Staying Physically Healthy A Pandemic

Outpatient physical therapy is a luxury. Healthcare is accessible in the USA during the stay at home orders but there is no reason to go to a physical therapist. The risk is not worth the benefit. Telehealth is one alternative and always has been. You may not receive the best possible care but you can get close. This is especially true when you have a PT who listens. We covered the limitations previously but it currently is not the time to try and obtain a luxury. We all need to continue to take care of ourselves. When gyms are closed, we are unable to go to exercise classes, and our activity levels decline it’s important to return to the basics.

Back To Basics

I learned years ago that fancy equipment does very little for peoples recovery. Most people can do their rehab with very little equipment to none at all. At the basic level body weight and household items take us pretty far. Pushups, jumping jacks, arm circles, stair stepping, squats, and lunges are all very simple ways to get a total body workout. Using a gallon jug filled with water you can add in bicep curls. These exercises and others can be tailored to your needs or completed working to fatigue. Fatigue is when you can not complete another repetition without modification (or cheating). It tells our bodies we need to rest for about 60 seconds from the exercise we were just doing. 

Going A Little Further

To take your exercise a bit further a simple band set can be had online for 20-30 dollars. This gives you more resistance and allows for a larger variety of exercises. Variety doesn’t mean better. More resistance does help tailor a workout to what you want to work on or should work on. This is a great middle ground for someone. Most people would benefit from this type of exercise normally. The best part is you will have all the exercise equipment in their house you will every need. Having 90 lbs of resistance is more than enough for the majority of people.

Going All Out

You could create your own home gym as well. If you have the space and means to do so. There are countless options when it comes to a home gym setup. For those people who are at this level general advice will not help you get the gym you need. Make a plan and make sure you hit on all key types of exercise. Setups should maximize the use of multiple body parts and allow for strength, cardio, and flexibility exercises. With training the weights you lift now will not be the weights you lift forever. Plan to start with less and add more as time goes on.

A Little Goes A Long Way

Regardless of the level that fits your needs it remains important to stay active. A small investment for less than most gym membership costs per month will pay large dividends. This will help you stay healthy and active during this time. For those who have pain, muscle, or joint issues please reach out as we can provide help through telehealth. There is no reason not to stay active during this time and we can help. We will help you feel better faster and are able to give you a tailored program to help you feel better.