Happy New Year!
You’ve made a resolution – it’s time to start a fitness program, as recommended by your physiotherapist and doctor.
How do you start?
You need to commit to the program – don’t miss a day of your scheduled exercise. And you need support – your family needs to accept this important addition to your schedule.
Continuously focus on the positive benefits of exercise, which include:
- Decreasing the risk of having a heart attack
- Decreasing high blood pressure
- Increasing enjoyment of family and recreational activities
- Decreasing the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer
- Decreasing the risk of developing diabetes
- Decreasing body weight and body fat
- Building a healthy heart, lungs, muscles, bones, and joints
- Reducing depression and anxiety, and improving your self-image
- Living a longer, happier life
If you do your exercises first thing in the morning, it’s a great way to start the day before other responsibilities get in the way. Block out one hour, three times per week for your program.
Warm up – Warming up is important to get the blood flowing to the muscles, lubricate the joints, and prepare your muscles for more intense exercise. You should warm up for 5-8 minutes before strength training. Use a treadmill, stationary bicycle, cross trainer, or stair stepper.
Stay hydrated – drink plenty of water. We suggest you hydrate after each set of exercises.
Proper technique – Ask one of the fitness staff at your gym. They will be happy to help, and improper technique can lead to injury.
Stretch – You should stretch after you do your gym exercises. Good flexibility is import to maintain proper muscle length, decrease pain and tension, and to maintain joint range of motion. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds and repeat them 2 times each.
If you’re having difficulty with your strength and flexibility, come and see one of our expert therapists at EQ Physio. We can develop a program for you, and keep you on the right track to achieve your goals! Our clinic is conveniently located at the corner of Dundas and Trafalgar in Oakville.
