5 physio tips for your health and fitness New Year’s resolutions
It’s that time of year again where we think about the things we want to improve for ourselves in the New Year and (hopefully) write them down in order to achieve them. It’s well known that exercise and physical activity reduces your risk of developing several diseases including type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as having immediate benefits for your mental health and sleep, so it makes sense that health and fitness goals are the most common made by Australians.
How our sports physios can help you achieve your goals
Physiotherapists are often overlooked when it comes to health and fitness goals, with most people automatically thinking personal trainer, instead of sports physio. However, in order avoid any setbacks to your health and fitness program you’ll need to make sure that you are free from any pain or lingering injury before you begin. Having a physio on hand to help keep you on track could be the difference between smashing your goals, and having them carry over until 2021. If you have been experiencing any existing pain or have prior injuries, you can get them looked at by a trained musculoskeletal physio and have a bespoke treatment plan drawn up to start 2020.
Remember to make your goals S.M.A.R.T
Making an actionable plan and setting goals are the most important steps to achieving improved physical health. To give yourself the best chance of sticking to your goals, they must be S.M.A.R.T – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound. Once you have your SMART goal in mind, you will be able to create a plan for how you’ll achieve it.
- Take care of any niggling injuries
It is important to start off any new health and fitness plan on the right foot. Taking care of prior injuries is one of the biggest factors in ensuring you are able to meet your physical goals. If you’ve had any niggling injuries, especially lower back, neck, hip, knee and ankle pain, make sure you make a visit to your local physio to ensure there are no serious underlying causes or issues that will be exacerbated by particular exercises too soon. Your sports physio will be able to identify specific areas to work on and incorporate rehabilitation or other exercises to help with any ongoing pain issues.
- Make sure you warm-up and stretch correctly
Warming up is an important part of your exercise routine as it can help prevent injury. If you are unfamiliar with stretching and different techniques involved, a Clinical Pilates class may be the answer you need. Clinical Pilates focuses on activating the strength of the core muscles that support the spine and balancing the muscles of the body to create increased strength and has been scientifically proven to aid and speed up recovery for a number of different issues.
- Learn how to strengthen your pelvic floor correctly
Pelvic floor weakness is a common problem that affects both men and women, often resulting in incontinence and pain. A weak pelvic floor region can also make it difficult and sometimes painful to make headway into a new fitness program. The good news is that most pelvic floor disorders can be treated with specific exercises. Unfortunately, many people actually do these exercises the wrong way, making the problem worse. Speak to your physiotherapist to find out how they can help ensure you have correct technique.
- Spend less time sitting
The amount of lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and hip pain that stems from excessive sitting time is growing every year. Many people would be able to alleviate a portion of their pain by spending less time sitting and taking time every hour to stand up and stretch, have a walk around and loosen up a bit. A musculoskeletal physio will be able to observe your posture while sitting or at a simulated desk and be able to identify areas of improvement and give some specific exercises for your pain.
The way you move and the way you interact with objects in your workplace affects how you feel. A desk that isn’t calibrated to your height can quickly result in back, neck and eye strain over time. For people who work in a warehouse or other industries, a poor technique with lifting items in a warehouse will result in problems with their lower back, hips and knees.
By taking a personalised treatment approach to your workplace related conditions, a musculoskeletal physio can help you to minimise these strains and help keep your workplace safe and good for your body.
- Don’t do it alone
Ask your local Lane Cove physio how we can support you in achieving your new year’s resolutions. You don’t need to undertake your 2020 health and fitness goals alone. Our physiotherapists are movement and exercise specialists specialising in pain reduction, rehabilitation and personalised programs; think of your physio as a pain doctor. If you have had difficulty achieving your physical goals before, speaking to your physio may be the missing piece of the puzzle, we can help with:
- Showing you the safe and correct form and exercising with good technique
- Undertaking a detailed physical assessment prior to starting an exercise program
- Identifying, setting, tracking and altering SMART goals as needed
- Creating a bespoke exercise program for you including gym, hydrotherapy, clinical pilates and running programs
- Providing injury prevention techniques and ergonomic tips
- Recommending appropriate footwear, braces and supports
Give yourself the best chance of achieving your 2020 health and fitness goals by joining forces with your local physio to create a fully tailored plan designed for you. Call or email Lane Cove physio to book in for your New Year’s personalised program and goal setting session.
