Dubuque Physical Therapy | Sports & Orthopedic PT

Menu
APPOINTMENTS
DIRECTIONS
FREE SCREEN
PAY CREDIT/CHECK
PAY ONLINE VENMO
CAREERS
Menu
Sticking-To-Your-Exercise-Program-HEADER1-Dubuque-Physical-Therapy-Dubuque-IA.jpg
Sticking To Your Exercise Program

Don’t fall off the treadmill (or bike, or rower, or…)

Sticking To Your Exercise Program
Used with permission from the American Physical Therapy Association Private Practice Section

New year’s resolutions around fitness and exercise are incredibly popular. The excitement and hope generated by the start of the year makes starting an exercise program easy.

Now that it’s February, staying with it gets hard. Life gets busy, motivation drops, and suddenly you’re back on the couch, wondering how you’re 6 episodes into The Golden Bachelor instead of at the gym.

You know the benefits of exercise – they’re probably what motivated you to start exercising in the first place.

Knowing that you should exercise or why you should exercise isn’t the problem. Actually getting up and doing it is.

Top tips for making sure you stick to your exercise plan:

Set realistic goals. Don’t try to go from zero to hero overnight. Start with small, achievable goals and increase them gradually. Make it easy to win – that helps you build motivation and an exercise habit. For some people that might mean starting with a daily 10 minute walk. For some people, that bar is too high.

When we say make it easy to win, we mean easy. Your goal could be to scan your card at the gym 3 times a week. It might be putting on your walking shoes and going out the door. It might be one pushup. Start tiny.

Do activities you enjoy. Exercise ins’t punishment. Choose activities that are fun. It could be running, walking the dog, dancing, swimming, kickboxing, or playing a sport.

Schedule it. Schedule your workouts like you would any other important appointment. When people ask you to do something else during that time, say “sorry, I’ve got an appointment.” The more you make exercise a routine, the less likely you are to skip it.

Don’t go it alone. Having someone waiting for you at the gym really motivates you to get there. Having support helps push you to work harder, and motivates you when you’re feeling down. Your support could be a friend, the other people in a group fitness class, or a trainer.

Mix it up. Try a new class. If you usually run at the same pace, try intervals. Walk a different route. Doing the same thing over and over again gets boring and leads to burnout. Keep things interesting to stay interested.

Track your progress. Bonus points if you find a way to make it visual somehow. Our brains love to see tasks checked off, a chart or numbers going up, and rings closing. Seeing how far you’ve come is a great motivator. Keep track of your workouts in a journal, make a spreadsheet, use an app or fitness tracker.

Bribes work. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small. Set a goal to work out 3 times this week and treat yourself to your favorite coffee when you do. Buy yourself a new workout outfit, get a massage, or anything else that will help you stay motivated when you reach milestones.

Adjust. Don’t push yourself too hard, especially when you’re starting out. If you’re feeling tired and sore, take the intensity down. Plan rest days into your routine. Don’t make your goal and plan so rigid that it’s impossible to complete in the real world.

Forgive yourself! Everyone has setbacks. You’re going to get sick. You’re going to miss a workout. That’s ok. Pick yourself up and get back on track. With the right mindset and a little perseverance, you can reach your fitness goals.

Top tips for making sure you stick to your exercise plan:
Used with permission from the American Physical Therapy Association Private Practice Section
Top tips for making sure you stick to your exercise plan:
Used with permission from the American Physical Therapy Association Private Practice Section

References:

  1. Updating ACSM’s Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 47(11):p 2473-2479, November 2015. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2015/11000/updating_acsm_s_recommendations_for_exercise.28.aspx
  2. Benefits of exercise for older adults: a review of existing evidence and current recommendations for the general population. Clinics in geriatric medicine 8.1 (1992): 35-50. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749069018304968
  3. Exercise Acts as a Drug https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01970.x
  4. Perceived Exercise Barriers https://doi.org/10.1002/art.22098
  5. The Benefits of Exercise on Brain Health https://www.choosept.com/podcast/benefits-of-exercise-on-brain-health
  6. Exercise Assessment and Prescription in the older adults and individuals at risk for functional decline https://learningcenter.apta.org/products/exercise-assessment-and-prescription-in-older-adults-and-individuals-at-risk-for-functional-decline?_gl=11c4v900_gaMTEwNjIzMzg2MS4xNjgxODQyODcw_ga_ZZJK74HXNR*MTY5NzE5NzczNy4xMS4xLjE2OTcyMDAzODMuNTguMC4w&_ga=2.223614619.1495021570.1697197738-1106233861.1681842870
  7. 23 and ½ hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our healtt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo
  8. Time Magazine: How To Keep New Year’s Resolutions: https://time.com/6243642/how-to-keep-new-years-resolutions-2/
Overcoming-a-Sedentary-Lifestyle
Overcoming a Sedentary Lifestyle Doesn’t Have To Be Hard!

It’s true that finding time to workout during the day can be difficult at times from your sedentary lifestyle. You work for 8 hours a day, commute home, drive your kids to their activities, cook supper, get ready for bed…it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get the physical activity you desire!

For many people, exercise appears to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Finding the time and energy to do so can be tough, but fortunately, there are a number of simple methods to include physical activity into your everyday routine without having to go to the gym or schedule a session.

Dubuque Physical Therapy has put together a list of ways you can easily increase your physical activity. Keep reading to learn more, and give us a call at our clinic to schedule an appointment for a tune-up with us!

7 ways you can get in better shape without heading to the gym

1. Do chores – but stretch while you’re doing that!

By doing chores and daily tasks for 20 or 30 minutes a day, you can live a cleaner and healthier lifestyle. In addition, you can get some exercise! Vacuuming, dishwashing, trash removal, and laundry all necessitate physical movement.

You may get exercise while also doing the housework you’ve been putting off if you take time out of your day to accomplish duties around the house. It’s a win-win situation!

2. Stand up and move around.

Simply standing in place may be one of the simplest methods to get some exercise. While it may not appear to make a difference, standing is far healthier than sitting. Standing burns more calories and is better for your posture because it reduces your capacity to slouch or hunch over. It also induces more exercise and helps to keep blood sugar levels stable after a meal.

3. Take the stairs and park far away from entrances.

We all want to move from one place to another as quickly as possible. We use elevators, park near entrances, and enter and exit through the closest doors… But, except for saving a small bit of time, this adds no long-term value. Make it a habit to take the stairs at work or park in the back of the parking lot at your grocery store. These simple actions can greatly increase your daily physical activity.

4. Find excuses to walk.

We all get a lunch break, and we can take use of it to make healthy choices. Instead of dining at the office cafeteria, order food from a restaurant down the street (and make sure it’s nutritious!) Alternatively, you can spend your entire lunch break walking or going to the gym.

You can bring a sack lunch and eat it at your desk before or after your workout if you choose this option. This will allow you to set aside time each day for physical activity.

5. Hang your workout equipment in plain sight.

By keeping your equipment in sight, it’ll increase the probability of you using them (because let’s face it, who’s going to rummage through their hall closet to find their yoga mat at the end of the day?)

So, keep workout equipment in an easy-to-see view around the house. Put your yoga mat beside the tv. Store your 5-pound weights on the side of the desk. Make it a habit of working out around the house while doing your daily activities, such as watching the news, cooking dinner, or even sitting at your computer.

6. Be sneaky!

Ideally, we’re supposed to get up and move around every 30-60 minutes throughout the day to initiate stronger blood flow, and to allow our bodies to stretch and warm up. But how many of us actually do that? (The answer – not many.) However, you can achieve this by tricking yourself into getting up more often.

Perhaps you drink your water from a smaller glass than normal, forcing you to get up and go to the sink every time you complete it. Alternatively, instead of having your own stapler or hole puncher on your desk, you go to the copy room every time you need one. You’ll be able to get up and walk around far more than you would otherwise if you get rid of these minor “conveniences” that we make for ourselves.

7. Give our clinic a call for more advice!

If you’d like more assistance on how to get yourself moving, don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Your physical therapist can provide you with a personalized workout plan to help get you moving in the ways you want. If pain is an issue, he or she can also provide you with pain relief methods and techniques. Physical therapy are movement experts, so they are great resources to utilize when looking to achieve physical goals.

We’re here to support you on your fitness journey!

Do you have pain that prevents you from participating in as much exercise as you’d like? Do you want a more systematic strategy to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine? Do you have no idea where to start?

Physical therapy can help you enhance your physical activity and achieve your goals, whatever the situation may be. We’ll devise a strategy to assist you in increasing your physical activity as quickly as we can so call us today!

Sources:
Your-Strength-and-Overall-Health-Can-Improve
Your Strength and Overall Health Can Improve With Physical Rehabilitation

Everyone aspires to live a healthy, active, and powerful lifestyle. However, this type of lifestyle is not always simple to maintain, particularly for people who suffer from chronic pain. Physical therapy, fortunately, is an excellent resource for relieving pain and achieving physical rehabilitation.

If you want to start living a healthy lifestyle but aren’t sure where to begin, give Dubuque Physical Therapy a call today! We’ll tailor a treatment plan to your specific needs so you can achieve your objectives using the most effective approaches.

How can I know if I need physical therapy?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle takes effort, but it becomes lot simpler once you get into the swing of things. One of the simplest methods to boost your health is to eat nutritious foods (although we know those sweets can be brutal to kick!) Physical activity is the most difficult part to develop a habit of, especially if you are hampered by chronic pain.

Some people take anti-inflammatory or pain-relieving medicines to disguise their symptoms, while others give up on the idea of being active completely. Fortunately, with the help of a physical therapist, you may restore your pain-free, healthy lifestyle and resume your favorite hobbies.

Benefits of physical therapy

A physical therapist is a movement specialist, educated in analyzing mobility issues with walking, running, jumping, bending, stretching, and almost every other form of physical activity. Your physical therapist can pinpoint problem areas and create a customized treatment plan aimed at improving those areas.

Whatever your reason for obtaining physical therapy services, the goal remains the same. Perhaps you’re still dealing with the effects of an injury. Maybe you’re recovering from surgery and need to regain your range of motion. Maybe your joints aren’t what they used to be, and you’re seeking a way to feel better. Whatever the case may be, physical therapists are committed to reducing your discomfort and restoring your physical health to its previous state.

Through in-office sessions and at-home exercises, patients strengthen their muscles and joints, improve their balance, build endurance, and experience pain relief, all without the unwanted harmful risks of drugs or surgery.

What is a physical therapy treatment plan like?

Every patient is unique, and we recognize that at our clinic. That’s why we tailor each treatment plan to the individual needs of each patient.

When you come in for your first visit, you’ll have some diagnostic tests done to help your physical therapist figure out where to start with treatments.

Your pain levels, balance, range of motion, and overall function will all be assessed throughout these examinations. In addition, your physical therapist will inquire about your medical history. Following the collection of all of this information, your physical therapist will develop a specific treatment plan to assist you in achieving your health goals.

Pain alleviation, strengthening, and functional integration are the three main components of physical therapy. Some people fear physical therapy because they assume it may harm them; however, this is not the case.

Physical therapy aims to relieve pain and build muscles, and your physical therapist will ensure that your treatment plan does not cause you any discomfort. This is accomplished using a variety of therapeutic options, including ice and heat therapy, stretching, bracing, and ultrasound.

Movement is also necessary for an active lifestyle. Your treatment plan will be based on movements that will improve your strength, flexibility, balance, and overall mobility. Many of these exercises will be assisted by your therapist, but he or she will also supply some basic ones that you can do at home.

What are you waiting for? Give us a call today!

Physical therapy allows you to live the life you want, free of severe limits. This can only happen if you apply what you’ve learned in your therapy to the real world. Your physical therapist is just as committed as you are, and he or she will push you to achieve all of the goals you set out for yourself at the start.

If you are looking to improve your health, strength, and physical activity, look no further. We can help you get there – even if you’re dealing with pain. To get started on the path toward a healthier and happier lifestyle, call our office today to schedule your consultation!

Sources: