Tag Archive for: new years

How to NOT let Aches and Pains Ruin your New Year’s Goals

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It’s that time of year, when we start looking ahead and setting goals for ourselves. It’s especially exciting now because we aren’t only entering a new year – but a new DECADE!

Exercising more and losing weight are the top New Year’s resolutions on everyone’s lists year after year. But what if you’re suffering from back or knee pain?  One of the worst things you can do is ignore pain and assume that by simply exercising more or losing weight, your ailments will just go away. It’s certainly a reasonable expectation, however, I typically see an influx of people calling my office right around March because these aches and pains have not only worsened — but derailed their New Year’s goals completely.

I don’t want to see that happen for you. So here are my top tips to NOT let aches and pains ruin your New Year’s goals:

1. Get assessed by an expert:

 

Your first thought might be to go see your doctor if you’re suffering from something like back or knee pain. But most medical doctors are trained to screen you for problems like broken bones or serious pathologies – not to actually assess your movement. You need to know how your pain behaves during everyday functional movements to truly fix it – and to avoid unnecessary procedures and surgery.  X-rays, MRI’s, or simply moving your limbs around on a treatment table won’t do that… but that is what a medical doctor is trained to do. A specialty physical therapy practice will be able to assess your movement in detail, through various movement tests, which will tell a much better story about how your pain may or may not impact the new exercise or weight loss program you’re about to start. Plus, we’ll be able to give you customized modifications so that you can embark on your new goal while decreasing your risk of injury.

2. Mobility before Stability:

This is a saying you hear me say all the time in my office. Your muscles won’t function at their best if you don’t have optimal joint mobility. In other words, you don’t want to strengthen around a stiff joint, or you’ll encourage compensation. Full and free mobility requires adequate flexibility in your joints as well as your muscles. Most people don’t think – or even know – how to assess their joint mobility. If you’re suffering from chronically stiff joints, you’ll want to get them checked before you start a new exercise program. I recommend seeing a movement expert, like those employed in our office, to make sure you’re ready and able to start on that new exercise program you’re so excited about!

3. Stay Hydrated:

Drinking lots of water has two great benefits. It will give you the extra hydration you need if you’re planning to be more active. And it will help you lose weight by curbing your appetite. Some additional benefits of staying hydrated include increased muscle strength and stamina, more lubrication in your joints, more supple skin, better cardiovascular function, and improved energy and mental alertness. One really easy tip to jumpstart your day and improve your daily hydration intake is to begin with 10 oz of water first thing upon waking. Add a squeeze of lemon for extra vitamin C and supported weight loss.

4. Pace yourself:

It’s very appealing and motivating to go “all in” on your new exercise or weight loss goal and 10x it… and I applaud you for it. But remember, you have 12 months, and really, the rest of your life to accomplish your goal in any way that you see fit. In other words, take pleasure and pat yourself on the back for simply setting a goal. That’s a first step that many don’t even get to. Be proud of yourself for setting an intention and envisioning a better quality of life. To give yourself the best odds of staying on that path, I encourage you to listen to your body and take your time in acclimating to a new exercise program. Don’t fight your body if it’s talking to you.  Our bodies talk to us for a reason. If you need help figuring out what your body is trying to say to you – click here to schedule a FREE Discovery Session with us in Portsmouth. We’re happy to translate for you!

Happy New Year – and Happy New Decade! 

5 benefits of adding pilates to your fitness routine

Setting Goals for the New Year? We can help!

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A new decade is on the horizon, and so are new health and wellness goals for many of us!

Are you already discussing resolutions or considering ways to make 2020 your best yet? The new year is a great opportunity to form new habits that will help us become our healthiest, happiest selves. Setting detailed goals is a constructive way to approach the 2020’s that can help you feel more motivated and hopeful about the future.

The idea of New Year’s resolutions is great, but most people only stick to them for a couple weeks.

Resolutions are so often left unfulfilled in part because they’re usually pretty general statements that are made without much forethought, intention, or planning. At some point we’ve probably all resolved to “get healthy” or “eat more vegetables” or “spend less money.” All worthy ideas, but can you see why people don’t follow through?! There’s WAY too much wiggle room, and nowhere near enough specificity. That’s why oftentimes, setting goals with distinct processes will help you accomplish much more than a run-of-the-mill resolution.

There are two essential factors in goal setting. First, the goal must be attainable. Secondly, you must define concrete steps that you intend to take towards reaching that goal.

Most of us want to be healthier, but what does that actually look like? One person’s journey to becoming healthy could be totally different from another’s. These goals can be made in conjunction with a health professional such as a physical therapist, especially if they relate to mobility, strength, and physical activity. Many of us have intended to “exercise more,” but those two words rarely yield results. A more effective goal might be to enroll in a Pilates class, take a half hour walk outside five days a week, drink the recommended 64 ounces of water each day, or to do ten minutes of stretching every morning after getting out of bed.

A group program such as Pilates can be especially helpful because it gives you a sense of accountability and camaraderie. In fact, our signature Pilates 101 program is relaunching in January, and we are so excited about it! Pilates 101: Get [Your] Back to Health is a one-of-a-kind 8-week program that delivers safe, yet highly effective Pilates-based core strengthening exercises that are easy on the joints, designed to lessen back pain, and help improve your flexibility and posture.

If you can track, schedule, or measure the steps of your goal, you’ll know when you’re making progress. If those steps happen alongside people who share similar goals and under the direction of a movement expert who can support you for two whole months — even better!

So, let’s finish off this decade strong — and don’t miss out on Pilates 101! These spots go fast, so apply now to make sure you don’t miss your chance.

Setting Goals for the New Year: Part Four — Small Goals That Get You to Big Goals

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You’ve reached the final installment of our goal-setting series, which means you’re in great shape to start the New Year off right! So far, we’ve talked about addressing the obstacles between you now and where you want to be in a year, choosing a long term goal, and breaking that long term goal into a series of short term goals. The final step is making sure you can achieve each of those smaller goals!

The key to success is specificity.

Specificity is a key theme across this whole series. If your goals aren’t precise and clearly defined, you have little chance of actually achieving them. So assign a specific time frame to each of your short term goals. If you want to start Pilates, then give yourself a deadline to check the website for class offerings, a deadline to sign up, and mark your calendar with the dates of each class. Clearly define the location where your goal takes place (for example, our Pilates studio at the office in Portsmouth) and the specific hours that you need to devote to it each week.

You can apply the same process to any goal. Maybe you want to cut down on your TV watching hours or learn how to cook. Once you’ve set your short term goals (such as watching less than 10 hours of TV per week for an entire month, or enrolling in a cooking class), define the specific time, location, duration, and steps that go into each short term goal.

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A Pilates class at our office in Portsmouth!

Support your success with an accountability team!

Along with specificity, accountability is another important theme in goal setting. Identifying and communicating with people who are willing and able to keep you focused can make a huge difference in motivation. Your accountability team can be anyone who will hold you accountable for the things you really need to be doing, redirect your focus if you’re pouring all your energy into less crucial tasks, see things you’re not seeing, and sometimes to simply give you the thumbs up (or down).

If you have any health-related goals, a physical therapist can be a great addition to your accountability team.

Don’t work with people who simply put bandaids on the problem in the form of drugs or quick fixes. Work with someone who is willing to dig in and find a real solution, support you along the way, and hold you accountable for the time and energy that you need to invest in your health as well!

If you’re interested in adding a specialist physical therapist (and/or Pilates instructor) to your accountability team, you can reach out anytime or even request a time to talk to one of our specialists for FREE.

Share your progress with people who care!

As you embark on the journey of a new year, don’t forget to share your progress in reaching your goals! At CJPT & Pilates, we’d LOVE to hear what you’re doing to better your health in 2019. Keep us updated on Facebook and Instagram so that we can be your personal cheering section all year long!

Setting Goals for the New Year: Part Three — Achieving Your Long Term Goal

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If you’re keeping up with our goal-setting series, you may have already chosen a long term goal (or several) for 2019. If not, check out the post here!

Choosing a goal is an important step, but there’s no use having a goal if you’re not going to put the work in to achieve it. The downside to big, long term goals is that they can be overwhelming. Even when you can visualize where you want to be, it’s hard to know how to get there!

The answer? Break your long term goal into a series of short term goals.

Short term goals are things you know you can get done. For example, buying a new pair of running shoes or replying to an email. They’re simple, straightforward, and easy to build on. If you break your long term goal into the right short term goals, you may reach your objective without even realizing it!

So for example, let’s say your long term goal was to lose a certain amount of weight by the end of 2019. You want to be more active in order to lose the weight, but your knees bother you when you walk for prolonged periods. Here’s an example of what some of your short term goals could look like.

By January 15th: Make an appointment with a physical therapist to address knee pain.

By March 1st: Sign up for a group Pilates class to improve fitness.

May: Take a 20 minute walk outside 3 times per week.

June: Take a 30 minute walk outside 3 times per week.

July: Take a 30 minute walk outside 5 times per week.

By August 1st: Sign up for another Pilates class or other fitness class.

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Pilates class with Jennifer in our Portsmouth office at CJPT & Pilates!

Every short term goal should have a specific time frame and directly aid in reaching your long term goal.

The more you simplify each step, the more attainable your ultimate goal will feel! Plus, you’ll have rewards along the way for each short term goal—like getting rid of chronic pain, spending more time outdoors, and even meeting new people in Pilates class. No matter what you want to achieve, you can always break it down into manageable chunks that yield their own worthwhile perks.

Ready to incorporate physical therapy and Pilates into your health-related goals for 2019? Check out our website to sign up for a free Pilates Taster or free PT Discovery Session!

Setting Goals for the New Year: Part Two — Choosing a Long Term Goal

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In the first part of this series, we focused on the precursor to goal setting — identifying a specific obstacle that’s getting in your way. The next step is determining a specific, measurable, long term goal.

One way to come up with a long term goal is by asking yourself, “where do I want to be a year from now?”

What do you want to be different about your life this time next year? If you identified an issue that is negatively affecting your life right now — such as chronic low back pain or being overweight — you can turn your desire to resolve that issue into a long term goal. For example, your goal could be to weigh 25 pounds less by December of 2019. Or maybe your knee has been bothering you for a few years, and your goal is to be able to go skiing again without pain. You could decide to run a 5k next Thanksgiving or simply want to be able to pick up your grandkids. The examples are endless, but the point is that it’s your goal. It’s specific to your desires and involves overcoming a specific obstacle in your life.

Setting a long term goal will provide a purposeful context for your day-to-day choices.

Once you’ve set a specific goal and shared it with your accountability team, you’ll be able to use it to guide your everyday actions. For example, eating healthy would have the purpose of helping you achieve your weight loss goal, as would participating in a Pilates class. Going to physical therapy would be helping you fix your body mechanics and relieve your back pain. In each example, the action in question (proper nutrition, Pilates, physical therapy) is undeniably good for you — but we rarely do things just because it’s objectively good for our bodies. We want to feel good, look good, and avoid pain. Having a specific long term goal will help you apply those healthy choices to a larger purpose and context — which will hopefully serve to motivate you as well.

Now, how do you stay focused?

The first step is writing your goal down on paper. Not in the notes on your phone, not just keeping a vague memory in your head — write it down. Then, post that paper somewhere you’ll see it every day. It could be your bathroom mirror, your bedroom door, your car dashboard — anywhere that forces the goal to become a part of your day. If you haven’t yet established an accountability team, read our post about gathering a group of trusted individuals (including your PT!) who can help you stay focused and motivated. Then, share your goal with them, and ask that they check up on you periodically to see how your progress is going. Finally, stay tuned for our next post in this series, where we’ll talk about breaking your long term goal into a set of smaller, more manageable short term goals.

In the meantime, check out our website and see how you can get a head start on a healthier New Year. We’re launching our signature Pilates 101 program next week and spots will fill fast, so sign up here to get on our early bird/pre-enrollment list! If you’re age 40+ and improving your core strength is part of your goal setting – then this program is perfect for you – especially if you’re also dealing with back pain.

If you have any questions about physical therapy, pilates, accountability, and/or goal setting, don’t hesitate to reach out or leave us a note on our Facebook page!