One of the most common heath issues parents, as well as kids, experience are sore muscles and body aches.

They can be caused by many reasons including overexertion, too much exercise, or major and minor injuries. 

In a recent IGTV post, Singapore socialite Jamie Chua shared her own experiences with body pain and the daily activities that lead to these aches. 

“We all have aches and pains either from our lifestyle habits or from over exertion of our muscles and joints. Dealing with it the right way by seeking help early shortens that tormenting journey,” the successful entrepreneur wrote in her post. 

As part of the first episode of her JC Health Secrets video series, Chua names the four main things she does in her regular life that cause aches and pains in her body. 

1. Tossing and turning at night

Being unable to sleep at night can result in restlessness. This in turn leads you to toss and turn around your bed just to find the right position that will finally get you to doze off. 

For Jamie, a sleepless night like this causes her to wake up “feeling really fatigued” with body aches.  

2. Carrying around heavy objects

Even though Jamie’s love for gardening is therapeutic for her, carrying heavy things such as long planters causes her extreme exhaustion at times. 

3. Sitting in the same position for too long 

With work forcing us to be glued to our computers all day long, experiencing aches from a sedentary lifestyle is common. It’s the same for Chua. She mentioned that sitting in front of her computer all day also also causes pain in her body. 

4. Wearing high-heeled shoes 

Being one of Singapore’s socialites, it’s no surprise that Chua is always well-dressed and seen in a high pair of stilettos. With her collection of over 300 pairs of shoes, it’s safe to say that she enjoys wearing them on every occasion. But this has led to her experiencing body aches on the daily.

“I love looking fabulous and feeling glamorous whenever I put on a pair of high heel shoes, especially if they are pretty stilettos. But excessive wearing of this kind of shoes causes so much problems with my back and worse, bunions on my feet,” says Jamie. 

While she did show how she visits her doctor to relieve herself of these pains, you can do so at the comfort of your home. 

Home remedies for body aches

An effective way to deal with it at home is using the RICE method. Alternatively, you could also try a few of these tips:

1. Let the affected area rest for a moderate amount of time. It’s important that your body gets the proper rest it needs and avoid continuing the activity that could be one of the causes. 

2. Use an ice pack to relieve some pain and swelling. Apply a cold ice pack or anything frozen three times a day for 15 to 20 minutes to the sore area.

3. You can also apply a compression bandage to the aching area. Wrapping the affected area with a bandage can help minimise swelling. Just make sure it’s not too tight.

4. Carefully stretch out the affected muscles. Elevating the body part with the most pain can also reduce pain, throbbing and swelling. 

5. Yoga and meditation can also help in reducing stress. Relaxation is important, especially since feeling too stressed  or burnt out will only worsen your condition. 

6. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers may also help. A doctor may recommend some anti-inflammatory medications to treat the pain. But instead of taking any OTC medication, consult your doctor, just as Chua did, and get a proper diagnosis..  

If you find that the aches in your bodies are starting to get severe or are still not going away from such remedies, needless to say, it is best to seek help from a healthcare professional. 

This article was first published in theAsianparent.