The New Year is here, which means that many of us are making resolutions to become the best we can be. Whether your changes relate to your mental or physical health, our physical therapy clinic is here to help you stick to them so you can achieve your goals. At ProActive Physical Therapy, we believe a full recovery is greater than resolutions, so we put together the following 5 New Year workout tips to help you get there. If you are looking to create positive changes and start living a healthier, more active life, you can get off to a quick start with these five simple tips.
1. Make SMART Goals
SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. When making your resolution this year, using this acronym will help you to achieve your goal.
Instead of committing to “exercise more this year,” make your resolution SMART: “This year, I will walk/run four times a week for 30 minutes.”
S: The resolution is specific and to the point.
M: With a specific goal in mind, it will be easy to measure if you are on track. You can clearly see if you are walking 30 minutes, four times a week or not.
A: Make sure this resolution is doable. Assess your current health and increase/decrease the exercise as needed.
R: Evaluate how this commitment fits your work and family schedule. You want to achieve the goal but don’t want to neglect other important areas of your life.
T: You are committing to this goal for the year.
2. Establish Accountability
Many resolutions fail even before they begin due to a lack of accountability. A SMART goal is the first step, but having someone to share the journey with is one of the best ways to be sure you stick with your plan.
Find someone you can trust who will ask tough questions about your progress. One possibility would be to find someone with the same resolution and work together to accomplish it. Bringing someone alongside you as you work toward your goal will provide support, encouragement, and motivation to stick with it.
3. Pick a Variety of Activities
January is “Walk your pet month,” double down on your daily activity with daily walks or runs with your pooch! Pick a few activities that you will enjoy. Participating in various activities is essential for many individuals to prevent a monotonous workout routine.
4. Schedule Your Workouts
Develop a routine where you work out at the same time on the same day each week. This helps you put aside time to focus on your activity. The biggest barrier preventing you from getting your recommended exercise is time.
5. Perform Multiple Activities
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. They also recommend performing multiple activities to meet your exercise requirement, forcing you to utilize different muscle groups and different movement patterns. This can help individuals with injury prevention. Performing running, outdoor activity, and strength training is an excellent idea to meet your requirements, as all have many health benefits.
Pain After Working Out
Developing soreness after starting a new workout regimen is normal. You’re so motivated to shed some holiday pounds that you are working out so much that you are now sore in a place you have never been.
That is to be expected; however, if the pain lasts more than a couple of workouts, you should be examined at one of our ProActive Physical Therapy clinics. We offer a free injury assessment to help identify if your pain is normal soreness or a real sports injury. If you are treated promptly, you can often continue working out while participating in physical therapy.
Our physical therapists will consider your injury history, current pain, the joint’s range of motion, flexibility, and muscle strength and endurance. Treatments such as dry needling, video analysis, cupping, stretching, neuromuscular retraining, functional training, and strengthening will help you return to your regimen.
