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June/July 2020
Fancy Fridays The Importance of Finding the Fun Since the shelter-in-place order went into effect, it’s pretty common for the days to feel like they blend together. While our office has still been operating through the pandemic, I’ve noticed how Fridays feel like Saturdays, which feel like Tuesdays. This is why I was pretty excited when a patient told me about Fancy Fridays. The idea behind Fancy Fridays is pretty simple. Since my patient and his wife couldn’t go out to eat due to the closure of restaurant dining rooms, on Fridays, they would dress up as if they were going out and prepare a meal together at home. It was how they kept doing date nights while everything was shut down, and since it sounded like a really fun idea, I took it home and proposed the new tradition to my family. Right away, my wife was into it. The kids took a little more convincing, though. They thought it was silly and didn’t see the point in getting dressed up when we weren’t leaving the house. Ultimately, Laura and I told the kids that participation in Fancy Fridays was mandatory. We were going to do this together as a family. They fought the first Fancy Friday but finally agreed to participate. The next week, I noticed that they were a little more into it. By week three, my daughter, Macy, was planning our whole meal in advance. Macy likes to cook, so she has really enjoyed coming up with the meals. We do an appetizer, main dish, and even desserts. Macy has made a number of fancy desserts for us, including chocolate souffle and homemade vanilla ice cream with caramel and churro chips. She’s really putting the “fancy” in Fancy Friday. Kaden, my son, has also really gotten into the tradition. He started asking me each week
if we were doing it again and if we could dress up. One Friday when I got home, the kids were already dressed up!
Fancy Fridays have become something the whole family can look forward to, and the kids are taking steps to make it happen. We’ve done Italian night, Greek night, even Asian night. Our favorite Fancy Friday has been pizza night. Laura and Macy made pizza dough from scratch using Italian flour. That evening, everyone got their own ball of dough, and we made little personal pizzas together. It was a lot of fun! We’ve never been the kind of people to eat out all the time, but not being able to go out at all was really wearing on us. Being able to take what would have been just another night and make it special has been really good for us. It’s helped us maintain a sense of normalcy in strange and uncertain times. The situation as a whole has been difficult in many ways, but Fancy Fridays are a great reminder that we can overcome such challenges. We can still have fun and find joy in life; we just might have to put a little spin on it.
–Julian Manrique
Focus Physical Therapy • Call 949.709.8770 • 1
Keep Your Brain Young
3 Tips for Good Brain Health From Harvard Medical School
As we age, our bodies change, including our mental functions. Cognitive decline is one of the biggest fears of aging, but it’s not inevitable. Though we’re still learning new things about how our brains work, there’s a lot of scientific research that shows how to keep your brain young. If you want to keep your mind sharp throughout your lifetime, then follow this advice from Harvard Medical School. 1. Get a good workout. Exercising regularly helps all the muscles and organs in your body, even your brain! A good workout can lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels, which help your brain and your heart. Harvard Health Publishing, a website of Harvard Medical School, also notes that “animals who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought.” 2. Pay attention to your mental health. Poor mental health can lead to impaired cognitive function. Chronic anxiety, depression, and exhaustion tend to cause low scores on cognitive function tests. But test scores aren’t necessarily a sign
of future cognitive decline, and Harvard Health Publishing urges readers to maintain good mental health and get restful sleep, as they are “certainly important goals” for improving cognitive function and overall well-being. 3. Stay connected. It’s not enough to focus on yourself. In order to maintain your long- term cognitive health, you should also focus on your connections with other people. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy.” Make new friends, stay in touch with family members, and maintain positive relationships in your life. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is certainly true when it comes to your brain health. Do what you can today to protect your mental functions tomorrow.
The biggest compliment you can give us is referring friends and family. Thank you for all your referrals and keep them coming!
SUCCESS STORIES
“About a month ago, I could barely stand for longer than one minute. Both of my feet had excruciating pain, and I had to take frequent rest breaks to prevent the sharp feeling in my feet from getting worse. My podiatrist had tried numerous remedies in the past, but the pain persisted. In the past month since coming to Focus, my foot pain has been reduced by 70%, and I can walk pain-free again. The entire staff takes care of me and is able to pick up right where I left off from my previous visit. They communicate very well and implement new techniques to help their patients heal as fast as possible. I highly recommend Focus PT to anyone that is ready to be pain-free.” - Sepehr Bekam
We love our clients!
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Answering Your Questions About Online Sessions
Don’t Hit Pause on Your Health
Focus Physical Therapy is embracing the future. We now offer telehealth and online physical therapy sessions! These services help empower patients to take control of their lives and continue on their path to health even when they cannot come into the office. Here are the answers to some common questions patients have about online sessions. “What should I expect from my online session?” Patients who sign up for an online session can expect to have a one- on-one meeting with one of our doctors of physical therapy over video chat. Your PT will discuss your medical history and find out what troubles you’re currently facing. Then, they will lead you through some specialized
movements and testing that you can do at home. Based on the results of this, your PT will be able to identify the true cause of your symptoms. With this knowledge, they will be able to create a treatment plan that will help you get back to normal. Once this plan is designed, you can decide whether you would like to continue the treatment via online sessions or if you would prefer to come into the office for in- person appointments. “Are online sessions as effective as in-person appointments?” As the name implies, physical therapy is a physical field and there will always be benefits from being able to meet with your PT in person. However, online sessions are an effective alternative for those who wish to continue their treatments but are unable to come into the office. If you are working from home, then online sessions can be exceptionally beneficial. During these sessions, you can show your PT what your workstation looks like. Your PT can then make recommendations for adjusting your workstation so it is optimal for your health. “I was in physical therapy but had to halt treatment due to concerns of COVID-19. Can I pick up my treatment again with online sessions?” Yes! If you have to stay at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, then online sessions allow your PT to ensure that you are doing your exercises properly, make recommendations to progress the exercises if needed, and educate you on self-treatment techniques you can use at home to decrease your symptoms. Your health is essential. Don’t wait to take care of yourself. Call 949.709.8770 now and discover how online sessions can help you continue your treatment, overcome pain, and improve your overall health and well-being.
FIG CAPRESE SALAD Inspired by BonAppetit.com
HAVE A LAUGH
It’s sweet. It’s savory. It’s the embodiment of summer.
Ingredients
• Flaked sea salt, to taste • Coarse ground black pepper, to taste • Olive oil, to taste
• 8 oz buffalo mozzarella or fresh mozzarella
• 8 oz ripe fresh figs, quartered lengthwise • Handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
Directions
1. Tear mozzarella into bite-size pieces. Arrange on a platter. 2. Place quartered figs, flesh up, around mozzarella. 3. Sprinkle basil leaves over top. 4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 5. Drizzle with olive oil.
Focus Physical Therapy • Call 949.709.8770 • 3
30212 Tomas #120 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, USA
949.709.8770
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Focuspt.net
SPECIALIZING IN: LOWER BACK PAIN • SCIATICA • NECK PAIN AND HEADACHES HIP PROBLEMS • SHOULDER PAIN, BURSITIS, AND TENDINITIS SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY • GOLF PERFORMANCE KNEE PAIN • PLANTAR FASCIITIS • DIZZINESS AND VERTIGO AQUATIC PHYSICAL THERAPY • AND OTHER CONDITIONS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1 2
How We Find the Fun
Harvard’s Tips to Keep Your Brain Young
2 3 3 4
Success Story
Stop Putting Your Health on Hold!
Fig Caprese Salad
How to Bring the Water Park Home for Your Kids
Summer is finally here, and if you have kids at home, then that means their constant needling about a trip to the pool or water park probably started already! Luckily, you don’t need to spend a fortune on the water park to have a great time cooling down this month — you can bring the water park to you! Bring the Water Park to Your Family! 3 WAYS TO HAVE FUN IN THE SUN AT HOME
your family is big enough for a full-scale water balloon fight, fill as many balloons as you can get your hands on and plan out a full list of games, like duck, duck, splash (the “goose” gets a wet head); capture the water balloon (instead of pulling flags, get soaked); or a water balloon spoon race (the first person to cross the finish line with an intact balloon wins). Check out KaseyTrenum.com or LocalFunforKids.com for more ideas or keep it simple and host a water balloon dodgeball free-for-all.
Design a homemade water slide.
If you have a big plastic tarp, a garden hose, stakes, and dish soap, then you have the makings of a great water slide. Simply spread out the tarp (on an incline if possible), secure it with the stakes, then arrange the hose at the top of the “slide” so water pours down. Add some soap for bubbles and extra slipperiness, then you’re good to go — just encourage the kids to take a running start. If you want an option that requires less assembly, purchase a Slip ‘N Slide kit at pretty much any big-box store or Amazon.
Whip up some park treats.
Are your kids big fans of funnel cakes, Dippin’ Dots, or that signature water park burger or pizza? If favorite treats are integral to the water park experience, then try turning your kitchen into a snack kiosk! Stock up on popsicles and burger fixings or attempt The Gracious Pantry’s healthy homemade Dippin’ Dots or Live Well Bake Often’s homemade funnel cakes.
Host a water balloon challenge.
Huge packs of water balloons are easy to find online or at your local dollar store and can supply hours of fun for a few bucks. If
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