Keep It Simple

By La Plata Physical Therapy, Inc.

Your health and quality of life are greatly influenced by how active you remain throughout your lifespan. There's really no need for new inventions or technologies on how to exercise more, better, or different. The key is to commit to an active lifestyle. Though mentioned many times by numerous sources, this is the most difficult challenge.

If you can ambulant with your legs, simply try to walk more often and for longer lengths. If you cannot ambulate with your legs well, simply add in an arm bicycle and practice arm cycling more often and for longer lengths. (If neither of these suggestions work well for you, consult your physical therapist.)

To help you begin a new commitment journey to a more active lifestyle, first, try thinking about a few different active types of exercise you like and can increase in frequency and time.

Second, establish how often you can reasonably commit to certain days and times of the week.

Third, write it down in a calendar.

And lastly, follow through by performing the exercise and checking it off of your to-do list.

Your health and wellness is predetermined by how you feel mentally, physically, and socially. There is significant evidence showing that supervised exercise is not only the safest way to improve physically, but one of the greatest ways to improve your mental and social state of wellness. Continued activity on most days of the week over the lifespan positively increases improved health and decreases vulnerability to disease and death.

There are many positive reasons for changing your lifestyle from sedentary to active or remaining active for the rest of your life. Some of the most common risk factors that can be prevented, well managed or even reversed to normal state (homeostasis) by performing exercise are anxiety, depression, cholesterol, blood pressure, resting heart rate, type 2 diabetes, respiratory function, cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease.

By increasing your activity level you are allowing your body to increase endorphins, blood circulation, good cholesterol (HDL), lower blood viscosity, sugar processing, heart strength, lung capacity, oxygen levels overall (including the brain), muscular endurance, muscular strength, balance, flexibility, and positivity to name a few.

If you have any physical pain, beginning exercise in physical therapy is a very smart way to begin your exercise journey. Remember, being referred to physical therapy starts with a prescription from your physician and ends with you choosing what facility you would like to attend for your physical therapy care.