The longer you live with chronic pain, the more it seems like it will never go away. It becomes increasingly difficult to view a particular pain as something that you can handle and treat once you accept it as a part of your life.

Many people turn to strategies to hide the pain, which frequently includes the use of pain medication. However, this is not always an effective strategy, and long-term pain drug use can cause serious difficulties on its own.

If you’re living with chronic pain, getting more exercise in your life could be difficult to begin at first, but it’s also one of the best and most natural ways to help yourself feel better. Keep reading to learn more about strategies for getting in shape and feeling your best, and call our clinic to set up an appointment with one of our physical therapists!

Strategies to Become More Active

The longer you live with chronic pain, the more you become accustomed to avoiding strenuous activity. This is unfortunate, because regular physical activity, especially when guided by a physical therapist, might help you begin to overcome your daily pain and discomfort!

Finding strategies to gradually increase your physical activity can make you feel better.

As you are getting started with becoming more active, baby steps are key. Attempting to go It’s not a good idea to go from doing nothing to running a marathon. You should start with tiny actions to assist you to develop a more active lifestyle. Your new active lifestyle habits will be more sustainable if you take incremental steps.

The key is to find ways to integrate activity into your life in a way that is so natural that you won’t even notice how much time you are spending being active. This goes far beyond making a trip to the gym for 30 minutes to an hour every day—though that is a great way to support an active lifestyle, as well.

Here are seven strategies that can help you become more active every day:

1. Try to incorporate activity into family time. Instead of spending an evening together on the couch, think about ways that you can become more active together by going for a walk together or spending time throwing a ball together outdoors. This is a great way to become a bit more active while encouraging healthier habits across your household.
2. Make a habit of taking as many steps as possible when doing basic tasks around the house. This may mean something as simple as taking the dog for a walk a few times a day rather than just letting him out in the yard to run around, or deciding to go for a walk to the mailbox rather than stopping at the end of the driveway on your way home.
3. Walk around more. This is especially a great strategy if you are in the office on the phone a lot. Don’t sit in your seat and talk on the phone. Get up and pace back and forth to get a bunch of steps in as you get the job done.
4. Exercise while you’re watching tv. Just like at work, when you are at home engaging in sedentary activity like watching TV, try to get more active. You don’t need to skip your favorite TV shows to fit in time to exercise. Try working out as you are watching TV. If you can make it to a gym you can even start to watch TV while on the treadmill.
5. When possible, walk—don’t drive. This isn’t always possible depending on where you live and work, but if there is an errand you can run on foot instead of in the car, give it a try. Another way to make this possible is to figure out what errands you can run by parking your car in one location. See if you can go into multiple stores in a parking lot without having to change parking spaces.
6. Start fitting in short workouts throughout the day. If you don’t believe you’ll have time to fit in a complete workout in the morning or evening, try breaking it up into smaller chunks throughout the day.
   1. Stretch for 10 minutes in the morning, then do a few simple cardio routines, then repeat the process over your lunch break for another 10 minutes. You can start doing some simple stretching before bed, and by the end of the day, you’ll have gotten in 30 minutes of serious exercise. This, combined with greater mobility throughout the day, can significantly enhance your level of activity.
7. Take the stairs. Wherever you are, wherever you are going, take the stairs. The elevator is convenient, but stairs are a great form of exercise and so incorporating these into your daily activity can really help you on your journey to becoming more active.

How can physical therapy help me to overcome chronic pain?

While resting and taking it easy is part of allowing your body to mend, it’s not the only thing you should be doing when you’re in pain. Resting won’t make chronic pain go away. Getting a little more active, rather than spending more time off your feet, could be just what you need to finally receive some relief from your discomfort.

Of course, this does not mean you should ignore the discomfort and try to push through it on your own with strenuous activities. Working with a physical therapist can help you reduce pain and discomfort with targeted, safe activities that won’t make you feel worse afterward.

Being active daily can help to reduce the experience of chronic pain by:

• Improve heart health
• Supporting weight loss
• Increasing range of motion
• Supporting healthy muscle development

Call our clinic today to schedule an appointment

If you haven’t exercised in a while, starting small by increasing your activity level naturally is the best place to start. For guidance on what kind of exercise is best for you, and how to treat chronic pain while becoming more active, contact us. Call our office today to see how physical therapy can help you live a pain-free life.

Although some of us dread getting older, there are so many things to look forward to with age, such as spending more time with loved ones, watching your family grow, and experiencing new things. But if you’re in your fifth, sixth, or seventh, decade, you might start to notice aches, pains, and other issues making movement more difficult for you. This is a cause for concern.

You aren’t alone; age-related debility and chronic health conditions are common in our nation. Many of these concerns are the result of falls, which, According to the NCOA, “cause more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually.” But while there’s no question that our bodies change with age, it is possible to maximize your mobility and independence—and there are plenty of good reasons to do so.

Our physical therapy team can help you maintain a strong, healthy, and mobile body as you get older, manage and prevent chronic illnesses, and keep you active and energized throughout your golden years. Call us today to schedule an appointment!

Reasons to stay active as you age

1. Staying active helps maintain your muscle mass

Loss of muscle mass is a common consequence of aging. But we need to strengthen and maintain our muscles as we age in order to maximize our independence, prevent falls, enhance bone health, improve metabolic and hormonal balances, support the immune system, and optimize overall health.

When it comes to muscle mass, that old saying really is true: “if you don’t use it, you lose it!” If you don’t strengthen your muscles, you could experience atrophy later in life, or even total loss of movement as you age. It might sound scary, but there’s no reason to worry as long as you make a decision today to take good care of your muscles! One of our physical therapists can work with you to establish a safe and effective exercise routine—and address any nagging injuries or illnesses that are making day-to-day function challenging.

2. Staying active increases your lifespan and quality of life

Research strongly suggests that staying physically active at any age can help you lose weight, cut down on stress levels, boost your memory and brain health, and improve your mood. Exercise is especially important for older adults because it reduces the risk of age-related health conditions, helps manage existing health conditions, extends a person’s “health span” and increases longevity(the amount of time spent disease-free). Exercising regularly also keeps your mood elevated, as stated by Healthline, “One study asked 26 healthy men and women who normally exercised regularly to either continue exercising or stop exercising for two weeks. Those who stopped exercising experienced increases in negative mood.”

If you only remember one thing, remember this:

The healthier, stronger, and more active you are as you age, the less likely you are to lose your independence, experience potentially life-threatening injuries, or die early. An added plus: exercise is neuro-protective and good for your brain—making it a no-brainer for any older adult!

3. Exercise helps you to prevent falls.

As previously stated, falling is one of the most common reasons for injuries in aging adults. According to the National Council on Aging, an older adult is medically treated for a fall-related injury every 11 seconds. Sadly, falling events claim the lives of three senior Americans every hour.

Research shows physical therapy is an effective way to prevent falling events in the elderly. Our physical therapist staff can offer you and your loved ones evidence-based strategies to improve your balance, coordination, flexibility, strength, and endurance and avoid the costly physical, financial, and emotional impacts of falls.

While falls are certainly very common—they affect 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 every year—they’re not a “normal” consequence of aging, and you should not accept them as such! Staying physically active is one of the best ways to prevent fall related injuries.

Ready to start getting back into healthy physical activity?

If you are ready to make physical activity an essential component to your healthy aging plan, contact our physical therapy office today to schedule an appointment. One of our skilled physical therapists will assess your physical condition, ask you questions about your medical history, and address any areas of pain you may be having.

Our number priority here is to make sure that you have a good understanding of what it is you need to be doing on a daily basis to maintain your health. Your physical therapist in Dublin, GA is a trained movement specialist who will be able to determine if you’re currently at risk for falls or other serious injuries. They’ll help make sure you leave every appointment feeling confident in the way you’re taking care of your body!

Sources:

• https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults
• https://www.ncoa.org/news/resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/falls-prevention-facts/
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-exercise

What are you doing right now, being still or something else? If you are not moving around, you may be suffering from a sedentary lifestyle. As explained by the American Heart Association, increasing physical activity does not mean a person must train in a state-of-the-art gym. The simplest steps have a dramatic impact on health, and people may improve their activity at home, work or during recreational activities. To improve your level of physical activity, see a physical therapist at Rehab Advantage & Sports Medicine, and start following these tips today.

1. Do Your Own Housework.

Improved physical activity during physical therapy reduces risk for coronary and cardiovascular problems, reports the American Physical Therapy Association’s PT in Motion. One of the best ways to improve physical activity begins in your own home. Do your own chores, regardless of whether they are indoors or outside. Of course, always be vigilant of your surroundings, especially possible dangers that may result in a fall.

2. Park Further Away From Store Entrances.

Parking further away from entrances to stores or even the workplace means a person will need to take more steps to reach a destination. As a result, heart rate increases, and with continued activity, cardiovascular muscle tone improves. This is the same effect as walking on a treadmill in a physical therapist’s office or engaging in any other exercise.

3. Get off the Bus a Few Blocks Early.

Another excellent idea for walking more is to get off the bus a block or two early. This follows the benefits noted by parking further away from entrances too. While this might not be possible for those that drive to work or the store, they still have the option to park a few blocks away, provided towing restrictions do not exist.

4. Dance With the Music.

Yes, dancing when you hear music is exercise. It stimulates the body’s cells, and with time, a person’s endurance increases. Also, music while walking helps pass the time and encourages a person to continue. More notably, listening to music has been shown to help people with mental health problems, such as Parkinson’s, control their movements and walk more, says the National Institutes of Health.

5. Consider Investing in a Standing Desk.

Sitting for prolonged periods is associated with a dramatic increase in risk of premature death, reports the Mayo Clinic. Instead of sitting for too long, consider standing to perform work at the desk or computer. In fact, consider investing in a converting sit-to-standing desk. This desk raises the workstation, and it allows a person to sit and rest when necessary.

6. Take Advantage of Apps That Encourage Physical Activity.

There are thousands of apps available on iTunes and Google Play that promote an active lifestyle. Even Google Fit can remind users to get up from a sitting position, drink water and more. Google Fit also tracks movement with “Move Minutes’ Goals,” which help people see their progress. Also, many apps do not cost anything to download or explore.

7. Work With a Physical Therapist to Develop an Active, Healthy Lifestyle.

For those that have already suffered a major cardiovascular event, such as a stroke, improving physical activity in conjunction with physical therapy, reduces risk for subsequent health problems, reports the AHA.

Apply These Tips in Your Life to Reduce Your Risk and Pain.

A sedentary lifestyle comes with significant health risks. The Mayo Clinic continues with how sitting too much and not getting enough physical activity leads to increased mortality rates comparable to smoking or severe obesity. Yet, simply moving around more negates the adverse effects of sitting time. Thus, people with more physical activity may have longer, healthier and even happier lifespans. Start applying these tips in your life now, and learn more about how you can improve your physical activity by scheduling a physical therapy appointment online at Rehab Advantage & Sports Medicine today.