Moving homes or offices is often considered one of the most stressful life events. Careful physical preparation can make your move smooth and injury-free.
Moving day inevitably means carrying heavy boxes and furniture up and down stairs. With preparation, you can avoid spraining muscles or even serious back injuries.
This article shares comprehensive tips to physically prepare for a move, based on sports medicine evidence and my experience using a moving company in Toronto, Canada.
Start Exercising Months in Advance
- I once threw my back out three days before moving carrying a heavy box. I could barely lift a spoon after, let alone heavy furniture! Starting a training regimen 6-12 weeks pre-move progressively builds strength, endurance, and stamina.
- Focus on core, leg, grip, shoulder, and back exercises like planks, squats, wrist curls, and rows. Moving involves carrying unbalanced loads which engages these muscle groups. I used resistance bands, weights, and bodyweight circuits to conveniently work at home.
- Aim for 30-60 minutes of cardiovascular and resistance training 4 times per week. You’ll be constantly lifting, bending, box-hauling and stair-climbing for hours on a moving day, so thoroughly prep your muscles. I focused on “move-mimicking” multi-joint motions to maximize relevance.
Perfect Your Lifting Technique
- Lifting properly is just as important as building strength. Use your legs for big lifts by hinging at the hips and keeping your back straight.
- Hold boxes close to your core when carrying to reduce back strain. I packed moving belts to ease the burden.
- Learn to safely perform deadlifts and farmer’s carries which mimic moving motions. I took online form lessons to prevent injury.
Eat Well and Hydrate For Energy
- Filling up on inflammatory foods often leads to hitting the wall halfway through moving day. Nutrient-dense whole foods with lean protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, and antioxidants provide long-lasting energy.
- Stay extra hydrated in the weeks before and day of moving. I packed electrolyte-infused water and coconut water to replenish while packing and hauling. Dehydration precipitates fatigue and strains muscles.
- Caffeine provides quick energy but causes crashes if over-consumed. I limited myself to one small cold brew the morning of moving for a sustained buzz.
Get Plenty of Quality Sleep
- My last big move took nearly 12 hours spread over 2 days. Without 7-9 hours of solid sleep the nights before, I would have burned out halfway through. Establish an earlier bedtime routine in the weeks prior.
- Sleep is vital for allowing taxed muscles adequate rest and adaptive recovery between workouts too.
- Ask friends and family to assist with childcare, pet care, and chores leading up to move day. My parents watched my kids and dog so I was well-rested.
With diligent preparation across training, nutrition, rest, and recovery, I successfully moved my family despite having two young kids and three pets.
Staying injury-free meant keeping our most cherished items safe. Let me know what preparations worked for your smooth move!
