Welcome summer! Heat, humidity, and thunderstorms are here! It’s a great time to be a gardener in Wisconsin, and to enjoy most anything else outdoors (except for maybe camping) with all of this wet weather. You know what they say in Wisconsin, if you don’t like the weather, stick around for 5 minutes and it will change.
Speaking of changing weather, did you know that each of these weather changes influences your body? Those of you with arthritic joints or recent surgeries know this fact first hand. Read more about how your body feels weather changes in the month’s newsletter. This month we are also re-introducing our most popular newsletter series by far, the Build a Better Body Series. Nothing is more inspiring than bright, beautiful blue skies to get out there and get active! Read the intro to our series this month, as well as the first article on strengthening your hips- it’s a great place to start.
Finally, there sure was so much going on at the end of the school year. Our family is exhausted. How about yours? How can you take a read of how your spouse and kids are doing? Are we too busy? Too over-burdened with activities outside of the home? What about household chores, yardwork, gardening, and backyard projects? And then there are the parties and social commitments that tend to arrive all at the same time exactly this time of year.
One sure way to know how each family member is coping is to check the attitude barometer. Are fuses short? Voices being raised way too quickly? Kids and adults getting sick in the middle of summer? Preschoolers quick to strike out in anger and toddlers sprawled out on the floor with more temper tantrums than ever? Perhaps it’s time for some extra naps, early bedtimes, unscheduled time that is unrushed, and timeouts in nature to simply relax for all. It’s easy to get caught up enjoying all the late sunlight and packing our days full of summertime activities, but we are running ourselves ragged. This month and all summer long, don’t forget to just hang out, relax, and breathe. Maybe cut back the schedule a little bit so every minute of your day is not jam-packed full of commitments. Plan for several activities spread throughout the week for the kids, instead of one or two scheduled each day. Better yet, hang out on the back porch swing or lay out like a teenager (gasp!) listening to your favorite tunes! You never know what fun spontaneity and time away from it all can bring, and how refreshed and re-invigorated your life can become!
Enjoying a lazy summertime afternoon,
Jill
Jill Murphy
Owner/Physical Therapist
MotionWorks Physical Therapy