As we wave goodbye to winter we look forward to the warmer months ahead, with bright colors, fresh smells and tastes, and a renewed desire to get healthier, stronger and more active. Though pain can make exercising seem less desirable, when done the right way, strength training can actually help to ease your pain. Especially in the case of pain from muscle tightness, those muscles often require more strengthening than stretching for long-term relief.
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NEWSLETTER The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
Better. Faster. Stronger. HOW STRENGTH TRAINING CAN HELP YOU BECOME HEALTHIER & STRONGER
INSIDE: - Better. Faster. Stronger. - What does it take to be healthier? • Tips To a Healthier, Stronger, More Active You - Body Gears News - Exercise of The Month - Patient Success Spotlight
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NEWSLETTER The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
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As we wave goodbye to winter we look forward to the warmer months ahead, with bright colors, fresh smells and tastes, and a renewed desire to get healthier, stronger and more active. Though pain can make exercising seem less desirable, when done the right way, strength training can actually help to ease your pain. Especially in the case of pain from muscle tightness, those muscles often require more strengthening than stretching for long-term relief. Our highly trained physical therapists can get you going on the right track whether you’ve never lifted weights before or you’re a seasoned lifter looking to take it to the next level. With the most advanced training in anatomy and biomechanics of any fitness professional, physical therapists have the right knowledge and the time to listen, evaluate, and guide you toward a pain-free, stronger, and healthier lifestyle. Call the Body Gears Physical Therapy today to learn more and feel confident in your gym routine! Better. Faster. Stronger.
HOW STRENGTH TRAINING CAN HELP YOU BECOME HEALTHIER & STRONGER
Strength + Flexibility There are approximately 642 skeletal muscles in the body. This means that your strength and flexibility play an important role in your health. Your muscles not only create movement but they support your circulatory and breathing systems. A stronger and more flexible you means a healthier you. Relieving joint or muscle pain and guiding you on proper strength training exercises are integral parts of our specialized physical therapy treatments. Building muscle mass and learning new ways to move helps to both prevent future injuries and enhance performance. If you’re recovering from an injury or underlying condition that is causing you pain, strength training will help you get back to your optimum physical performance.
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What does it take to be healthier?
Tips To a Healthier, Stronger, More Active You
4. Drink more water. Muscles are 79% water and protein breakdown can accelerate if your cells don’t have enough water to fill them up. 5. Breathe! Work on your diaphragmatic breathing techniques to increase oxygen intake and get your lymphatic system moving. 6. Sleep at least 7 hours a night. Growth hormone is released at night which helps to build muscle massand repairdamaged tissues. Not to mention, a lack of sleep makesyou moresensitive topain. 7. Take care of aches and pains. If it’s been lingering on for a month, you’re well overdue to get professional help at Body Gears Physical Therapy.
1. Limit your sitting to 30 min. It’s been well-established in researchthattimespentexercising does not offset time spent sitting. Sitting for long periods shortens muscles in the front of the body and negatively affects your movement mechanics. 2. Get your 10,000 steps in. It’s better to regularly move more on a daily basis than only get your movement in when you workout a couple times a week. 3. Nutrition + portion control. Try counting your calories for just one week to get a sense of how much you should be eating and which foods are costing you calories without giving you that satisfied full feeling. You don’t need to get obsessive about keeping track but you may find that your mental gauge needs recalibrating.
Health is a relative term. Good physical health is generally perceived as the ability to participate in all daily activities without worry or restriction. Any ways that your body might be limiting you on a daily basis is something that should be directly addressed as it’s impacting your health. At the Body Gears Physical Therapy, our holistic approach will get you back on track to living a happy and healthy lifestyle. Our physical therapistswillfirst restoreyourcapacity formovement then create and prescribe the best exercises for a speedy recovery and ongoingstrengthening.Yourexerciseswillbedependentuponwhich part(s) of your body are in need of strengthening and may include body weight exercises (such as squats, push-ups, or planks) and exercises using additional equipment (such as resistance bands, exercise balls, or hand weights).
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Exercise of theMonth Test out your squat form
Staff Spotlight
Dr. Julia Melanson, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist Julia earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia. She also has a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from the University of British Columbia in Canada. Julia worked as a student athletic trainer during her undergraduate studies with both the men’s rugby
and women’s hockey teams and continues to enjoy treating all types of athletes. She has experience in manual therapy and a passion for educating people on how the body works as our in-house blog and newsletter writer.
Certifications and Training: • Doctor of Physical Therapy • Licensed Physical Therapist by the State of Illinois • APTA/IPTA Member Education: University of Melbourne • Doctorate in Physical Therapy, 2016
Functional Squat
Find something you can use as a dowel and maintain contact points at your sacrum, between the shoulder blades, and back of the head. Hinge forward at your hips first before bending at the knees to lower into your squat. Ensure you maintain the three contact points as you rise from your squat too.
University of British Columbia • Bachelor of Kinesiology, 2013
Patient Success Spotlight
Body Gears News
We’d like to give a special congratulations to Raymone Fleming, as he parts ways with Body Gears to enlist in the Army as an Active Duty SignalSupportSystemSpecialist.During his time at Body Gears, Raymone, better knownasRay,servedasoneofourmany proficient Billing Specialists in our Billing Department. While Ray has always been a source of support and reliance in regards to anything billing-related, he also brought a sense of warmth with his affable smile and incredible sense of humor. He leaves us with gratitude in his heart as he reflects on his time spent here at Body Gears: “Body Gears was a great working experience with a great environment and great employers who brought a positive vibe everyday which made the work space more enjoyable and home-like”. Ray, we thank you for your hard work and dedication and we wish you nothing but the absolute best in all of your future endeavors. Thank you for serving our country. Raymone Fleming
"I'm sleeping better and getting stronger."
“I have had leg discomfort for 30 years and although I had to get up a couple times each night to stretch, I just thought it was something I had to live with. But over the past couple of years, I was getting up every 2-4 hours and was afraid to do any activities that required me to sit for more than a couple hours (air plane rides, concerts, movies, car trips, etc.) I finally saw a doctor who sent me to Body Gears. In addition to really helping me, what I love about Body Gears is their professionalism and how they treat people. If I arrive early to my appointment, a knowledgeable and friendly exercise therapist gets me going on my stretches and exercises so there is no sitting around. It all adds up to making me feel like I'm important and my recovery is important. That helps me to stick with the plan and work hard. The leg discomfort is going away, I'm sleeping better and getting stronger. I just can't believe I didn't do this sooner.” - Mary V. (Body Gears Graduate)
® Listen in on our "Gearing Up" podcast With theweatherwarminguphere inChicago we know a lot of you are going to get out and start exercises outside. Listen to our podcast on "GIG (Get In Gear) What Does it Mean to Prepare to Exercise" for tips on how to get your body ready!
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Request AComplimentary Screening Schedule Your FreeDiscovery Session www.BodyGears.com | 877-709-1090 VISITOURWEBSITEORGIVEUS ACALL: This 20-minute appointment will allow you to meet a physical therapist, share your story, and complete a mini-assessment. The purpose of this screening is to answer two questions: 1. Which techniques will help you change your story? 2. How can Body Gears help you achieve your functional goals? Our physical therapists will be able to quickly provide you the information you need to take the next step. We hope it's with us! ® ® Whether you’re recovering from an injury, training for a competition, or you’re striving for better health, wellness and freedom of movement, Body Gears can help you achieve your optimum self.
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Join Us in Recognizing National Infertility.
Anyone can be challenged to have a family. No matter what race, religion, sexuality or economic status you are, infertility doesn’t discriminate. Together, we can change how others view infertility. It begins with being part of the national movement, everyone can make a difference. No matter how big or small the effort may be, you can get involved and “be the change you want to see in this world.” Join us in celebrating National Infertility Awareness Week® with RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and our partners at Pulling Down the Moon on April 21-27, 2019 to help unite millions of Americans who want to remove the stigmas and barriers that stand in the way of building families. Everyone can make a difference. No matter how big or small the effort may be, you can get involved and ‘be the change you want to see in this world.’ April is also Stress Awareness Month and each year health professionals join forces to increase public awareness regarding causes and cures for the modern stress epidemic. Research is mixed about whether stress can impact fertility, though our partners at “The Moon” can definitely tell you that fertility treatment causes stress! Holistic health services including
Acupuncture, Massage, Nutrition, and Yoga at Pulling Down the Moon can support women’s and men’s health-wellness through fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and more! Pulling Down the Moon has experienced practitioners that are the leading experts in holistic fertility--having walked this path themselves and they continue to pave the way. They want to help you own your family-building journey whether trying naturally to conceive or to incorporate holistic health treatment into the cycle with your reproductive endocrinologist. Learn more about how Pulling Down the Moon can help you at their upcoming FREE events for National Infertility Awareness this month including Journaling for the Journey and Reducing Fertility Stress One Breath at a Time! Or try a Yoga for Fertility series from the comfort of your own home which research shows can reduce anxiety and stress by 20% or more in just six weeks! For more information and to learn about how holistic services can support you, visit them at https://www.pullingdownthemoon. com/ or call 7-days a week at 312-321-0004. Interested in learning about holistic services can support you, then call them seven days a week at: 312-321-0004!
Stretch Stretching your muscles is a great way to keep the blood flowing to your brain. You may find that your body has a natural need to stretch when it has been stagnant too long. This does not mean you need to roll out the yoga mat by your desk and do a pigeon pose. You can stretch your arms, legs, back, and neck in just a few minutes without special equipment and enjoy greater productivity for hours afterward. Don’t Forget to Breathe We breathe thousands of times a day without even thinking about it, yet becoming aware of your breath is a great way to reduce stress, think more clearly, and work better. Take a deep breaths that fill your entire rib cage and abdomen and expel all of the air out. Then, enjoy a more productive day. Tell us what you struggle with at work by clicking the button below. We’ll arrange for you to speak with one of our physical therapy experts about how we can help you experience a more pain-free and productive workday. CAN INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY Written by: Body Gears HOW STAYING ACTIVE AT WORK
every 20 minutes, changing positions, or walking to another office is enough to give your brain the blood flow it needs to be ready for the tasks at hand. Of the free rest break software we’ve researched, this one is our favorite since you can customize how invasive the computer reminders are (from a small message bubble in the corner of the screen to locking your entire desktop), you can set custom messages when your breaks start (like a reminder to do the stretches your PT gave you or check your sitting posture), and you can customize the time between breaks as well as how long the breaks are. Stay Hydrated On average, water represents up to 60% of our body weight yet many of us walk around chronically dehydrated. In addition to digestive problems, fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain, chronic dehydration can slow productivity and even lead to distracting headaches. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Consuming water throughout the day will keep your brain sharp and your body more active as well. The more you walk to the kitchen to get water, the more you’ll be walking to the bathroom later too.
Picture yourself at work. Are you hunched over a keyboard, clicking away on a mouse, cradling your phone on your shoulder? Are the most moving around you’re likely to do walking to and from the copy machine? It’s no surprise that our sedentary jobs are causing fatigue and stiffness, both mentally and physically. Fortunately, having a desk job doesn’t exclude you from experiencing physical activity at work. Give these activities a try to boost your physical well-being and productivity. Time for a Mental Shift Somehow, somewhere along the way, Americans got it into their heads that working without breaks is the sign of productivity. Not true! Working without breaks not only causes physical and mental fatigue, but studies have shown that people who allow themselves to take a break are more productive than their power-through counterparts. Use the 1 in 20 Rule On average, the mind can only work continuously on a singular task for 20 minutes at a time before productivity begins to slow. Fortunately, it does not take a lot to reset the brain’s ability to refocus. Standing up and moving around
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