Newsletter by Achieve Therapy & Fitness
Performance For Life
N E W S L E T T E R
Move As If You Were In Your 20s Again! Staying Active & Becoming Better Balanced
See Inside • Staying Active & Becoming Better Balanced • Meet Anni Engelhardt, PT, DPT • It’s Never Too Late • Medical Therapeutic Yoga for Beginners
January 2019
www.achieve-therapy.com
Performance For Life
N E W S L E T T E R
Staying Active & Becoming Better Balanced Want To Release Stress & Remain Active?
January 2019
There are a million and one tips that are passed down generation to generation about the key to a long and successful life. Some say the secret to a long and happy life is to focus on family; others say it all comes down to finding the right career. Whatever choices you make in your life, and whatever your values are, there are several fundamental truths that are almost always accurate: To stay healthy, you must stay active, and to stay happy, you must stay balanced. Mental and Physical Balance Staying active and staying balanced in many ways go hand in hand. Staying active refers to the amount of activity that you engage in daily. This of course can refer to how much time you spend at the gym, but it can also refer to how many steps you take in a day, how often you find yourself running around the office, and how frequently you head out to the backyard to run around with your children or your dog. Balance in many ways works on the same principles. There are some activities that you do every day because you have to do them — work often falls into this category, as do household chores. But what about the activities that you simply love to do? What about the activities that you enjoy? Think about the last time that you sat down with a book that you loved and made yourself a cup of tea or coffee and really enjoyed the moment. Perhaps it isn’t reading that you wish you had more time for, but instead it is a garden that has grown weeds as it has been neglected. It could be a project at your home that you have looked forward to completing or an old car that you’ve wanted to fix up. There are special hobbies and interests that appeal to each of us, and spending time with those hobbies can help you live a more balanced life. Alongside with the task of becoming more mentally balanced with the things that you spend time with in your life is the challenge of becoming
more physically balanced.There are certain markers that typically indicate trouble with maintaining balance, such as frequently tripping and falling or feeling dizzy when standing too long. But even if you are not having fundamental issues with your ability to stay balanced in this way, you may still have difficulty with whole-body balance. Yoga is a great formof exercise to use to improve your ability to balance, as yoga helps to strengthen core muscles and improve coordination.
You can improve your physical balance by: • Increasing muscle strength • Improving stamina • Improving core strength • Practicing balancing techniques
In addition, taking steps to ensure that you are getting a full night of rest, that you are exercising regularly, and that you are eating a healthy diet are all strong components to ensuring you are well-balanced. Think about the percentage of time that you spend working during the week. For most people this number is well over 40 hours per week! Then consider how much time is spent driving to and from work and around town on errands, and then consider the time spent doing things you have to do at home, like the dishes or the laundry. Then really think about how much time you are spending doing the things that make you feel better — including those hobbies that you love, but also being active and engaging with the people you care about. Part of becoming a more balanced person means finding ways to spend your time more wisely and taking more time for yourself as needed.
Interested in fitness classes, call us at 866.320.3562 or visit achieve-therapy.com today!
It’s Never Too Late You don’t need to grow up as an athlete to enjoy exercise as an adult. There is no point in your life where it is too late to start being more active than you currently are. There are plenty of ways to incorporate light activity into your lifestyle, such as: • Taking a walk in the evening with your family • Wearing a pedometer and trying to take more steps every day • Joining your local community center and using the pool to swim laps several times a week
• Engaging in light weight training at home before work • Taking a yoga class These are just several examples of how you could incorporate more activity into your lifestyle without making many large changes to your way of life. If you feel that your physical health or an old injury is holding you back from being active, contact us. Working with a physical therapist can help you achieve improved balance and a healthy lifestyle.
If you’re wanting to improve your balance and be more active, call us at 866.320.3562 or visit achieve-therapy.com today!
Socialize with Achieve Therapy! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for tips and updates!
Interested in MTY for Beginners?
Anni teaches MTY at our Achieve Therapy & Fitness, Columbia location. Medical Therapeutic Yoga (MTY) is using Yoga as Medicine and Rehabilitation for people of all abilities and limitations. MTY is taught exclusivelyby licensedhealthcareprofessionals
@AchieveTherapyAndFitness
that can evaluate and treat others with various conditions. MTY uses principles of yoga philosophy, physical and occupational therapies; nutrition,exercisephysiologyaswellas incorporatessoundandmusic therapies. MTY teaches ONLY safe and smart Yoga!
@AchieveTnF
@AchieveGF
Interested in MTY? For more information, contact Anni at aengelhardt@achieve-therapy.com.
Anni Engelhardt, PT, DPT
1. Why is PhysicalTherapy so awesome? I love physical therapy because of the variety I see day to day. You get to meet and work with all sorts of people across the lifespan, with different cultural backgrounds, personal hobbies and sports, and personalities. There are a variety of settings available to practice physical therapy, and there is a plethora of learning opportunities to add diversity to our PT toolbox. Every day is different, every patient is different, and the opportunities are endless which makes this field so awesome! 2. Why did you become a Physical Therapist? I have always enjoyed learning, and I wanted to find a career that would support a lifetime of learning. I’ve been fascinated by the human body and how much there is to know about it. My natural curiosity led me to study biology and kinesiology, the studies of life and human movement. What started as a dream to become a medical doctor quickly steered towards Physical Therapy when I realized how little time MDs get to spend with their patients. PT offers a more in-depth connection with patients; having a more meaningful, personable experience with each client steered me to pursue Physical Therapy. 3. What’s the best lesson someone taught you that made you a better PT? I had a clinical instructor during PT school who taught me that sometimes we need to cover up the word “physical” on our name tag and just be a “therapist” because there’s tremendous value in listening to your patients. The phrase that sticks in my mind is “If you listen to your patient, they will tell you what the problem is; if you keep listening, they’ll tell you how to solve it.” I come back to this phrase often to ensure that the client knows I am hearing their story so we can approach the issue as a team. I think listening is a valuable skill for the patient too, because they learn to read the messages their body sends in order to report back when I follow up. 4. What are you passionate about other than Physical Therapy? I am passionate about cooking! I spend most of my weekends planning out my weekly meals, shopping at two or more grocery stores and cooking in bulk on Sundays. I get most of my recipes from my dad, who is an excellent cook! I also have a couple cookbooks with Whole30 recipes,
which is an anti-inflammatory, grain-free, sugar-free diet. I feel better when I eat better, and it helps me stay energized during my busy work week.
5. What is Medical Therapeutic Yoga & how does that differ from regular yoga? Medical Therapeutic Yoga (MTY) is a style of yoga taught by licensed healthcare providers (physical therapists, occupational therapists, registered nurses, etc) who have completed training at the Professional Yoga Therapy Institute. It is different than regular yoga because the instructor has an extensive background in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and other medical sciences as part of their respective license. Additionally, MTY brings in other practices, such as Pilates and functional movements and stresses the importance of breathing and stability in postures, versus flexibility.This encourages the personpracticing, the “yogi”, to learnhow theirbodycanbebestsupported during a yoga practice, given past injuries and such. 6. What are you currently listening to/reading/watching? I am currently listening to a podcast called “Move Your DNA” by Katy Bowman. Katy is a biomechanist that studies natural human movement, and how environment and culture shapes our movements and anatomy. She gives practical advice to find ways to move more and move more parts of our bodies for improved overall function and health. This includes a lot of time barefoot and more time spent in nature. I use many of her strategies in my PT practice and recommend several of her books to my patients. I am also reading Harry Potter (it’s about time!). I’m on book 5 of 7 and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to finally start this series! It’s one of the few things I read that doesn’t require learning, and I just get to enjoy the story. Anni Engelhardt, PT, DPT , is a physical therapist practicing at Achieve Therapy in Grand Forks, ND. Since completing her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. Dr. Engelhardt specializes in total joint replacements, vestibular, TMJ, chronic pain, as well as treatment of spine issues. Dr. Engelhardt is a certified Medical TherapeuticYoga instructorandco-founderofCore toCoeur,apersonalized online exercise service for women.
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