From a technical perspective, the Winter Solstice is the moment when half of the Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun (in the United States, we are above the Equator and included in that half). During this time, less sunlight reaches the Earth, so it is the day of the year with the least amount of daylight or daytime and is called "the shortest day of the year." It happens at the exact same second around the world! What happens after this, however, is that every day after the winter solstice is a little longer, until we reach the moment with the most hours of daylight called the Summer Solstice.
There are numerous cultural and festival celebrations of Winter Solstice around the globe, but I recently heard it described this way:
"Some people see the Winter Solstice as a difficult day. It is the shortest day of the year with the most darkness, but it is also the best for night sky viewing, and every day after will bring a little more light. This day can be seen as a moment of hope."
- Christmas Under the Stars (yes, it's a Hallmark movie)
I don't know who has had a rough holiday season. Sometimes we go into the holidays and new year with a certain amount of expectation of what we should be doing or experiencing. And how it won't be the same if we don't have all of our decorations up, or all of the cookies made, or the perfect present for each person. (Or cards out in time, pre-Holiday! Did I mention I gave up on that years ago? Cards out for the New Year is just as good!).
But your message for this holiday season (and of course for doing exercise and mobility because this is a Physical Therapy newsletter!) is "Save One."
What does that mean exactly? Well, nerd-style, I'm going to explain it to you. In the Justice League movie (no, I'm not going to debate whether the Snyder cut version was better or not), The Flash has never fought anyone before and he is scared before his first battle. Batman tells him to "just save one. And then you'll know what to do." So, he does. He saves the first person. And then another, and another. And suddenly he is able to help his teammates out in the battle because it becomes instinctual.
As you approach the holidays or life, when things can seem dark like the Solstice, or intimidating because you have so much to do, you "just save one." Take one task at a time. Appreciate what you have accomplished, and you'll know what to do. Even if it is just that one item.
So, below is your monthly video. In it, I am including 2-3 options for core, legs, and arm general mobility and strengthening. You can do the whole thing, or just choose one to do a day. "Save one."
Obviously what comes with the video is the general disclaimer that if you have not received an examination or clearance by myself or your PT, physician, etc., you are performing these exercises at your own risk. So, use caution, perform daily, but only if not painful, no contraindications, etc.
