ACHES & PAINS, ANYONE?

Some suggestions for those aches and pains that you might be feeling after a day of picketing and to prevent additional soreness (maybe):

  1. Footwear and Blisters. You are walking for a very long time - up to 3 hours a day. The shoes you normally wear at work are likely not suitable for long walks. If you have a pair of athletic shoes - with a firm heel counter, wide toe box, good arch support, and an absorptive sole, wear them. Your knees and hips will thank you! If you have blisters on your feet, you should probably look at changing your shoes (It had to be said!) Applying Second SkinŽ over the blister and holding this in place with adhesive tape can take away some of the pain. Mention your blisters to Patrick Jackson and Second SkinŽ may be made available.
  2. Hydrate. Drink lots of WATER. Water is critical in flushing the byproducts of exercise (including walking) from the body. AVOID CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES as they are diuretics and may rob the body of the water it needs.
  3. Nutrition. Remember to eat properly. You have endured 3 hours of walking and that may exceed your limits of endurance at the best of times. If you are experiencing some discomfort in the muscles, you can be fairly certain that there have been some microscopic damage to the muscle fibers. To repair this damage, the body needs protein - meats, nuts, soy. To replace the energy you used, take in carbohydrate of the complex variety - pasta, bread, cereals.
  4. Stretching. Take some time to stretch the muscles that you have been stressing. These muscles include the calves, quadriceps (front of the thighs), and hamstrings (back of the thigh). The pictures below should help you through these exercises. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds and repeat each stretch 2 or 3 times. See the illustrations.
  5. Ice. If you are having a particularly difficult time and you are not allergic to cold, you can apply ice packs to the sore areas (if you have enough ice packs). Use ice cubes or crushed ice in a plastic bag and apply them for up to 20 minutes at a time.
  6. Elevate legs. Elevating the legs can help with venous return and may assist with the removal of waste products after a long walk.