Being an active participant in your care and collaborating with a team of specialists is empowering and inspiring. Your routine should always consider safety as a priority.
While team-based care encourages all health care professionals to do what they have been trained to do best in their fields of expertise, it also encourages patients to take an active part in their treatment. That means getting a good night’s sleep, rest when you deserve it most, follow your physical therapist’s or trainer’s instructions (so as not to revert back to old habits and movement patterns), eat smart, and exercise regularly.
At Lori Michiel Fitness, we believe that mental health and psychological well-being are just as important as physical health. In conjunction with physical exercise, we teach brain fitness exercises to our clients to increase neuroplasticity. This creates new pathways to the brain in areas that are closed off. Research shows it can be just as effective as medication and other types of treatment.
Banning certain exercises from your program may not be necessary. Research supports the need for caution; you have to ease into a new exercise movement or routine. Structural changes that occur with age may increase the risk of injury if exercises are not performed correctly. As we age, elasticity decreases, edema (swelling in ankles and legs) increases, and muscles begin to atrophy. Movement accuracy, speed, range of motion, endurance, coordination, stability and strength may decrease, and the body is less able to tolerate compression.
Making your exercises safer takes some consideration, here are a few more tips that can help:
Consider Time of Day – Your disks in your spine are more hydrated in the first hours of the morning. This hydration causes increased disk pressure and stiffness in the spine and decreases range of motion. Therefore, spinal flexion (bending) should be avoided the first hour of waking.
Remain Flexible – Increased flexibility of the hips and knees can reduce the risk of injury to the low back. Too much flexion is not ideal either especially when rotating. Consider flexibility training if you’ve been inactive for six months or more.
Keep those emails and other inquiries coming. We want to continue to help you become more engaged in your own care and Lori Michiel Fitness can help you start a safe exercise routine. Follow my YouTube videos for some fresh ideas that offer other types of safe exercise. We offer private training, including stretch sessions, program design and more. Join us on Facebook or con tact us via email or call 818-620-1442. We see fitness differently!