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DON’T LET COLD WEATHER AFFECT YOUR HEALTH
If you truly can’t bear the thought of being out in the rain, there are still lots of options available. Even if you don’t want to hit the gym, you can do plenty to stay active at home. Even a short amount of exercise, when done with proper form, can give you a great boost. Doing a few dozen squats, some pushups, or a few planks will have an effect on both your mental and physical health, and it will only take a few minutes. Like the weather, the holidays can also create an excuse for us to not exercise. There’s so much going on, and you just want a chance to relax. And, you might reason, you’re eating so much fattening food anyway, so what’s the point of exercise? After all, can’t you just start over again in the new year? I get it — everyone needs a break, and you should be kind to yourself. But you should also be consistent. Instead of going to the gym every day, for example, try going only two or three days a week. Don’t just quit exercising altogether for weeks on end, because it will be so much harder to jump back in once the holidays are over. Routine is important to your body and your brain, so scaling back is a better choice than stopping completely. If you’ve got any other tips on staying active when the weather is less than ideal, please let us know during your next appointment! Something that helps you just might work for some of our other clients. The more we can do to assist and motivate each other, the healthier we’ll all be.
Staying Active in Winter
We’ve been here 16 years now, and my husband and I have found that if we plan a hike when it’s raining, by the time we get there, the rain tends to stop. That’s the lucky thing about our area — it rarely pours for hours on end. We don’t allow the weather to affect our plans because it’s going to change halfway through our activity anyway. (There are also lots of great hikes in our area with lots of tree coverage!) If the rain does keep up, it still shouldn’t stop you from getting the exercise you need to stay healthy. With the right clothes, walking or hiking in the winter can be a lot of fun. It took me about eight or nine years of living here to figure out that good wool socks make a huge difference, so I can’t recommend them enough. Add some quality hiking boots or trail shoes and a hooded rain jacket, and you’re set.
Winter is coming, and we’re in for a cold and rainy season. A lot of people tend to dread this time of year and coop themselves up indoors to avoid the weather. In the process, they often end up avoiding their exercise, too. It’s funny, because my kids grew up here, and they love the rain — they think it’s comforting. As a transplant, I can’t say I have the same relationship they do with the mizzle, but I also don’t let it stop me from doing the things I love and staying active. My husband and I like to joke that only wicked people melt, so we don’t have to worry about getting wet. Yes, it tends to get cold and rainy this time of year — but the truth is that the weather is just an excuse. There are a handful of activities you shouldn’t do while it’s raining (like rock climbing), but most forms of movement are still fair game.
Deductibles reset at the end of the year! Call now to get your appointment for any issues, big or small! 425-497-8180
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CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING WITH A GRATITUDE MEDITATION It’s Easier Than You Think! Thanksgiving is a time when Americans typically reflect on the things they’re
easier with time. You don’t have to think of something big, if nothing comes to mind — it can be as simple as a delicious smoothie or a warm scarf. It is important, though, to be as specific as possible. For example, don’t just think that you’re thankful for your spouse — be thankful, instead, that your spouse cooked you dinner. This specificity will both help you find more things to be grateful for and ensure the things you’re listing truly resonate with you. Reflecting on gratitude can feel corny and cliche at first, but when gratitude is truly felt as an emotion, it’s quite fulfilling. We generally consider gratitude to be an abstract idea, but actually experiencing appreciation regularly will help to transform your outlook on life and keep you grounded in the present. The more time you spend
thankful for, and experts have found that gratitude is actually good for our mental health. Meditation is, too — and the two are closely related. Gratitude meditation is a large part of many meditation practices, and it is growing in popularity. If you’ve never meditated before, don’t freak out — meditation doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Anyone can learn to meditate with just a little time and practice, and there are guided meditations created for all experience levels. In fact, many meditations for beginners can be as short as 2–5 minutes! There are tons of apps available so you can find the one that works best for you. All gratitude meditations involve reflecting on the things you’re grateful for. When you first start, thinking of things you are thankful for may be difficult, but it will get
The real trick is to get past the barrier of thinking you don’t know how to meditate or you don’t have enough time. Sure, you could meditate for an hour, but you can also meditate during your coffee break or morning bus ride. In the end, it’s about making sure you set aside time for yourself, even if only for a few minutes. Once you commit, you’ll be grateful you did.
practicing gratitude the easier it will become, and the better it will feel.
EXERCISE OF THE MONTH 3D Hamstring Stretch
Why: This exercise is a great way to undo the tightness you’ll get from long periods of sitting at work or on car rides. It’s also a GREAT way to warm up your hamstrings (the long muscles in back of the legs) for a run, hike, row, soccer game, or any leg workout. Keeping your hamstrings flexible and happy can prevent back and knee pain and improve performance. You can do this almost anywhere! How: This is a right hamstring example: Put your right foot up on a bench, chair, box, or car bumper with your right knee slightly bent. Tip forward at the hips with a straight back until you feel a slight pull behind your leg. Hold that for 15 seconds, then maintain that position and slowly rotate your trunk left and right. You should feel the pull moving around slightly. Rotate 5–7 times each way. If you don’t want to rotate, then just hold the position for 45 seconds.
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‘THEY NEVER GIVE UP’ What Keeps Olivier Coming Back to PT Pro
Inspired by Delish.com
Olivier Fontana has been going to PT Pro for over a decade now. “I’m good at injuring myself,” he explains. “Pick any articulation in the human body, and there’s a 70% chance they’ve worked on it.” He laughs, “I have a 50-year- old mind, but I think I have a 25-year-old body!” PT Pro is the latest in a long line of physical therapists for Olivier; he’s seen them all his life. A colleague recommended PT Pro, and they were close
VEGAN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE Re-create this classic dish with a vegan twist.
Ingredients
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2 shallots, chopped 8 oz can mushrooms, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb green beans, cooked
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1 small onion, sliced
7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided 1/4 cup and 3 tbsp flour, divided 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
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3 cups almond milk
Directions
to where he worked, so Olivier decided to give them a try. For years, he saw Maureen; as she got busier, he began seeing Mary Frances, who has treated him for the last three years. “Maureen and Mary Frances stay at the top of their field. They’re always telling me about the training they’ve been to and what techniques they’re trying,” he says, “Sometimes, I’ve been the guinea pig!” Olivier has recommended PT Pro to many friends and colleagues over the years because of PT Pro’s thoroughness. “They never give up,” he says, “If something isn’t working, they’ll try something else.” He also appreciates their holistic approach to the human body. “If you come in for your knee, they’ll check your ankles and everything else that could possibly impact your knee,” he says. “They look at the whole body and how other things can impact the ailment you have.” Olivier is the vice president of marketing at Neal Analytics, a cloud, data, and AI consulting firm. He’s originally from France and spent seven years in Holland before moving to the U.S. with his wife 18 years ago. They planned to stay only a couple of years, Olivier says, “but a couple of years became forever.” After 25 years of marriage, he and his wife have three children between the ages of 17 and 25, with one child each being born in France, Holland, and the U.S. Reflecting on the different physical therapists he’s seen over his lifetime, Olivier remarks, “Some PTs will switch back and forth between patients or even watch TV while you do your exercises. But at PT Pro, you’re there for a full hour, and your therapist is 100% dedicated to you.” That dedication is what keeps him coming back. “They really want you to get better,” Olivier says, “I always feel like their No. 1, 2, and 3 priority when I’m with them.”
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” –Joseph Campbell 1. Set the oven to broil. 2. In a shallow baking pan, combine onion, 1 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp flour, and panko breadcrumbs. 3. Broil for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Afterward, preheat the oven to 375 F. 4. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add shallots, mushrooms, and garlic, stirring until tender. 5. In a large bowl, mix mushroom mixture with the cooked green beans. 6. In the same skillet, add 4 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 cup of flour, whisking until golden. Gradually add the almond milk until it thickens, then toss with the green beans. 7. Transfer mixture into a baking dish and cook for 20 minutes. 8. Add onion and breadcrumb mixture on top, then bake for another 5 minutes.
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2569 152nd Ave. NE Redmond, WA 98052
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Maureen’s Tips on Staying Active Despite the Cold
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Practice Gratitude with Meditation
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Exercise of the Month
Olivier Shares His Physical Therapy Experiences
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Comparison Shop Like a Champ This Holiday Season
During the Holiday Season The holiday season can be expensive. Sure, you might describe this time of year with less cynical words like “magical” or “warm,” but unfortunately, most stores don’t accept magic or warmth as legal tender. Whether it be for gifts or for holiday meals and treats, most people want to get the most for their money while saving their time and energy. That’s what makes comparison shopping in the age of technology so worthwhile. In case you didn’t already guess its meaning, “comparison shopping” is simply when you compare prices of the same or similar products at different stores or online retailers. You’ve probably done comparison shopping without knowing you were doing it. However, once you truly embrace the concept, you can increase your savings. Plus, by using the bevy of online price comparison tools, you can do so without scrambling around to every store in town. If you want to comparison shop like a champ this holiday season, here are a few general tips. The best deal isn’t always the lowest price. If you’re buying gifts online, be sure to take shipping costs into account. They might end COMPARISON SHOP LIKE A CHAMP
up making the cheaper option more expensive in the end. You should also take a look at the return fees, in case these could drive the price up significantly. Look at the per unit price for food. If you’re buying groceries for Thanksgiving dinner, sometimes the item that’s more expensive at face value is actually cheaper per unit. That can mean you’ll save money overall by buying in bulk. Be wary of markups. Black Friday can leave you feeling frenzied, and that’s not always when stores have their best deals. In fact, many of them mark up their prices (sometimes “discounting” them back to their regular price) in preparation for that day. It’s a good rule of thumb to be wary of massive “sales” at big retail locations. If you want to know where you can compare prices, take a look at any one of these apps: Google Shopping, PriceGrabber, Shopping.com, Idealo, Shopzilla, BuyVia, NowDiscount, ScanLife, or ShopSavvy.
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