Slip, Slide and Away!

We have been experiencing a bunch of icy conditions these last few days.

Ice can make getting around dangerous both on foot and in car.

Those of you that have braved the elements and gone out into this weather may have noticed your legs and feet are sore. This is from tensing and utilising muscles differently when walking on ice. On of the nicest things you can do for yourself on these slippery days is stretch your legs at the beginning of the day and the end. A hot bath with epsom salts would not be amiss either. We tend to take smaller steps and use the whole of the foot instead of walking heel/toe. There is nothing wrong with this but it does make the body a bit grumpy.

Shoes that are designed to have traction in ice are a plus. One of the worst types of shoe you can wear in ice, are hiking boots. The reason for this is they are designed to prevent slipping in muddy conditions and have thick chunky traction that gives you no purchase on ice. They also don’t have flexible soles so it is hard for your foot to "feel" the surface it is walking on and you end up on your bum, or pulling your calf muscle. For powdery, non-compacted snow you can bring out the hiking boots, but resist putting them on in icy conditions.

Be careful, bundle up and stay safe in these slippery conditions.