Caking and Your Health - Page 3

Yep .... with you on this one, too. I had foot surgery a few years ago and now I have trouble buying shoes because I have to allow for space for my inserts that I paid $342 for. But I have (had) jobs where I have to stand for 4 to 8 hours straight (hotel; retail sales; not counting my cake/catering;etc) and I can do it. I still wear, as you say, ugly-a$$ shoes, but it's sure better than feeling like I'm standing on a bed of nails! (Since my foot surgery, I can't even go bare footed ... I have to wear at least a sock. Makes going to the pool an adventure!)

Wow, do I feel like a wimp! When something got tired or started to hurt, I changed positions. I always wore nursing shoes and thick hiking socks. I also did the hair pulled back and since mine is on the long side, rubber bands down the length of my pony tail. No makeup and short fingernails. Baking was the only time I'd wear a snug T-shirt so it didn't get caught on anything. Kept DH handy when it was time to move a heavy cake. But I wouldn't let him load the cake to deliver, because if anything happened I wanted it to be on me, not him. I had a wheeled cart to roll cakes into a venue.

The only problem I had was my hip. When I was expecting my 2nd little darling, I stepped up into a truck and it popped really loud - - had trouble with it ever since. Doctors couldn't find anything wrong . . . yet. Can't wait to see what develops there.

Another "me, too!" I'm developing hip arthritis. Medication keeps it in check but I can still feel it some mornings. (The inserts in my shoes, mentioned above, really helped out with this, too. Whodda thought?) With all of this going on, you cannot imagine how often I feel a sense of relief about "omg, I am SO glad I dont' have to deal with catering schedules feeling like this!"

No one told me THIS part of getting old! LOL!

I've have never felt so old and out of shape as I have since my full bakery opened 9 months ago. I have arthritis in my hands so piping hurts, my elbows are killing me from portioning cupcakes (not helped by running a Groupon), hips won't move after standing all day, wake up feeling stiff and sore all over.....

So, I have really good shoes and inserts, I try to sit whenever possible, I have cushion pads on the floor, and for rolling out fondant, stand on stool and lean over the fondant using your body weight to help - it really works. As for making cupcakes, I try to get someone else to do it. I'm going to start stretching every night and morning to help tired muscles, I need to lift weights to build up strength and get on the treadmill just to help with overall health. Oh yeah, I can do that when I get home at 12:30 at night.

What doesn't kill me will make me stronger.

The thought of quitting cakes has been passing my mind more often recently, and it increases every time I get another headache.

My scariest health risk of caking is related to the dangers of obesity or even just being overweight. My first career was as an internal medicine doctor and I have worked specifically in the specialty of endocrinology and in an obesity laboratory. I've seen first-hand the numerous medical complications of being overweight and read the studies citing obesity as a cause for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, certain cancers and other, common diseases. (Heart disease is still the number one killer of adults, btw.)

So what do we do with all this delicious cake lying around? Yikes!

xo,
-j

Great info and solutions here. I wear crocs..ugly crocs. My business partner has told me many times to stop delivering cakes in them but they are the only shoes that work for standing up and moving around for hours. I also go to the gym 5 times a week and lift a lot of weights to help me lug in 10kg bags on flour and icing sugar.The cardio and weight lifting really helped to strengthen my core and back but I take a lot of short breaks in between work still. Making fondant from scratch then rolling it out is back-breaking every time esp for 3 tier cakes. Just wish I could pop open a bucket of fondant every time and swish a wand and it's on the cake.

I'm just a hobbyist, so I don't have as many hours on my feet as most of you. However, I love my ugly Crocs or Orthaheel flip flops, and my compression hose are a must. What with those lovely fashion accessories and my pink hairnet, I must look a sight!

Shoes. Finding the right pair is just a nightmare, but once you do you are glad you took the time to do the search. And good inserts etc. etc.

I now wear work boots and they kick a$$ over running shoes. They are slip resistant, so no more quick skids with buttercream and shortening on the floor!!! They have great ankle support and after 8+ hours on my feet my feet are NOT swollen and throbbing.

A good standing mat on top of good shoes. Also placing the cakes on a lower surface or boosting them up on a counter depending on how you are decorating them. If I have a sheet cake that I'm "painting a picture" on I like to place it on an angle.

Also, rolling cookie dough or fondant on an angle helps the back as well!! I saw a photo of the hand rolled, paper thin Moravian wafer cookies many years ago and all the women who were rolling the dough (for hours a day) were rolling on a steep angled board. It makes sense!!

I take a different route with tendonitis and pinched nerves and carpal tunnel. I use my herb garden to my advantage. I use St. John's Wort infused oil on anything nerve related, comfrey and calendula on anything muscular. I use comfrey with epsom salts for my feet with burdock leaves in the summer, infused oils in the winter. I sleep with a wrist brace to keep "rolling over on my wrist" injuries to a minimum and I also do wrist exercises. If you google search you can bring up several exercises that you do on the side of a desk to stretch and strengthen your wrists.

As for the "crazy stress", I use lavender candles that I make for myself and lemongrass. I drink tea with added tinctures, also made by myself and I find time everyday to meditate. 15-30 minutes to wash away the stress.

I'm just a hobbyist caker, so I feel like such a weakling reading through here, but I find that the main thing for me is remembering to drink and eat! I get in the headspace and forget to look after myself.

I love u all. I know what I am supposed to do but I procrastinate. I have 2h interval reminder that reads, 'water. run' to remind me to drink some water and go five floors down using steps and back. Do I do it? No. If at my day job I will be busy checking latest on cake stuff, CC, feeds, fb etc. At home I take more than I should and cant even afford time to stretch.
I hope this post will make me come to my senses and help me do the right thing. I have been down the past week feeling dizzy. Wonder wat caused this.

We raised our cabinets by putting 3 inch platforms underneath (had to raise oven/stove too!).
It has made all the difference! I made a cake at my sisters recently and had so many of the
aforementioned issues, and It was all caused by her counters being of standard height.
I've had chronic neck pain from an accident at work for 11-1/2 years, and just can't function
well in a standard kitchen. It's a relatively inexpensive DIY project for hubby. I also have the mats, but they are the inexpensive ones, and they work fine for me. I also wear crocs (where have they been all my life!! LOL!)

I have an overuse injury in a muscle near my shoulder blade that can be excruciating. I go to a chiropractor and the gym to undo what I do to my body baking.