and unclenching your hand will help avoid strains.
Even dishwashing can lead to problems so here are a few tips to keep you safe:
- Make sure you stand with your feet shoulder width apart and make sure you are not over stretching. You want to make sure you are not hunched over the sink – so stand upright. If you are using a bowl in the sink you may want to raise the bowl up on something to raise its height.
- If you are loading and unloading your dishwasher then remember to bend your knees and keep your back straight especially when loading and unloading the lower shelf.
Keep baking and use these tips to stay safe.
If you are suffering from back or neck pain please feel free to call Muswell Hill Chiropractic Clinic to see if we are likely to be able to help you. If you decide to make an appointment, feel free to take advantage of our introductory offer.