December can be the most wonderful time of the year. You get to spend time with your family and friends, relax at home or perhaps take a vacation, and of course enjoy delicious holiday treats. But – it can also be the time where the healthy routines you established earlier in the year can fall by the wayside. You may be attending lots of holiday parties and eating less healthy foods and enjoying a few too many drinks. You may be taking some much-needed vacation time, which can impact your normal exercise routine. As our gift to you – Dr. Smith is here to share some helpful tips to manage your chronic pain in December and beyond!
Make Healthy Food Choices
The holidays are full of not-so-good food choices, so make sure you are including healthier options in your diet too. Focus on enjoying the anti-inflammatory foods that can work to calm and soothe oversensitive nerves. Lean proteins, fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains are all great options. Heavily processed foods and foods with dairy, gluten, and excess sugar can exacerbate neuropathy symptoms by inducing inflammation and spiking blood sugar levels. These inflammatory foods can put extra stress on damaged nerves – heightening pain and irritation.
Everything in Moderation
We get it – temptation is everywhere during the holidays. And we’re not saying you have to completely avoid everything delicious, but exercise moderation and use good judgment to enjoy your favorite things – responsibly. A glass of wine here and there or a few cookies are fine – just make sure you are enjoying – not over-indulging. Whenever you can, opt for lower-sugar or sugar-free treats, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Don’t Forget to Stay Active
Maintaining a regular exercise program can help alleviate chronic pain and maintain a healthy weight. Low-impact exercises can offer many benefits without causing further injury and worsening your chronic pain. In a previous blog post, we shared some exercises for people struggling with chronic pain that are lower-impact including yoga, walking, swimming and biking. The best exercise program is the one that you will stick to, so try out different exercises, different environments, or different times of the day to find out what works best for you.
Most importantly, take the time to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. Quality time is precious and we hope you have a joyful season with friends and family. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year to take care of all your pain management needs!
If you have back pain, joint pain, neck pain, or any other type of pain, give us a call or you can request a consultation and we’ll discuss your options.