Health Tips To Help Las Vegans Avoid Injuries During Spring Cleaning

So, we’re back on Daylight Savings Time. Spring is just around the corner in the U.S.A. Here in Las Vegas, the pleasant temperatures of spring encourage us to get outdoors. The nicer weather also means it’s time to get your home cleaned up after the colder winter months. Inside and outside. With that in mind, the experts at the Scoliosis Reduction Center are providing spring cleaning health tips to help you avoid injuries.

My wife and I always make this mistake. We tend to try to get all of the spring cleaning done in one weekend. Of course, by Monday, we’re worn out and it’s time to go back to work. Their first recommendation is to create a spring cleaning schedule.

In fact, you should spread the different cleaning tasks on your lists over several days or weekends, depending on your regular work schedule. Furthermore, they advise you to alternate between tasks that require different postures and movements. This will help you avoid back injuries. For example, if one cleaning task means you’ll be doing some heavy lifting, make the next task in your schedule one where you’ll be standing straight up.

First, it’s a good idea to make sure you keep up your regular exercise routine throughout the year. Especially if you’re about to begin all the difficult work around your home. The Scoliosis Reduction Center recommends focusing on “core-strengthening exercises.” As a matter of fact, these types of routines will help improve your strength and flexibility. Remember, you’ll be doing lots of bending, stretching, and lifting when spring cleaning.

Back pain is the absolute worst. When your back hurts, you’re pretty much bed ridden. So, to avoid back injuries, be sure you lift things correctly. Always keep your back straight and lift with your legs.

They also recommend keeping an eye on your posture while vacuuming and performing other cleaning tasks where you’re standing upright. In fact, keep the vacuum, broom, or wet mop close to your body, using your legs to move it around rather than your arms.

Moreover, it’s just common sense to use the correct tools. Lightweight vacuums are a great investment. So are mops and brooms with longer handles. You’ll want to avoid hunching over to perform these spring cleaning tasks.

Finally, be sure to take breaks. Whether you consider yourself in great physical condition or not, you need to give your muscles and joints a rest. You don’t want to overstrain them. Additionally, keep that water bottle nearby at all times. It may not be a sweltering summer in Las Vegas yet, but you’ll want to stay hydrated. Your body will function better when you’re drinking enough water.

Nobody likes dealing with severe weather. But, it's part of life. Depending on where you live in the United States, you might come up against hurricanes, tornados, severe thunderstorms, blizzards and more. I've certainly had my fair share of severe weather events. Probably my most vivid memory was being in an ice storm, which knocked power out for about a week where I lived, including during Christmas. It was freezing cold, so my family and I had to go to a hotel that was out of town. Needless to say, our Christmas plans were totally different that year. So, what are some severe weather safety tips that may safe your life?

Before we get to the main tips, let's get through some basics. Stay informed when a severe weather event is approaching. It's simple but important. You don't want to be caught off guard when bad weather strikes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service both have information that they provide leading up to and during a severe weather event. So, make sure to get the latest information in the case of any weather emergency. Local meteorologists also have good information, but the main alerts come from the National Weather Service.

Another mistake some people make is not taking "watches" seriously. For example, you might see that there's a severe thunderstorm watch in your area and think, oh, it's just a watch, I can go out for a walk. Don't do it. "A watch is used when the risk of a hazardous weather or hydrologic event has increased significantly, but its occurrence, location or timing is still uncertain," the National Weather Service explains. We'll get more into the specifics of a watch, warning and advisory later in this story.

Let's get into some severe weather safety tips that may safe your life.

A weather advisory, watch and warning all need to be taken seriously. So, what do they mean? According to the National Weather Service, "a warning is issued when a hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, imminent or likely." A watch is where "the risk of a hazardous weather or hydrologic event has increased significantly, but its occurrence, location or timing is still uncertain." Finally, an advisory means, "hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, imminent or likely."

During a severe thunderstorm, and any severe weather event, the best thing to do is stay inside and sheltered. "The best defense against thunderstorms is to stay inside a sturdy building or shelter that can protect you from deadly lightning, large hail, damaging winds, flooding rain and tornadoes," the National Weather Service says. Also, you don't want to risk getting hit by lightning, like in the image below.

During a tornado, get underground if possible. If you don't have a basement, get to the lowest floor possible. Also, during a tornado, watch for flying and falling debris. The National Weather Service advises to "use pillows, blankets, coats, helmets, etc. to cover up and protect your head and body from flying debris."

Be prepared. Have a good emergency kit, both in your house and your car. For the car, "An emergency kit should include booster cables, shovel, tow rope, sand or cat litter, and a flashlight with extra batteries," the National Weather Service says. "Do not forget a first aid kit, non-perishable food, and blankets or sleeping bags."

This one my mom and dad always tell me to do. And, they're right. "Keep your gas tank near full to avoid ice in the tank and fuel line," the National Weather Service advises.

Heat can make for a severe weather event, too. So, dress appropriately when it gets really hot. "Lightweight, light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your body maintain normal temperatures," the National Weather Service says. They add to guzzle lots of "water or non-alcoholic fluids."

Sometimes, you just have to leave ahead of the storm to be safe. In the case of a hurricane, the National Weather Service says to "leave immediately if ordered." They also say that if you are allowed to stay, to "take refuge in a small interior room, closet or hallway on the lowest level during the storm. Put as many walls between you and the outside as you can," and "stay away from windows, skylights and glass doors."

Weather isn't just about thunderstorms and tornados. Air quality is a big part of weather events these days, too. Be on the lookout for air quality alerts in your area. If you have respiratory issues, you should wear a mask when out and about in bad air quality. You should also say inside if the air quality is especially bad.

Even on a perfect weather day, if you're at the beach, there are risks. The NOAA states, "To stay safe, you need to stay aware of the weather, the ocean, tide, and what is going on around you." They add, "Storms, such as thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes far out at sea can create dangerous waves and currents at the beach, even on a sunny day!"

Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.