Campus Commons PT - December 2019

THE JOY OF A GINGERBREAD HOUSE EVERYTHING YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THIS HOLIDAY TRADITION

THE ORIGINS OF GINGERBREAD Ginger was first cultivated in ancient China, then traded into medieval Europe. There, Europeans incorporated it into culinary traditions and used it to bake cookies into elaborate shapes and works of art, including figures of animals and people. The gingerbread house first appeared in the early 19th century in Germany. Although historians don’t know an exact date, it’s speculated that it gained popularity around the same time that “Hansel and Gretel,” the popular fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm, was published. THE LARGEST GINGERBREAD HOUSE In 2013, the world record for the largest gingerbread house in the world was broken. The house, topping out at 21 feet and covering 2,520 square feet, was built by Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas, to raise money for a

Of the many seasonal traditions that sweep our nation, few are as creative, delicious, and satisfying as building your very own gingerbread house. Whether you’re looking to create a simple table decoration or bake a tasty treat to nibble on, everyone can enjoy this holiday activity!

local Level II trauma center. To construct the house, builders created a recipe that required 1,800 pounds of butter, 2,925 pounds of brown sugar, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds of flour, 1,080 ounces of ground ginger, and a few additional ingredients. BUILD YOUR OWN! While you don’t have to challenge yourself to beat the Guinness World Record, you can still have fun creating your very own gingerbread village. Starting your gingerbread house from scratch can be a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy. Give the kids a chance to mix the ingredients, roll out the dough, and set out plenty of candies and frostings to use, and remember to have fun! If you’re looking for unique gingerbread house ideas, take a look at 20 gingerbread house ideas at TasteofHome.com/collection/ gingerbread-houses.

WHAT KIND OF PHYSICAL THERAPYWOULD SANTA NEED? KRIS KRINGLE IN THE CLINIC

When you really think about it, Santa Claus might have one of the most physically demanding jobs on the planet. He has to fly to every house in the world, all while sliding down chimneys and putting presents under trees. If Jolly Old St. Nick doesn’t do some warmups and conditioning to start off Christmas Eve, he might need some physical therapy to get him back in toy-delivering shape for next year. ON DASHER, ON DANCER ... For starters, Santa might need some time to get his rotator cuffs rehabilitated after driving his reindeer all night. The motion of pulling the reins up and down might be something akin to using battle ropes at the gym, especially for how long Santa stays in the driver’s seat. He may be sitting down, but even when he’s not traipsing across rooftops or sliding down chimneys, Kris Kringle is still getting a workout. COMIN’ DOWN THE CHIMNEY ... Sliding down chimneys is a whole workout in and of itself. If we assume there aren’t many handholds or footholds, Santa probably has to put his back against one wall, put his legs on the opposite wall, and slowly walk down. This motion probably really works the core, calves, and thighs

after one chimney, but after every

chimney in the world? Santa’s definitely risking tearing a muscle.

ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Let’s hope years of delivering presents have taught Santa to lift with his legs. In every child’s house, Ol’ St. Nick is going to have to bend down, take toys out of his sack, and place them under the tree. That’s a lot of bending over, which means Santa risks bringing on some serious lower back pain. If he wants to get rid of that, he could really benefit from attending Campus Commons’ Back Pain and Sciatica Workshop. In all seriousness, if you feel some pain when you’re decorating your house, hanging up Christmas lights, or even just out shopping, stop pushing yourself and get some rest. And, if the pain persists, visit our clinic or give us a call at 916-927-1333. Merry Christmas!

www.campuscommonsphysicaltherapy.com 2

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