Moving can be tough on everyone in the family: emotional, physical, and mental labor are required to do it right. While no move is ever easy, you can make it easier on everyone by taking the necessary precautions to stay safe. Getting hurt while moving can make the entire process a million times more difficult.

In order to move without huge amounts of stress, be sure to know your limits and be prepared; doing both of these things will help you to stay safe while you are on the move. Below are a few easy things you can do to stay injury-free while you and your family are in transition.

Don’t Carry Too Much

Making two trips instead of one is always frustrating. When you are moving, you want the process to be as quick and painless as possible, even if it is just across town. However, sacrificing your health in order to save a few minutes is more of a sacrifice than you think. If you pull a muscle in your back, consider yourself absent from the moving process.

When you are packing up all of your things, make sure that you don’t make your boxes too heavy. A good maximum is 50 pounds, although you can alter that slightly depending upon how much you feel comfortable carrying. If you are not sure about how much you can carry, try this general rule: if you can lift the box without straining or growing unsteady on your feet, then you are fine. If you cannot lift the box without this happening, then you need to shift some things around so it is not so heavy.

You will also want to keep in mind the layouts of both your current and new homes. While carrying a box full of kitchen items out of your house might not be so difficult, it is probably much harder to carry it up the stairs to your upper level kitchen in your new home.

Remember: never, ever bend down to pick up a box, even if it is not very heavy. This is a surefire way to pull something in your back. Instead, bend your knees and lift with your whole body.

If you have to carry something that is particularly heavy, make sure that you have enough people to help you get it out of your old house and into your new one without any strain. It might be a good idea to practice lifting it before the actual move.

Use Correct Equipment

Even if you are making the move on your own, you can still move like the pros. Places like U-Haul and Budget will rent dollies and other moving materials to help make the process easier. Dollies are very useful in preventing pulled muscles and other injuries because they allow you to transport heavier items without strain to your back.

Watch for Hazards

You don’t have time to kick the garden hose out of the way when you are carrying a huge box out to the moving truck. In fact, you most likely won’t even be able to see what is at your feet. For this reason, you need to map out all of the potential hazards from the house to the moving truck.

Be sure to watch out for cracks in the pavement that you may overlook on a normal day. Tripping over a crack in the ground while carrying a big box will most likely cause a huge headache. If you cannot see below your feet, have someone guide you down the stairs.

If it is raining or there is a possibility that your floor might become slick during the move, put down a rug or a traction mat so you don’t have any nasty spills. Try to park the moving truck or cars as close as possible to the house so that you don’t have to walk as far. The closer you are, the less chances you have to injure yourself.

You will also want to pick out an outfit that won’t get in the way on moving day. Choose fitting clothes that won’t get stuck in between boxes or on doorknobs.

Plan to be Surprised

As much as you plan and look out for dangerous situations, something will probably go wrong. That’s just the nature of things. Keep the first aid kit handy!

Guest blogger Josh Flatebo works for a moving company in Tampa. He has been moving people across the country for the last 20 years. Avoiding injuries while on the job is a necessity!