How to Enjoy Exercising

One of the biggest complaints I hear is how hard it is to exercise. I recommend you find exercise to do that you enjoy.

For example, if you hate running, you won't want to wake up early to go for a run. Or, if you hate the smell of chlorine, you won't want to go swimming. However, you may enjoy going for a walk around your neighborhood after work, or you may love biking on the weekends. Or you may find a dance class at your local gym. Find what makes you excited and makes you feel good, and stick to it.
We can be reminded about making exercise fun by watching animals and children play.






Just getting up and moving is so healthy and helps maintain your balance and fitness. Brainstorm a list and ask your healthcare provider if any of those activities would put you at risk for injury given your health and activity level. If you need help starting an exercise program, talk to your healthcare provider or call our office to make an appointment.  Any age is a good age to start exercising.

Share with us what exercise you love to do on our  Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you!

"No Pain, No Gain" Fallacy

I've had new patients (and potential patients) ask me if physical therapy treatment will hurt. I explain to my patients that our first goal is to reduce their pain levels before we restore any lost functionality. Many times I will start with hands-on techniques to reduce pain, restore tissue pliability, and generally prepare the patient, so they can advance without hindrance through exercise and activity training toward their ultimate goal.

Depending on the patient’s needs, we may spend considerable time in our gym or workout area. When I show a patient how to use a certain weight machine, I emphasize that while the exercise may feel uncomfortable, the patient should never experience pain, particularly in the tendon and joint areas. With the first hint of pain, my patient stops lifting that particular weight, and we adjust the joint angle of the movement to a pain-free range. In some cases, the patient may need to stop and work on joint and tendon lubricating exercises before the strength training is resumed for that session.

If you injure yourself, especially as a beginner, you may give up on strength training, fearing that you will hurt yourself again. So, it is important that you know the proper form to avoid injury and that you listen to your body's pain signals. If something hurts, stop and review that your form is correct. If it is, you may need to lower the weight or adjust the movement you're making to put less stress on your tendons and joints in particular. You may want to hire a professional weight trainer so that you can be sure that you are lifting properly and avoiding potential injury. They may also help you adjust certain lifts to put less stress on your joints and tendons.

The Talk Test

At Aptitude Physical Therapy, we are constantly encouraging our patients and social media followers to walk more, mostly because it’s one of the easiest and cheapest forms of exercise to adopt. The CDC recommends 150 minutes or 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. We recommend working toward that goal, for example, by walking for 10 minute intervals a couple of times per day. But how do you know that your walking is considered exercise and not just going for a stroll?

According to the CDC , one of the best ways to determine the intensity of your workout is to use the “Talk Test.” If you are able to talk but not sing during any physical activity, you are performing a moderately intense activity. If you have trouble saying more than a few words without pausing to catch your breath, then you are doing a high-intensity workout.

The more you walk every day, the easier it will become. So, going up a hill by your house may at first be a high-intensity workout for you. You may want to find a flat surface to walk on and slowly increase your speed until you notice that walking has become easier.  At that point, if you try the hill again, you may notice the hill isn’t as daunting as before, and you may be able to carry on a conversation going up the hill.

As always, be sure that your physician approves of any physical activity and your exercise plan before you begin. You may also want to ask a friend to join you on these walks so you can test the intensity of your workout with the “Talk Test.” Having a friend along may also help pass the time more easily.

For more information and guidelines for exercising, we recommend the following links.
Exercising with High Blood Pressure
CDC Measuring Physical Activity Intensity

Palms Up to Protect Shoulders

When my kids were little, my wife started having intense shoulder pain. She had been painting walls in our new home, and she kept lifting the heavy paint cans with her palms facing down. That night when she explained the pain to me, we got her some ice to help reduce the pain. (See our blog Heat vs Ice for when and how to use ice properly.) I then showed her a tip to avoid injuring herself in the future by lifting the paint cans with her palms up.

It's second nature for many of us to lift things up with our palms down, like if there's something you need in the back seat. If you find yourself needing to grab your purse or a diaper bag from the back seat, turn in your seat and lift the bag with your palms up. You'll help avoid injury of further injury to your rotator cuff. As I show in the video below, always lift with your palms up to avoid injuring your shoulder, specifically your rotator cuff.

The Bad Rap on Physical Activity

“I ought to workout more.”
“I would lose weight easier if I would just exercise more.”
“I know it’s healthy to exercise, but I just don’t have the time.”

Any of these sound familiar? If so, you’re not the only one who feels pressured or guilty about not being more physically active. After too many failed attempts to go to the gym, you may feel like being physically active is just impractical for you. Even if you magically find extra time one day, you may opt for some pajama bottoms to relax at home instead of changing into workout pants to go to the gym. For many of us, we view exercise as something that drains us and makes us hot, sticky, and tired; instead of viewing exercise as rejuvenating or relaxing.

A recent study conducted by BMC Public Health looked at how women, age 22 - 49, view physical activity on their to-do list. Not surprisingly, low-activity women often viewed physical activity as conflicting with their bigger goals, like family time or work. In contrast, women who were highly active viewed physical activity as contributing to their bigger goals, which were also family time and work. At the same time, some highly active women still reported that they felt pressured or guilty about not being active enough.

The good news for all of us, whether we consider ourselves physically active or not, is that physical activity is not defined by three 30-minute workout sessions per week. Simply moving more (e.g. taking the stairs instead of the elevator, taking the dog on a walk) contributes to a healthier lifestyle.

So how does a person start becoming more active? The recent study by BMC Public Health suggested that the best tip for women to become physically active is to include people in your exercise. Whether you go outside to play with your kids or go on a walk or bike ride with friends, your feelings toward physical activity may become more positive because your physical activity is aligning with the priority of relationships. In turn, the positive thinking and emotions about physical activity will help you stay consistent and see those health benefits.

For more tips and encouragement to become more physically active, follow us on Facebook, Google Plus, or LinkedIn; and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Our goal at Aptitude Physical Therapy is to give you the practical information so that you can better enjoy life.

To read the study, click on the following link.
Rethinking Physical Activity Communication: Using Focus Groups to Understand Women's Goals, Values, and Beliefs to Improve Public Health"

Travel Pains

Vacations are wonderful ways to create memories with loved ones. Traveling, on the other hand, can sometimes put stress on the body. For example, as we grow older, our joints are less forgiving when we sit in a car for too long. Whenever I am traveling, here are some of the things I do to avoid pain after a long day on the road or in the air.

If I am on a flight, I try to get up and walk up and down the aisle every hour to help stimulate blood flow. If I cannot get up because of turbulence, then I pump my ankles and “draw” circles with my feet. If I am driving, it can be hard to stop every hour, but I still try to stop as often as I can to get out and stretch my legs.

If your car or airline seats don’t have good lumbar support, bring a small pillow to put behind the arch of your back. I recommend back support for long and short trips.

Even if you're tempted to avoid drinking water while you’re traveling to cut down on bathroom breaks, make yourself sip water to stay hydrated. Whether I’m flying or driving, I pack a water bottle, so I can refill as often as possible. Staying hydrated prevents many stressful and painful conditions.

These three tips make traveling less uncomfortable for me, and I hope they help spur some good ideas for you to make traveling less stressful and painful.

The Benefits of the Buddy System

We frequently hear about the physical benefits of regular exercise, but exercise can also give you social benefits. If you have a workout buddy or go to an exercise class at the gym, you are more likely to keep exercising regularly by simply being with people who have similar goals. Workout buddies can also give you words of encouragement for those days when you don't feel like you're at your best. On top of that, the people you see at the gym may have similar interests and may become good friends with whom you can enjoy other activities.

If you work from home, if you are a stay-at-home mom, or if you live alone; consider signing up for an exercise class, or ask a friend to participate in an exercise program with you.