Blog - What is your 2020 Vision?

Do you have a plan? Have you thought about your New Year's resolution? 

What about learning new skills, or developing those you have?   

Maybe growing your business is your main aim for this 2020?

Or something a little less strenuous like looking after your own health? 

Or exploring a little more and enjoying some of the beautiful walks we have here in NI with your beloved dog?
 

In our next series of blogs, we are going to gently point you in the right direction if any of the above are what you are hoping to achieve.  

Up first is, in our eyes, the most important.  Looking after your health.

As a groomer you spend a large percentage of your time on your feet, negotiating your way around dogs of all shapes and sizes and of course of varying natures - many easier than others - but equally they all put strain on your body.

There are many things you can consider which will make life at work a lot more comfortable for you, and keep you grooming for many years to come!
 

Pull up a pew

It’s almost second nature to be on our feet, to move more freely around the dog you are grooming, but giving your tired legs and hips a break will make the process more enjoyable for you.  Alleviating some of the dull pain you are experiencing, it will enable you to concentrate on the groom. 

With a growing range of groomers, stools to choose from you will be able to find the one that suits you best.  But here at Christies Direct, we love the Saddle Stool, for a few reasons:

• Back pain relief
• Improved muscle strength
• Improved posture
• Prevention of joint, ligament, muscle, nerve, and tendon pain throughout your body.

This stool takes the pressure off your lower back and helps you sit in a much better position.
 

Under Pressure   

Standing for long periods of time especially when grooming is very common, and it can cause foot and lower limb pains, including general discomfort, tiredness, and sore feet, legs, knees or hips after long hours of standing.

Anti-fatigue mats are considered one of the quickest and most affordable ways to enhance safety and reduce damage in the workplace.  They have numerous benefits:

• Encourage good posture
• Reduce stress on joints and muscles
• Allow blood to flow reducing circulatory problems
• Prevention of joint stiffness by making minor changes to your standing position  

Find out more about anti-fatigue mats from Amber over on our YouTube channel.

Best Foot Forward 

Wearing ill-prepared and poorly designed footwear can have negative effects on your tender toes and hard-pressed arches, so the importance of wearing suitable footwear when you are on your feet all day should never be overlooked.  

With a bright and colourful pattern, the Toffeln Clogs have been designed for use when dog grooming, helping to protect feet, providing the correct support and all-day comfort, as well as being anti-static which will reduce stress on the body.

Other benefits include:

• The specially designed fit enables your feet to spread naturally.
• Soft leather insoles relieve tired feet.
• Anti-static soles
• Easy-to-Clean leather uppers have a special polyurethane coating that resists fluid penetration

A Cut Above the Rest 

Scissoring.  There’s no getting away from it. As a groomer a vast amount of time is spent with scissors in your hand, carrying out very detailed, time-consuming work not to mention the brushing and hand stripping!

So it’s important to make life as easy as possible, by putting as little strain on the hand as possible, and the type of scissors used plays a big part in this.

Wrists are susceptible to conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Repetitive Strain Injury, which can both cause a great deal of pain and at times result in surgery to rectify.  To reduce the likelihood of hand and wrist pain developing practice good habits from the beginning. 

The most important thing is finding the best scissors for your needs, and a style that fits nicely in your hand.

The swivel handle is great because no matter which direction you are cutting in, your thumb is in the correct position. It has a free, less restrictive feel and is in contrast to a more controlled feeling of the stationary thumb hole. 

It may take a few cuts to get used to the feel of a swivel design but as you become more comfortable with it, you will notice that your hand and wrist will have less pain and more comfort throughout the day.

Other options include:

• Opposing (Classic)
• Offset
• Crane (Very Offset)
   

Lend a Hand

With never-ending washing and drying your hands will suffer, and that’s where the Advanced Groomer Care Enriched Hand Therapy comes in! If you do yourself one favour this winter, make sure it’s getting a bottle of this cream!

It's an easily absorbed hand cream that highly moisturises extremely dry and chapped skin and was specially developed to combat the skin drying effects of shampoo, bathing, cold/hot air and other activities that aggravate the skin. 

This hand cream is a savour! It contains Marula Oil, Argan Oil and Sweet Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter to provide the ultimate, rich hand cream to help restore the skin. 

Back to Basics

Back pain is one thing the majority of us will suffer at some point in our lifetime, depending on our lifestyles, jobs, and health the severity and likelihood of reoccurrence will vary.  

As groomers, lifting, twisting, standing and bending with the added weight of a dog will put a lot of strain on the back, weakening it over time.

While a lot of the products available now take groomer health into consideration, with hydraulic and electric operated tables and baths available, eliminating the heavy lifting general wear and tear can still occur and you may find yourself needing some extra support.

Back pain is a general term for complaints including disc disorders, trapped nerves, scoliosis, and arthritis and there are many options available to give you support. Make sure you do your research and get the best option to meet your needs.  

The Vertibax range offers comfortable and lightweight support with groomers needs in mind - check it out here.

With small, simple changes you can make a real difference to your workplace health and give yourself a positive vision for 2020.