Doctors Urge Light Walks, Posture Breaks During Chuseok Holiday

Holiday meals during the Chuseok break can push blood sugar higher, while long hours spent hunched over a smartphone often bring on neck and shoulder pain.

Holiday dishes can sharply raise intake of carbohydrates, fat and sodium depending on the type of food and how it is prepared, medical experts said on the 27th, making portion control important. Light activity after eating helps keep blood sugar in check.

"Diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar stays chronically high because the body does not produce enough insulin or insulin does not work properly," said Lee Sang-yeoul, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism at Kyung Hee University Hospital. "Even during the holiday, it is better to eat at regular times and avoid eating large amounts of carbohydrate-heavy foods such as rice or rice cakes all at once."

Because managing diabetes depends on controlling both total food intake and carbohydrate consumption, patients should balance their meals with protein sources such as lean meat, fish and tofu, and take a light 10-minute walk after eating if their condition allows.

"Feeling sleepy after a meal alone is not enough to diagnose a blood sugar problem, but severe thirst, frequent urination or repeated bouts of extreme fatigue call for a blood sugar test and a medical consultation," Lee said. "If someone being treated for diabetes has symptoms suggesting low blood sugar, such as cold sweats, trembling or dizziness, they should check their blood sugar and address it first rather than exercise."

Moving around lightly and often also matters. Lying at an angle on a sofa or bed, or propping up on the stomach to look at a phone, tenses the neck and shoulder muscles and can easily cause or worsen pain. Dropping the head forward or tilting it to one side also puts heavy strain on the cervical spine.

"To prevent neck and shoulder pain, the key is not to hold the same position for long," said Yoo Myung-chul, a professor of rehabilitation medicine at Kyung Hee University Hospital. "Even a comfortable position can build up strain on certain muscles and joints if held too long, so it is better to change posture every 30 minutes and move around lightly, even briefly."

When using a smartphone, raising the screen closer to eye level, keeping the back against a chair and placing a cushion under the elbows can reduce the load on the neck and shoulders. Anyone who develops tingling, numbness or weakness in the arms or hands along with pain while stretching, or whose symptoms keep worsening, should see a doctor.