This week has been a wet one here in the Pioneer Valley, but it has not stopped the coming of all the amazing summer time, farm fresh offerings. Radishes, spinach, salad greens, sweet peas and the always delightful, fast-vanishing strawberries. It was the strawberries that got me out of bed with the rising of the sun to spend a few rainy hours out in the fields of Delta Farm. It reminded me of my start in farming, waking at 6 am and getting paid $1.50 per-pint of picked strawberries. As the summer rolls in, rainy or hot, waking up early and pulling long hours before share pickup days or farmers markets is the way of the season for all you farmers out there. With that in mind I want to talk about 3 great things to do in the morning to help get your day off to a body-mindful start.
The first is drinking a big glass of water. I know that most of us go right to the coffee, myself included, but hear me out. Drinking enough water is one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to help your body stay strong and pain free through out your work day. In the morning most of us are dehydrated and need to get water into our system even before food (or caffeine). In fact %75 of Americans are chronically dehydrated all the time. By drinking water first thing it can help you set up a routine of hydrating for the day. Staying hydrated has also been proven to decrease joint pain and muscle fatigue. So, before you go for the Joe fill your "#1 Farmer" or "Worlds Greatest Weeder" mug with some water and try to keep hydrating all day.
The next thing you can do to get your body primed for a efficient and healthy workday is to get the blood flowing and maybe even break a sweat. I used to work for a farmer who would go for a jog at 5 am before bringing the cows in. I would tease him and say he was a glutton for punishment, or that one day he would just keep running and never come back but it turns out he had the right idea. Doing a warming type of exercise that gets your heart rate up will not only shake off the sleepy fog but it helps to get fresh blood to all your muscles. This will help them to loosen and relieve stiffness by warming up the fibers so that they are more pliable and able to fire correctly. Fresh blood flow will also get more oxygen to your muscles and your brain. Studies have shown that the extra oxygen boost to the brain as a result of just 10 minutes of exercise in the morning can increase your alertness and overall energy level for up to 10 hours! An hour of being on your game in the morning is worth the minute of jumping jacks. I have followed in my farmer friends foot steps and go for a light jog but, push ups, jumping jacks or lunges would do the trick.
Lastly, the stretches! In comparison to the idea of drinking water before coffee and jogging before chores these streaches will seem paltry. But, doing this simple set will help to flush out the waste in your muscles and lessen stiffness from the previous day or from sleeping in a funny position. Fist do a simple reaching up and forward bend to help extend your spine and release your lower back. Interlace your fingers and turn your palms out, bring your arms up over your head. Pretend your are being pulled up to the ceiling by your palms and stretch all the way from your hips to your hands. Bring your arms down to your sides and and roll down into a comfortable forward bend. Make sure to tuck your chin in and keep your feet flat on the ground. Once you are back up do some head rolls to loosen up your shoulders and neck, the muscles that become the stiffest from sleep. I do ten to each side letting my head really drop in the places the stretch feels best. And last but not least, a quick quad stretch. The quads, the muscles on the front of your thigh, are the most over used muscles and can cause all sorts of residual pain in the hips, back and knees. So, loosening them up can do wonders for the rest of your body. Stand facing a wall and place your left hand on it for balance. Lift your right foot up toward your butt and catch it behind your with your right hand. Hold for 30 seconds and the switch sides.
Hydrate, warm up and stretch! I hope these things help your morning lead to a more effective, pain free day of weeding, harvesting or dodging rain drops. Good Morning!
