Aah… spring. The first blossoms after the dreary winter. And of course, the urge to go outside and “do something” is often felt by everyone. It’s actually a good idea since our body became relatively inactive most of the winter. Getting your body tuned up for a more rigorous activity this spring is very important.
Physical Therapists actually recommend that it’s still best to see them even if you were active during the winter season. The rationale behind this lies deeper, people don’t use the same muscles set for, let’s say skiing as to that when they start hiking or even gardening. Aside from physically preparing your body, it’s also essential to prepare yourself mentally- and your physical therapists are equipped with such mental prep.
Most of us overestimate our physical fitness level, whether we admit this or not. A simple visit to the gym won’t be half the preparation you’ll get when you visit your physical therapists at the start of spring. An evaluation with a licensed Pt would avoid repetitive motion injuries or any damages to the body.
So here are top tips from your Physical Therapists
Always start slow… warm up!
Most of us would suddenly throw ourselves into different activities without the most basic of all- warming up. Failing to do stretching and warm-ups can incur injuries. This applies to the young and old. When you’re guided by your physical therapist, rest assured that nothing will be missed and they would always address what you’re lacking such as building strength, injury prevention, improves flexibility and performance, and enhance balance and coordination.
Your physical therapists recommend a 5-10 minutes dynamic warm-up.
Increase your heart rate the healthy way!
Physical therapists recommend that you complete at least 5 days of cardio exercises in a week for 30 minutes. Increasing your heart rate and keeping your body healthy decreases the risk for illnesses.
Winter can make us too sedentary, for instance, we tend to sit on the sofa or lie on the bed too long, thus, it will be a challenge when spring comes since we have to put more time and effort into getting active than we used to. Start with the basic cardio exercises such as running, hiking, and biking.
Stay safe, always!
There’s no use getting back in shape and staying active if you get in an accident. Being careful should always be your top priority, do not overload your body at the start of the spring season. Did you know that most injuries occur at the beginning of sports season which happens to be in spring? It’s because the body is not used to the amount of exercise we put in. This applies to season changes, as well. To optimize your spring and summer workouts, Physical Therapists advise that you take some time to allow your body to restore and heal.
No matter what the season is, your Physical Therapists will always have something in store for you to do to optimize your body’s condition. A program of exercises will be developed that addresses your strengths and any areas of weakness. You’ll learn how to stretch and warm up properly before putting specific muscle groups into action. Not only that but they will also teach you about nutrition and injury prevention
