It’s that time of year again.  People are ready to start off the new year in a positive direction.  We get another chance to do it better this year.  Many people will be heading to the gyms to keep their New Year’s resolutions.  This is great but it is one of the best times for physical therapy business. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, New Year’s resolutions result in more foot and ankle injuries, and subsequent surgeries, than any other time of year.  According to them, many of these injuries can be avoided simply by slower progression and the appropriate program design.

 

Human beings, are meant to move.  I know many of you were out there moving like wild animals on the dance floor Saturday night.  I bet some of you are even still sore today.  Maybe in muscles you didn't know you had. My guess is that you over did it.  Drank a little too much and danced a little too much!  I hope you had a blast.  This can be a big problem when it comes to enhancing yourself with a fitness or weight loss program.  I think it’s great that people will be getting back into the gym, hitting the cardio machines and weights.   If you try progressing too quickly you are increasing a chance for injury, thus not achieving your performance goals and leading ultimately to frustration.  Performance enhancement requires patience.  Wellness and performance enhancement is a journey.  There are no short cuts.  Having a long attention span requires setting and chasing goals with high value.   Achieving your goals will require both practice and a longer attention span. 

The best get coaching!  All of the best athletes, dancers, and many successful people who have achieved their fitness goals, employ coaches to develop a plan for them.  Many people head down the roads of life only to end up in cul de sacs.  They have to turn around and try to figure out what they did wrong.  Although there are no shortcuts, there are more efficient plans than others.  There are also plans that may sabotage your progress because they are not designed specifically for you and your goals.  There are experts that can develop a plan for you that is specific to your goals. 

Many fitness and weight loss programs fail because they are unrealistic.  They also fail because they are designed to lose weight quickly.  The weight does come off but it is usually water weight and lean muscle.  Very counter-productive!  In the case of weight loss and fitness, the program should be designed to enhance insulin sensitivity of the muscles, increase your metabolism and ultimately focus on the loss of body fat.  For example, many programs use steady state cardio such as long distance running and biking.  These are great modes of exercise for improving cardiovascular fitness but if done the wrong way, minimal body fat will be lost.  Fat loss is very specific and no one wants to waste their time and energy to end up with frustration.  Pick a program or have someone design a program for you and only you, specific to your goals. 

The program should, first and foremost, include aspects that will keep you healthy and injury free.  There is no way to enhance when you are injured.  Many people hop off the couch and just start working out.  Running injuries, for example, stem from a few simple things.  Bad biomechanics, weak and tight muscles and poor body postures.  A good coach can easily teach you how to get the most out of your program by designing it to fix these types of issues.  Almost every person I work with, both in training and therapy, has biomechanical issues which if addressed, will allow them to get to their goals more quickly and avoid injuries along the way.

Many people are going to experience pain at this time of year from exercising.  If you have pain, try the age-old ice, rest, and elevation.  If you have pain lasting longer than 5-7 days it should definitely be looked at by your chosen orthopedic medical professional or physical therapist.  It may only get worse so you should seek help sooner rather than later.  Letting things get worse will cause you to end up on the bench, out of work, and possibly out of money.  This can all be prevented by being proactive and reactive if you start to experience pain.  The main reasons people stop exercise programs are because of injuries and experiencing too much soreness in their muscles.  These two things can be avoided through proper progression and technique.  Your resolution was to get off the couch or bench.  Avoid putting yourself right back where you started. 


Thanks and Happy 2012 to all,


Lyneil Mitchell, DPT