The Connection Between Fitness and Mental Health
Taking care of yourself and your mental health continues to be at the forefront of many of our priorities, especially with the increase in mental health symptoms noted since the start of the pandemic1. Exercise has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms and prevent symptoms from forming2. It also has a strong correlation to preventing cognitive decline3. Exercise can reduce inflammation through various mechanisms/pathways and positively affect mental health and well-being4, among many other positive benefits. Now more than ever, it is important to take care of your mental health and prioritize it. Our bodies are designed to move, and as shown previously, it has a direct correlation to mental well-being. A relatively “easy” way to do that is through exercise.
3 Reasons Why You Should Stay Active While Injured
We all understand that sometimes injuries can happen. Most people have experienced pain or an injury at some point in their lives. Although injuries can happen to anyone, how we choose to manage them determines our outcomes. Injuries are often underestimated in severity, and people feel they can “give it time” and wait to see if it will get better. This may work for some injuries, but often people are searching the internet or coming into our clinics looking for more guidance on how to get better, quicker.
How Does Exercise Affect Your Gut Health?
Have you ever heard the phrase “you are what you eat?” I never thought anything of it until recently when I began to experience gut issues and after years of doctor’s visits, was never able to come up with a diagnosis. I started working with a holistic nutritionist and learned how exercise and movement could help keep my gut healthy.
3 Benefits of Standing at Work
Did you know that sitting too much can be bad for your health? Those that sit much of the day have a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. Unfortunately for many who work in an office setting, sitting much of the day is common. Therefore, standing desks and treadmill desks are becoming increasingly popular in the work setting. Many standing desks can convert from sitting to standing easily, so you can change your position throughout the day.
The Pros and Cons of CrossFit Workouts
Continuing the series focused on fitness and different types of exercise, I want to take a popular workout method, Crossfit, and go through some of the potential pros and cons of the sport. I am a physical therapist and someone who loves training with a barbell, so anytime I can help someone get into that type of training, even if it’s not my preferred method, I am thrilled. I view fitness and training as all-inclusive, where everyone is welcome and can do what makes them happy.
2 Ways to Prioritize Your Health in 2022
Every year, patients talk to me about how they plan to set a New Year’s resolution to become more fit and healthy. Inevitably, every year most patients do not follow through on those resolutions. This year, let me help you by providing a road map to follow that can help you develop better habits and prioritize your health in 2022.
Tips from a PT: Returning to Exercise in the New Year
The cookies have been eaten, the shopping is complete, and the gym membership just hit your credit card. Whether for personal growth, maintaining health, or slimming up for summer, millions of Americans will be hitting the gym in January. Unfortunately, many people will also end up quitting or in my office because of nagging pain or new injury. Pain is a sure-fire way to discourage and derail even the best-laid workout plans. This blog will give you tips to keep your workouts consistent and pain-free in the New Year.
When Should I Be Worried About My Pain?
What better time of year than the New Year to start fresh with a few weight loss and fitness goals, right? You are excited, motivated, and ready to make changes. Day one comes, and you put in a great workout. You head home, eat a good dinner, and get to bed excited to get back to the gym the next day. However, as you wake up and take your first step out of bed, you notice your knee hurts and feels a bit swollen. This is odd because you don’t remember your knee hurting yesterday, and you become concerned. Should you be worried? Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, and the reality is most pain that we experience will disappear and how we label the pain or feel about our pain can affect the outcome.
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