Fall is a treat!

Fall can be a treat for the senses: the crisp air, apple picking, pumpkin carving, a gorgeous canopy of fall foliage, and the crunch of leaves underfoot. These months are a great time to exercise  outdoors and enjoy cooler temperatures. Walking, hiking and cycling are all awesome in the fall.


Seasonal constants include maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This includes sufficient amounts of water for hydration, sleep to rest and recuperate, physical exercise for strength and agility, and proper nutrition to stave off illness. Fall can be a great time to renew goals, change habits and try something new.


Summer dining generally equates to lighter food fare, like salads, seasonal fruits and vegetables, herbal iced teas, iced fruit infused waters, etc. These were ideal for summer, because they were less taxing on the digestive system, and also kept a person cool. The colder months of fall and winter call for heartier foods like hot cereals, stews, soups, casseroles and the like are ideal for those colder months. These foods are nutritious, but also warming. Try dried fruits and nuts and make your own granola. Consider frozen fruits and vegetables, which are quick frozen right after harvesting, preserving more of the nutrient value; they’re a nice reminder of the fresher seasonal produce during the warming months.


Continue using an SPF product to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful rays.


Consider gathering up dried twigs, branches, leaves, etc. and creating an arrangement for a seasonal tablescape, or put them in a large basket and display by your entry. 


When winter hits and the colder weather, and shorter days are giving you cabin fever, be sure to keep the spring and summer indoor with live plants and flowers. Don’t forget to open your windows every so often just to let some fresh air inside. Take walks to shake the “blues” away and enjoy the beautiful scenery around you, if necessary, bundle up with a jacket and scarf. Remember to enjoy each season and the change it offers.

Cold and flu season: Keep yourself healthy!

When cold and flu season hit, we are bombarded with advice for getting well, but the best way to be well is to prevent yourself from getting sick.  While there are no known cures for colds and flu, there are some proactive measures you can take to keep yourself healthy.

#1 Wash Your Hands
Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a doorknob. The germs can live for hours -- in some cases weeks -- only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often. If no sink is available, rub your hands together very hard for a minute or so. That also helps break up most of the cold germs. Or rub an alcohol-based hand sanitizer onto your hands.

#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands
Germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.

#3 Don't Touch Your Face
Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents and teachers.

#4 Drink Plenty of Fluids
Water flushes your system, washing out the toxins as it rehydrates you.  How can you tell if you're getting enough liquid? If the color of your urine runs close to clear, you're getting enough. If it's deep yellow, you need more fluids.

#5 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly
Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.

These are just a few tips to help you avoid catching a cold or the flu this season.

Physical Therapy and Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Fibromyalgia  is a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and allodynia, a heightened and painful response to pressure.  It is an example of a diagnosis of exclusion. Fibromyalgia symptoms are not restricted to pain, leading to the use of the alternative term fibromyalgia syndrome for the condition. Other symptoms include debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. Some patients may also report difficulty with swallowing, bowel and bladder abnormalities, numbness and tingling, and cognitive dysfunction. When Fibromyalgia is present it is frequently in addition to psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety and stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Not all people with fibromyalgia experience all associated symptoms. Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–4% of the population, with a female to male incidence ratio of approximately 9:1.

Physical therapists teach self-management skills to people with all types of conditions, including fibromyalgia. Physical therapists can show people with fibromyalgia how to relieve symptoms of pain and stiffness in everyday life.  They can also help people with fibromyalgia learn how to make sensible decisions about daily activities that will prevent painful flare-ups.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help my Fibromyalgia?

A licensed physical therapist has a background in anatomy and kinesiology -- the study of movement. If you have fibromyalgia, this allows the therapist to develop specific stretching and strengthening programs to meet your individual needs.
Physical therapists work with all types of patients -- from infants to adults. They provide health services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities. Working one-on-one with people, physical therapists help restore overall fitness and health.

How Can Physical Therapy Help Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain?

While there is no known cure for fibromyalgia, physical therapy may help ease the symptoms of pain. It can also help reduce stiffness and fatigue. In addition to exercise, physical therapists use a wide range of resources -- from deep tissue massage to ice and heat packs for hydrotherapy. With these tools, physical therapists can help people with fibromyalgia use their muscles, stretch for flexibility, and move their joints through range-of-motion exercises.

The benefit of physical therapy is that it allows a person with fibromyalgia to work closely with a trained professional who can design a fibromyalgia-specific treatment program. The therapist documents your progress and gauges whether you're practicing good therapy habits, alignments, and movement patterns when doing "homework" or exercises at home.
The ultimate goal of physical therapy is for you to learn the specific exercises and then do them daily at home.

Clinical studies have shown that stretching and exercise such as tai chi can help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia.

What Other Tools Does a Physical Therapist Use for Fibromyalgia?

The physical therapist may use different types of tools with fibromyalgia patients including:

• deep tissue massage
• low-impact aerobic conditioning (water aerobics)
• pain relief exercise
• stretching and strengthening exercises
• TENS units (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation)
• ultrasound

Tips To Avoid Knee Pain

Nearly everyone has experienced knee pain. Whether it’s caused by arthritis, excessive foot pronation or overuse of the muscles that protect this vulnerable joint. Here is the GOOD NEWS: Most chronic knee pain is avoidable. New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that exercise and physical therapy are just as effective as surgery for relief from chronic knee pain related to arthritis. Learning to strengthen and stretch key muscles that support the knees, and other ways to protect and take care of our knees, can ultimately prolong the health of this vital body part.

1. Strengthen your "butt" muscle. When these muscles atrophy or become imbalanced because we tend to sit much of the day, the hamstrings and hip adductors (inner thigh muscles) also overwork — to compensate for the underdeveloped gluteus maximus — resulting in compressive force on the knee joint. By stretching out these support muscles, you decrease the chance that they’ll get tight and cause muscle imbalances. So remember the complementary two-fold process: As you strengthen naturally weak muscles like the glutes, also stretch supporting muscles like the inner thigh muscles.

2. Strengthen your core. Abdominal weakness will cause your pelvis to tilt forward, creating excessive low-back curvature and shifting the leg bones inward. You can experiment with this yourself: Over-arch your back and notice how your legs and knees want to roll in toward the midline of the body. Then flatten your back and notice how the opposite movement occurs at the legs.
Strengthening the core helps to keep your back in a neutral spine position and places the lower extremities — specifically the knees — in the best possible position for movement without joint compression.

There are many ways to strengthen your abdominal muscles besides doing crunches. Dance,  yoga,  kickboxing, ab routines using fitness balls, or a core workout with elements of Pilates. Pilates was created with a strong emphasis on improving core strength to improve the function of the entire body.

3. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight makes men five times more likely (and women four times more likely) to develop knee osteoarthritis. New research shows that a 10% decrease in weight will result in a 28% increase in knee function (in such activities as climbing stairs or walking). Another study found that for every 11 pounds a woman loses, there is a remarkable 50 percent decrease in the risk of knee arthritis.

Why? Fat decreases muscle strength, and excess body weight adds strain to knee joints. In fact, there’s an inverse relationship between body weight and quadriceps muscle strength: the higher your body weight, the weaker your knee muscles.

To start burning those extra calories required for weight loss without adding additional impact to the knees, try water aerobics, an elliptical trainer or cycling (making sure you have proper seat height).

4. Take care of your feet.  Replace your workout sneakers frequently — every 300 miles, which could be three months or a year depending on your level of activity. This is a safe way to avoid wearing a shoe with poor cushioning support for your arches and joints.

You may look great in three-inch stilettos, but keep in mind that high-heeled shoes increase the compressive force on your knee joints by 23%. Wearing heels also encourages tight calf muscles, another common cause of knee pain. A tight calf can pull the foot inward to a position called pronation, which essentially collapses the arch of the foot and causes the lower leg to roll inward, placing stress on the ankle and knee. So embrace the flat shoe fashion trend and stretch out those calves.

Summer and Family Activity

Summertime is a great time to get out with your family and increase your activity. Encourage every member of your family to increase daily physical activity and have fun at the same time. Be sure to think about what your family can be doing to build in more active time during your busy week.  Discuss with your physical therapist which activities would be best for you and your lifestyle. Here are some suggestions to consider.
MAKE TIME
Identify available time slots. Monitor your daily activities for one week. Identify at least three 30-minute time slots you could use for physical activity. Then, identify two of them that work as family activity time.
Add physical activity to your daily routine. For example, walk or ride your bike to work or shopping, organize school activities around physical activity, walk the dog with your children, exercise while you watch TV, park farther away from your destination. Make time for physical activity. For example, walk, jog, or swim during your lunch hour, or take fitness breaks instead of coffee breaks. Try doing something active after dinner with your family, especially on weekends. Select activities requiring minimal time, such as walking, jogging, or stair climbing.

BRING OTHERS INTO IT
Invite friends and family to exercise with you. Plan social activities involving exercise. Plan a party with physically active games and activities for your family and your children's friends. Develop new friendships with physically active people. A current trend is exercise "boot camps" which offer various intensities and levels to get you moving. Another idea is to start an exercise or hiking club.

MOTIVATE YOURSELFSchedule physical activity for times in the day or week when you feel energetic.Convince yourself that if you give it a chance, physical activity will increase your energy level; then try it. Plan ahead. Make physical activity a regular part of your family's daily or weekly schedule and write it on a family activity calendar.

Join an exercise group or class. Enroll your children in community sports teams or lessons. Exercise with friends who are at the same skill level as you are. Create opportunities for your children to be active with friends. Develop a set of regular activities for you and your family that are always available regardless of weather, such as indoor cycling, aerobic dance, indoor swimming, stretching and strengthening movements, stair climbing, rope skipping, mall walking, dancing, and gymnasium games.

Look at outdoor activities that depend on weather conditions, such as cross-country skiing, outdoor swimming, and outdoor tennis as "bonuses"—extra activities possible when weather and circumstances permit.

*If you are unsure what activities are best for you, please discuss it with your physical therapist or doctor first, and come up with a plan together.

Grads, Dads and Family Vacation

June is traditionally a busy month. High school and college graduations, school is out for the summer and family summer vacations are beginning. Spending time with your family is important and a fun way to spend the summer.  Sometimes your health can get lost in the shuffle of overscheduling. Remember to take time to eat right and exercise, your body will thank you and your stress level will too!

Remember the man who taught you to ride a bike, throw a ball or sat up with you when you were sick? Father's Day is just around the corner and it's your chance to remember to thank your Father. Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in many countries and on other days elsewhere. Don't forget to thank the men in your life on this special day.

Get Moving America: May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!

Since 1983, May has been observed as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Individuals and organizations everywhere have joined in the fun to promote awareness of the value of physical activity in the pursuit of happier, healthier, more productive lives. To further this vital mission, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reached out in 1994 to both public and private organizations to form the Presidential Fitness Partners in May. By working together in this partnership, our individual health and fitness messages will achieve increased public resonance.


What can you do? Look around your community for opportunities to participate:

Fitness/Health Fair – A special celebration with participating groups such as the local medical association, heart association, chamber of commerce, business and industry, educational institutions, or clubs. It may be conducted at local malls, in shopping centers, schools, or designated recreation centers.


Distance/Fun Runs/Fitness Walks – Many agencies and groups promote such events as part of their regular fitness programs, and these may be tied into Fitness Month. Assistance may be available from local running clubs or such groups as the National Road Runners of America. It is extremely important, however, that necessary precautions for emergency care be observed in planning and conducting distance runs. One such event is the 3rd Annual 5K Run/Walk, 5K Team Run & 1K Cub Fun Run on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos.

Other Suggestions – Take this opportunity to launch your community's Presidential Sports Award Program or assist your school and others who conduct the President's Challenge Youth Physical Fitness Awards Program (top achievers are eligible for the Presidential Physical Fitness Award). Aspects of the program may include a focus on youth fitness, employee fitness, fitness for special populations, and events of special emphasis such as 10K runs, volksmarches, walking tours, fitness assessment, and sporting events.