How Physical Therapy Can Help Keep You On Track This Year

make new year's resolutions

New Years Resolution - Physical Therapy

It’s the start of a fresh year, and that almost always means one thing; you are looking to better yourself. 

Most of us make a New Year’s Resolution – drink less alcohol, earn more money, get healthier – but this ‘new you’ only lasts a matter of weeks. Before we know it, the daily pressures of modern life have us back to our old ways. 

Only the strong and determined reap the benefits of a sensible New year’s Resolution. According to various surveys, more than 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail. But you don’t need to become a statistic like that.

January is known as the ‘reset month’ after all the food-based celebrations we enjoy from Thanksgiving to New Year, but you don’t need to stop there. And you don’t need to be a Marvel Superhero to keep pushing on for the betterment of your health. 

Sometimes, all you need is some encouragement and a schedule that ensures you keep those well-intentioned efforts going. 

That’s where physical therapy can help! 

Physical therapy offers a wide range of personalised treatments and services that can keep you on track – regardless of whatever related resolutions you are aiming for. 

Why You Should Make Physical Therapy Your New Year’s Resolution 

Physical Therapy New Years Resolution

We don’t need to tell you about the importance of your health. You already know. That’s why you are making a resolution in the first place! 

To enjoy life to the fullest, your body really needs to be in working order. If your muscles are tense, if you suffer from a lack of energy, or suffer a limited amount of mobility that stems from chronic pain, we’d recommend reaching out to us. 

At Intecore PT, we will work alongside you to craft a bespoke treatment plan designed to tackle your pain at its source. We will also help you stay on track to greatness for the year! 

By joining our PT family, you’ll have the guidance of trained, and highly experienced, physical therapists who will assist in your yearly resolution towards a better you! 

Once you’ve enjoyed a number of therapy sessions, you’ll soon feel the benefit of better mobility and a more positive outlook on life; about yourself, your day-to-day life, and all the advantages of better health.

The best bit? 

Physical therapy is personalised. Remember how we said that the treatment plan was ‘bespoke’? 

Well, we mean it. 

At Intecore PT, we never generalize. No individual is exactly the same as another. We all have different situations and different health issues. We all have different stresses and routines, and different areas of chronic pain or issues. 

How can you possibly make progress by generalizing treatment? Quite frankly, we don’t believe in such practices. 

Instead, we take the time to get to know you. We learn about your circumstances and adapt our therapies and exercise towards what’s best for you. 

And then there is the impact on mental health…

Keeping Your Mind On Track With Physical Therapy 

Keeping On Track With Physical Therapy

Ok. Time to admit something to yourself. 

Do you struggle to stay motivated about your health? 

Most of us do. Unless our mind is in the game, then action will not take place. It’s one of the main reasons why New Year’s Resolutions dissolve into the ether. 

As so many studies will tell you, mental health and mental agility have a big part to play in keeping those resolutions going. However, once you’ve gotten started – and with encouragement from our physical therapists – you’ll find the process much easier. 

You’ll thank yourself a year down the line, after spending a full 12 months focusing on your plan.

After all, the mental aspects that physical therapy can help with stretch far beyond simply feeling good about yourself. 

For example, you’ll gain a better night’s sleep – as the exercise will leave you tired at the end of the day. 

You can manage your anxiety, stress, and keep that racing mind under control. By taking on something physical, you release cortisol into your system. This helps us to manage stress levels, while physical activity allows the brain to focus on something other than life’s difficulties. 

It’s why exercise is claimed as a positive coping strategy. It gives your wellbeing a chance to recharge, which has a positive domino effect on mental health. By releasing ‘feel good’ hormones into your system, your moods will lift. Happiness is easier to reach, and you’ll find chunks of extra energy that you never knew you had. 

Beating Depression With Physical Therapy 

Beating Depression With Physical Therapy

Besides the benefits of talking to your physical therapist and settling down into our PT family, in regards to depression, tackling your chronic pain (or simply trying to get into shape) creates a sense of accomplishment. 

Not to mention the advantages of speaking with someone who understands your challenges, works with you on the process, and can celebrate those milestones with you – i.e your physical therapist! 

That social connection can keep you powered and determined. Then there’s the feeling of accomplishment. 

Feelings of achievement work wonders on boosting your positive self-belief, which also drowns out any thoughts of depression lurking within the mind. Buffering negative thoughts, or worries around self-perception, can help beat depression and move forward in a positive form. 

Alongside the support from your physical therapist, an outstanding sense of betterment, a feeling of achievement, and the physical health benefits; the exercise-based interventions that stem from physical therapy have been demonstrated as obtaining an ‘antidepressant effect’. 

Some studies claim that exercise is comparable in terms of efficacy to medication. Except, unlike pills, the effects of physical exercise – and physical therapy – don’t just mask the problem. 

Becoming dependent on pills (just as you can upon prescription painkillers when dealing with chronic pain) never solves the problem. You always need to find the direct source and work with it. 

In respect to depression, the source is usually much deeper than exercise can dig. But it’s a good place to start. 

Depression affects more than 15 million Americans, and is one of the most common health conditions weighing down the population. You should never feel shame in dealing with depression, or any other mental health affliction. And we are here to assist you on your journey to recovery.

What If I Have Other Health Conditions?

Physical Therapy Health Conditions

Despite how long you may have been frustrated by your lack of progress because of previous or ongoing health conditions, please know that success is still an option. And we will help get you there! 

Some people think that their diabetes or vascular conditions will prevent any form of healthier life. Yet, as part of an overall diabetes management plan, exercise keeps blood sugar under control. 

Also, as any diabetic person will tell you, long-term damage can occur to the feet and legs. Physical therapy can help to address this, and serve as an education on proper limb care that can prevent further problems later in life.  

Others worry about their heart or lung conditions, but as physical therapy is non-injurious and designed to fit your personal situation, we will never put you under any form of strain that triggers an underlying health condition. 

In relation to lung problems, exercise can help clear fluid in the lungs through strengthening and breathing exercises. It’s a highly effective way to regain your depth of breathing, and facilitate further physical activity – while also expanding your energy levels. 

Then there are age-related health conditions, such as osteoporosis and arthritis. Or perhaps that new hip is giving issues? Either way, physical therapists are experts in helping you on your way to recovery after joint replacement, and can help manage arthritis conditions with great success. 

Women have specific health concerns in terms of pregnancy and postpartum care. And we can offer sympathetic care and help with that, too. 

About Intecore Physical Therapy 

Intecore PT Physical Therapy

First, let me distance myself from all the other Physical Therapists out there, and that most definitely includes the ones from those big, unfriendly clinics; because mine is nothing like the advice given out by them.

My clinics are not here to feed you misinformation in the pursuit of profit. I personally ensure that every decision is made to benefit you – the person.

Intecore Physical Therapy is formed on two basic principles: Integrity of Care and Core Rehabilitation values. 

These Core Rehabilitation values utilize the skills of the clinician, and a thorough and individualized rehabilitation program – instead of gadgets and passive treatments.

Our focus is through an extensive physical therapy evaluation, manual therapy techniques, therapeutic exercise, patient education and an individual focus on patient care to successfully return our patients to full function and enhance their quality of life. 

At Intecore Physical Therapy we value the individual, not just a patient. 

You can get in touch with us through our contact page. Or why not pay our clinic a visit? Our friendly staff will welcome you with open arms. 

Time to focus on that New Year’s Resolution? You bet it is. 

And we are behind you every single step of the way. 

Bring it on! Let’s make this year about you. 

Andrew Vertson

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