THE NEWSLETTER ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND CARING FOR YOUR BODY
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH, ENERGY AND FITNESS
It’s that time of year again, the beginning of a new season, when most of us will bundle up and do our best to survive the cold months ahead. So what can you do to better take care of your health during these cooler months? Will you set a goal to lose weight, exercise more, eat better and increase your activity level? Unfortunately, such declarations often fail after a month or two. This can often be attributed to two things: a lack of readiness to actually change bad habits and a pattern of setting unrealistic expectations. So what types of resolutions can we make that we’ll actually stick to? If you want to improve your health and increase your energy, here are some simple ways to change your lifestyle for the better. 1. Begin the day with protein. Eating protein for breakfast helps curb your appetite throughout the day and tends to improve your overall diet as well. While you may wind up consuming the same number of calories over a day’s time, you’ll be less tempted by high-fat snacks around dinnertime. Keep in mind that there are plenty of plant-based proteins available, including hemp seeds, black beans, almonds, edamame, and pumpkin seeds among them. 2. Limit your drinks. By this, we aren’t only referring to alcohol. Instead, try to cut back on the calorie-laden drinks popular this time of year. Concoctions such as sweetened coffee drinks, sodas, diet sodas and energy drinks can be detrimental to a healthy diet. Focus on a higher consumption of water during the day, and to make it easy, have a glass by your desk or carry a bottle around with you. 3. Try wearable technology. Research shows that people who use wearable technology, gadgets such as Fitbits, Garmin, and Withings, tend to stick to their exercise routine
more faithfully than those who don’t. With many of them, you can track your heart rate, steps per minute, sleep cycles, and more.
4. Increase Your Range of Motion. Avoid shortcuts when it comes to exercising. Strive for using the greatest range of motion. This may include making longer lunges, stretching arms more while jumping rope, or leaning over further during yoga. Whatever the case, doing so helps your muscles do more work per rep, which results in breaking down more tissue by the end of your workout. If you have difficulty reaching a full range of motion, or have discomfort, consult your physical therapist. 5. Reduce fatigue. As anyone who has tried and failed at establishing a regular exercise routine can agree, fatigue is the number one enemy. To help combat this, drink beet juice. Studies show that it can increase stamina by up to 16 percent. Furthermore, listen to music that keeps you motivated. Listening to the right music can actually expand your blood vessels by 26 percent. Work on a schedule routine that ensures you get enough rest, exercise, and activity. 6. Switch it up. If you’ve been plugging through the same fitness routine day after day, you may notice a reduction in strength gain. To avoid this, try different exercises, working out at different times of day, using different repetitions, or lifting different weights. Consider ways to add healthy decision-making to your lifestyle. Remember that putting things off doesn’t get you to where you want to be. We are here to help you reach your goals and achieve a healthy, pain-free lifestyle.
Call to talk to your TheraFit physical therapist today!
www.therafital.com
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