New year, new resolutions!

It’s important as the new year begins we remember what happened during 2018, however, we should also be excited for the possibilities to come! Opportunities can seem endless and starting fresh is what we generally think about. What we don’t consider is overdoing new activities which may land us in a pickle and possibly an injury. As your new year starts, here are a few tips to remember.

1. Ease into activities. – If you haven’t been running 10 miles lately, maybe start smaller than 10 miles. Sometimes we jump too quickly into activities which can lead to injuries or excessive soreness. This may cause you to have to stop your new activity of choice. Start slow and work your way up to your goal.
2. Have a goal. – Be specific with the goal you are looking to accomplish and plan accordingly. Again, doing too much too soon can be challenging or lead to injury, so set a plan on how you want to accomplish that goal.
3. Don’t forget to stretch. – A lot of times we jump into new activities, we get our muscles moving and blood flowing, but we forget to stretch. Stretching is important to maintain a muscles’ extensibility, which affects our joints’ range of motion. If the muscles get too tight or become shortened, we may move and walk differently, or change the way we position ourselves. Any time we start to compensate, for lack of motion in this case, it can lead to pain or injury.
4. Continue your routine. – Did you have a few exercises that you used to do in the comfort of your own home and you’ve let them fall to wayside? Pull out those exercises that bring you back to the basics. Start with gentle low resistance strengthening exercises before building up to heavy, intense work outs. Progress slowly to continue to build up strength.
5. Maintain good technique. – Sometimes we get so excited to exercise again and try new activities, that we overdo them. Proper posture, engaging the right muscles, and/or walking with the right technique, are just a few examples of things we should be thinking about when we begin our routines. In fact, those are examples of things we should be thinking about in our everyday life.

Even with these tips if you find yourself weak, in pain, or struggling as the new year begins, maybe it’s time to stop by Loudoun Physical Therapy for an evaluation! Physical Therapy helps to identify and relieve your weakness and/or pain by teaching you techniques with core engagement, breathing, stretching, and strengthening to help improve your overall well-being. In the excitement of the new year don’t let an injury or chronic pain keep you from working towards new goals!