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The holidays are a time of stress for just about everyone. There’s so much to plan and so many things to take care of that it can feel overwhelming at best. Those feelings of stress can be tough to deal with on your own and worse, can leave you feeling sick or unwell. But did you know that regular exercise can help you improve your mental health especially over the holidays? Though the team at North Platte specializes in helping people overcome lower back pain and recover from injuries, we also want you to feel great emotionally. Here are a few awesome mental health benefits you can expect from incorporating exercise into your holiday routine. 

Exercise Reduces Stress
When you’re dealing with tons of stress from family, work, and other obligations, the more stress relief you can get in your day, the easier it will be to maintain your mood. Exercising is a great way to reduce your stress levels. You’ll be able to work that nervous energy out of your system by pushing yourself physically. When you work out, your body releases endorphins that can further foster your feelings of relaxation, thereby lowering your stress levels even more.

It Gives You Time to Yourself
The holidays are all about family. For most people, this means finding time to be alone and recoup is almost impossible. When you exercise, you’re able to devote time to yourself and no one else. That self-care routine is key in helping you relax and get rid of those feelings of stress and overwhelm. You’ll be able to temporarily escape the concerns of the holiday season and won’t have to worry about anything other than your body and your emotional state.

Boosts Your Self Esteem
During the holidays, it’s easy to compare yourself to others especially if you feel that you’ve been neglecting your health over the rest of the year. When you exercise, you’re being proactive about your health and taking the right steps to stay healthy in the future. 

Improves Your Sleep Quality
When you’re stressed, getting a good night’s sleep is almost impossible. The less you sleep and the more restless your nights are, the more at-risk you are for injuries and illnesses. Exercise gives you an outlet for your nervous energy and leaves you feeling more tired at the end of the day. This means you’ll find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep when you’re not constantly worrying about the little stressors in your life. Even better, getting a good night’s sleep means you’ll be able to accomplish more during the day, giving you even fewer things to worry about at night.

Exercising Is Worth It
Exercising during the holiday season is a wonderful way to help yourself feel your best. These are just a few of the top mental health benefits you’ll feel when you start working out. Just remember to take it easy and only push yourself as hard as you’re comfortable going. The last thing you want to do is deal with an injury during the holidays. If you do get injured, contact our team and schedule an appointment to speed your recovery.
The holidays are a time of stress for just about everyone. There’s so much to plan and so many things to take care of that it can feel overwhelming at best. Those feelings of stress can be tough to deal with on your own and worse, can leave you feeling sick or unwell. But did you know that regular exercise can help you improve your mental health especially over the holidays? Though the team at North Platte specializes in helping people overcome lower back pain and recover from injuries, we also want you to feel great emotionally. Here are a few awesome mental health benefits you can expect from incorporating exercise into your holiday routine. 

Exercise Reduces Stress
When you’re dealing with tons of stress from family, work, and other obligations, the more stress relief you can get in your day, the easier it will be to maintain your mood. Exercising is a great way to reduce your stress levels. You’ll be able to work that nervous energy out of your system by pushing yourself physically. When you work out, your body releases endorphins that can further foster your feelings of relaxation, thereby lowering your stress levels even more.

It Gives You Time to Yourself
The holidays are all about family. For most people, this means finding time to be alone and recoup is almost impossible. When you exercise, you’re able to devote time to yourself and no one else. That self-care routine is key in helping you relax and get rid of those feelings of stress and overwhelm. You’ll be able to temporarily escape the concerns of the holiday season and won’t have to worry about anything other than your body and your emotional state.

Boosts Your Self Esteem
During the holidays, it’s easy to compare yourself to others especially if you feel that you’ve been neglecting your health over the rest of the year. When you exercise, you’re being proactive about your health and taking the right steps to stay healthy in the future. 

Improves Your Sleep Quality
When you’re stressed, getting a good night’s sleep is almost impossible. The less you sleep and the more restless your nights are, the more at-risk you are for injuries and illnesses. Exercise gives you an outlet for your nervous energy and leaves you feeling more tired at the end of the day. This means you’ll find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep when you’re not constantly worrying about the little stressors in your life. Even better, getting a good night’s sleep means you’ll be able to accomplish more during the day, giving you even fewer things to worry about at night.

Exercising Is Worth It
Exercising during the holiday season is a wonderful way to help yourself feel your best. These are just a few of the top mental health benefits you’ll feel when you start working out. Just remember to take it easy and only push yourself as hard as you’re comfortable going. The last thing you want to do is deal with an injury during the holidays. If you do get injured, contact our team and schedule an appointment to speed your recovery.

The holidays may be a time for fun and celebration, but all those festive moments can often leave you feeling less healthy than you’d like. Though getting fit may not seem like a priority during the holiday season, it’s definitely something you should try to do as soon as you can. The sooner you start trying to improve your fitness, the less likely you’ll be to get injured and need physical therapy services to help you recover. Don’t worry—getting in shape is easier than you think. Here are a few great ways to get back to being active without having to leave the comfort of your home or yard.

Jog in Place During Commercials

When the weather gets too cold, going outside isn’t an option. If you’re like most people, this means you’ll spend more time on the couch watching TV or catching up on movies that you haven’t seen with your family. All that sedentary activity isn’t great for your health, so change things up. Get up and move around during commercial breaks. Jog in place to get your heartrate up and rest once your show or movie comes back on. If you’re not up to jogging, march in place. Just make sure to lift your knees as high as you can while you’re marching. This will make the exercise more effective and will help you build up your cardio strength so you can eventually start jogging in place.

Stream a Yoga Class

If you’re not a huge fan of cardio just yet, consider streaming a yoga class online and get your stretch on in your living room. There are dozens of free yoga classes that you can find on sites like YouTube geared to all skill levels. Run through a class a few times a week and you’ll start to see a huge improvement in your flexibility and, hopefully, your stress levels. 

Have a Dance Party With Yourself

We get it—exercise can be boring if you’re not already a fitness buff. That doesn’t mean you can’t make it fun. You just need to get creative about the types of exercises you do and the best ones are exercises that don’t feel like exercise at all! Put on your favorite upbeat music and have a dance party in your living room. You can dance alone or with the rest of your family to make things even more fun. If you want to be productive while you dance, clean the house at the same time. This will help you get even more of a cardio workout in while also giving you a sense of accomplishment that you otherwise might not feel.

Reach Out for Advice

If you’re struggling to maintain or improve your fitness during the winter months because of an old injury or a recent accident, don’t accept the pain. Do something about it. Contact your nearest location and schedule an assessment with our team. We’ll help you identify the types of exercises and movements you can do to better strengthen your body and aid your old injury’s recovery.

The holidays are just around the corner and that means it’s time to start thinking about making your home look as festive as you want it to feel. Though the holiday season is a time for joy and celebration, it’s also a time for unexpected injuries that leave you searching the internet for “physical therapy services near me.” The best thing you can do is find ways to avoid those common injuries but before you can, you need to know what those injuries are. Here are a few of the most common issues your physical therapy team wants you to avoid at all costs.

Decorating Accidents

Every winter, hundreds of people get injured while decorating their homes and most of those accidents happen when decorators fall off of ladders. Even falls off of step stools can lead to serious injuries that force you to undergo months of physical therapy and recovery to regain your mobility. The best thing you can do is always decorate with a partner. Have someone holding the ladder anytime you have a foot on a rung. If you feel uncomfortable using ladders yourself, hire someone to help you decorate your home. This way, you’ll stay safe and reduce your risk of falling right before the holiday season is in full swing.

Slipping on Ice

Winter weather makes the world feel more festive, but it also puts you at risk for serious falls. Slipping on ice can lead to anything from minor bruising to broken bones. Luckily, these incidents are easy to prevent. Stay on top of your shoveling efforts and invest in the right type of ice melt for your property. The ice melt will help you prevent ice buildup if spread before storms and encourages faster melting if applied after you shovel. The clearer you can keep your walkway, front porch, and driveway, the safer you’ll be.

Broken Bones From Dropped Turkeys

Believe it or not, dozens of people get hurt by dropping frozen turkeys on their feet as they’re getting ready to make dinner for the family. Though it’s impossible to completely prevent these drops, there are a few things you can do to reduce your risk. Wear shoes anytime you’re working in the kitchen to protect the fragile bones on the top of your foot. If you can, store the frozen turkey on a lower shelf in your fridge or freezer so it won’t generate as much force if you drop it while taking the bird out.

Avoid These Common Injuries Yourself

These are just a few of the most common holiday season injuries you can and should avoid this winter. Do what you can to keep yourself safe and always take your time whether you’re cooking, shoveling, or decorating your home. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, ask for help. When you work together with your family, you’ll make the tasks easier, safer, and, hopefully, more fun. If you do get injured, don’t leave your recovery to chance. Schedule an appointment at the nearest location.

Winter is a time for fun and festivities, but it’s not without its risks. All that snow and ice can lead to increased risks of injuries if you’re not careful. Though your Wyoming physical therapy team can help you recover after you get injured, it’s far better to prevent the injuries in the first place. Here are a few key tips to help you stay safer and reduce your risk for winter-time injuries the easy way.

Invest in Ice Grips for Your Shoes

Even the grippiest snow boots with the best traction possible won’t be enough to keep you from slipping on ice. When you do, you put yourself at risk for sprains, strains, and even bone breaks. The best way to prevent those unexpected slips and falls on slick surfaces is to buy a set of ice grips and use them when you’re outside. These grips slip over the soles of most boots and shoes and can be removed when you head indoors in a matter of seconds. They make it easier to stay upright on the ice and, though they can’t guarantee that you’ll avoid slips, they dramatically improve your grip even on the most slippery ice patch.

Stretch Before You Play

When you see the snow falling, it’s tempting to head outside immediately to romp around with your loved ones or challenge the kids to a snowball fight. While it’s fun, it’s not the best idea. You need to take the time to stretch before you head out into the snow. Warm your muscles up inside and stretch for a few minutes before bundling up and heading out. When you do, you’ll put less strain on your muscles and have more control over your range of motion. In the long run, you’ll be less likely to experience an injury even if you don’t stretch regularly in the warmer months. 

Stay on Top of Snow and Ice Clearing

The best way to prevent slip and fall accidents is to get rid of ice hazards as soon as you notice them. During the winter, this means you’ll need to stay on top of regular snow shoveling and ice clearing until the snow melts. Start by shoveling the powder away quickly. Make sure to lift with your knees and avoid putting too much strain on your low back. Once you have the snow cleared away, spread a good amount of environmentally friendly ice melt over walkways and your driveway. Pay special attention to any outdoor stairs you have that may collect water and create ice. This way, you’ll have solid ground to walk on even when the rest of your yard is covered in the white stuff.

Keep Yourself Safe This Winter

Fear of injuring yourself shouldn’t keep you from enjoying the snow and all the snow sports you used to love participating in. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be able to keep yourself and your loved ones safer during the winter months. If you do get injured and need help recovering more quickly, schedule an appointment at your closest location. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how many people go about their normal routine. Chief among them is how people get their daily workouts in. Before the pandemic, most hardcore fitness enthusiasts hit the gym and worked out with personal trainers who could correct their form on the spot. This helped reduce workout-related injuries and made it easier for people to stay on top of their fitness goals. With gyms closed or at limited capacity, working out with a trainer isn’t always an option. Here’s what you need to do to prevent injuries (and needing physical therapy services) when you exercise at home.

Set up a Mirror

If you’ve been working out for a while, you probably have a good idea of what each exercise is supposed to look like. You know how to spot bad form and posture even without the help of a personal trainer. You just need to be able to see what you’re doing in order to make those corrections. If you can, set up a mirror in your home workout space and watch yourself as you move. This way, you’ll be able to spot problems and quickly make the necessary corrections to reduce your risk of injury. 

Listen to What Your Body Tells You

When you have nothing else to do, it’s easy to throw yourself into your workouts whole-heartedly. While this can be good, it does put you at risk for overdoing it. Instead of pushing yourself to outperform your in-gym record, pay attention to what your body is telling you at all times. If something hurts, back off and take a break. If something feels too hard, don’t push things quickly. Take your time. Remember, fitness isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. Making gains takes time and sometimes, you need to slow down.

Give Yourself Enough Room

One of the biggest causes of injury in home-based workouts comes from working out in rooms that have too much stuff in them. People bang their elbows on coffee tables, knock heavy items off shelves, and trip over toys left on the floor all the time. Before every workout, take the time to clear the area. Remove any hazards as you find them and don’t hesitate to move furniture to give yourself room to move around. 

Change Your Routine

Once you find a workout that you’re able to do in your home comfortably, it’s tempting to stick to it indefinitely. That doesn’t mean it’s in your best interest. In fact, it’s one of the easiest ways to end up giving yourself a repetitive use injury. Those types of injuries take time and physical therapy to heal completely. Instead, change things up. Do different exercises every few days and give your muscles a break.

Use These Tips in Your Workouts

The pandemic doesn’t mean you can’t get a good workout in from the comfort of your own home. You just need to be a bit creative about how you do it. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be in good shape. If you end up getting injured or need help overcoming an old injury, don’t hesitate to reach out.