Despite the many changes we have been experiencing due to COVID-19, finding ways to maintain healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle are still especially important.
Participating in regular physical activity has been shown to improve immune system health, address some chronic conditions, and can also help with combating anxiety and fear
Physical therapists are trained practitioners who specialize in movement and its effects on the body. There are many ways to stay active while still following the CDC’s guidelines for safe social distancing. Below are a few tips:
- Keep moving.
By finding ways to raise your heart rate and challenge your breathing, you can maintain or improve your cardiovascular fitness. Some examples include walking, running, or biking, at-home yoga, or even dance videos. Another way to keep moving is to practice the movements of your usual activities such as golf or tennis; take this time to improve your form. Track your progress and over time, try adding more repetitions, distance, longer duration, etc. to continue to challenge yourself.
- Stretch daily.
In addition to staying active, stretching daily can help maintain or improve your flexibility. See article link for a 30-minute home stretching program. Try stretching during daily activities such as during commercial breaks while watching TV.
- Maintain muscle strength.
Regular exercise is vital to maintaining muscle strength. See for a generalized 30-minute home strengthening program that can be modified to easy, moderate, or advanced levels. Other options for home strengthening programs include exercise videos or streaming services.
Hope Physical Therapy is keeping its doors open during this time with stringent safety precautions. If you have health-related questions, areas of discomfort, or are unable to perform certain activities, give us a call to schedule an appointment.
We would be happy to help you identify the cause of your issue and provide ways to address them. Prefer to avoid regular in-clinic visits? We offer individualized home programs to our patients to address their specific needs. We can show you stretches and exercises you can do to work on your specific issues independently.
719-466-6800 or email us at frontoffice@hope4wellness.com
You can also check us out on social media for videos and other ideas on things you can do from home. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: @hope4wellnessco
Jaquelyn