How to stay or become motivated to exercise?

Correct me if I’m wrong but I think it safe to say that almost everyone has had those days where you can’t find the  motivation to do anything; whether its going to work, doing the house work or a common one – exercising.

In today’s day and age with every one being so busy with life, usually exercise is the first activity to be lost. I know personally there have been many times when I’ve gotten home from a busy day at work and have wanted to skip my daily exercise routine. Some days I have skipped it only to regret it later but on the days I push myself and dig deep I always feel so much better for it! But in saying this you should always listen to your body, so if you’re having a day where your body is too tired to exercise or mentally you feel too fatigued then maybe a rest day is for you (as long as this doesn’t happen everyday).

We all know how good exercise is for us and how good it can make us feel, so why should it be the first to go when life gets busy and tough. Exercise should be an essential part of life as it can help;

  • Reduce stress
  • Improve your mood
  • Help with weight loss or weight maintenance
  • Maintain strong healthy muscles and bones
  • Boost energy levels
  • Reduce the risk of chronic disease
  • Skin health
  • Improve sleep quality
  • Reduce chronic pain 

The list goes on… that’s why we as physiotherapists strive to motivate and empower all clients and individuals to participate in regular physical activity. Below I am going to provide some tips on how to achieve this!

Find the right exercise for you

Not everyone is going to enjoy the same exercise so it’s important that you find the right one for you. Exercise doesn’t have to be sport or running, it can be anything that elevates your heart rate. If you’re someone who hasn’t found the right one then why not go trial new sports, gyms or even classes/programs. Nowadays so many gyms and classes offer free trials before signing up, so it’s as easy as finding a place and going in to try it.

Exercise classes

One that I have found particularly handy for motivation is joining a class. If you have a a class, particularly ones that you need to book in for it holds you accountable to go. I personally also find that having someone tell me what to do means I don’t have to worry and think about what exercises to do; all I need to do is pick a class and rock up, it’s that simple!

At enhance we offer a range of classes and programs that are catered for all ages and levels of fitness;

  • Hydrotherapy
  • Pilates
  • Yoga
  • Enhanced living
  • One on one gym visits

Go first thing in the morning or first thing after work 

You’re either a morning person or you’re not. If you are a morning person then why not set your alarm slightly earlier and get up and go straight to the gym. This might mean having your clothes ready next to your bed, so that when that alarm goes off all you need to do is get up, put your clothes on and go!

For those who aren’t morning go getters (you’ll know who you are) then pack your exercise clothes and take them to work with you, that way when it’s time to knock off all you need to do is get changed and go. I know I’ve fallen into the trap of going home to get changed to exercise but have been distracted by house work, my dog and (especially) the couch and television. Why not eliminate those distractions and eliminate the temptation not to go and go straight there!

Find a buddy 

This is a great one, find a buddy that can hold you accountable and vice versa. The only tricky thing with this is the buddy needs to enjoy the same form of exercise as you and have a similar timetable to fit in the exercise with you.  As long as your buddy fits both criteria then it works a real treat!!

Put gym clothes on 

This one works for some but not for others and works sometimes but not always, so don’t let this be the only motivation tip you employ. When I say put gym clothes on, it’s as simple as that, go into your cupboard or drawers and pull out your favourite gym gear and let it motivate you to go and exercise!

I have found from personal experience that when I put my gym gear on it motivates me to go to the gym as I feel like I need to get the proper use out of them (not just wear them around the house and out to the shops, but actually sweat in them!)

Social team sport 

Social sports are a great way to get involved and have a regular commitment to a team and to exercise. Whether that’s starting your own team with a group of mates (not only are you exercising but setting a time to catchup every week) or joining a pre-existing team. Either way you go about it, team sports are such a good way to elevate your heart rate! I understand that not everyone is a athlete but that’s the beauty of it, social sports aren’t designed to be super competitive they are designed to allow everyone to have a go and more importantly to have fun! So whether you are an athlete or whether you’ve never played a sport in your life there’s always a social sport you can get involved in!

Some examples include; touch rugby, netball, indoor soccer, beach volleyball…

So next time your lacking the motivation to exercise try using one or even a few of these tips to get back into it and who knows maybe you’ll even enjoy it!

If you aren’t sure where to start or have pain or an injury preventing you from exercising come in to see how we can assist!

Jess 

To book an appointment with Jess call us today or simply book online.

What makes a good physio an exceptional physio?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2512″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]I’ve had 12 years experience supervising physiotherapy students and mentoring physiotherapy colleagues. Over the past 2 years at Enhance Physiotherapy I have had the privilege of being able to sit in and observe our physiotherapists assess and treat their patients and I have learned a great deal from this experience.

Something I have pondered on over this time is what really makes an exceptional physiotherapist? Not just a good one, but a really really really good one? Sure you want a clear diagnosis and plan of attack (so to speak) and effective treatment that fixes the problem. But the reality is it actually takes more than that.…… In fact, I believe you can know everything there is to know about clinical diagnosis, and have impeccable treatment skills, but still not thrive as a physio. So here is a list of my 12 key characteristics that I believe are the ‘secret sauce’ of what makes up an exceptional physiotherapist:

  1. It’s all about human connection – as a patient you should feel a connection with your physiotherapist, you should trust them and know that they have your best interests at heart. Only if you really trust your physio will your mind and body cross that line that will allow you to fully heal.
  2. Holistic approach – if appropriate, your physio should think outside the square as to what may be contributing to your problem. Sometimes (often!) stress and other external factors can have a big impact on your pain and healing response. It’s really important they understand this.
  3. They listen…..and hear you. There is nothing worse than leaving an appointment feeling as though you haven’t been heard…
  4. They don’t pretend to know it all all the time – physios are human and the body is a complicated piece of bio-machinary, it’s impossible to know everything after one consult! But an exceptional physio can admit this and will do everything in their power to get to the bottom of your problem.
  5. Don’t overload you with complicated exercise programs during your first consult – chances are, you are in pain and you want it gone! An exceptional physio puts your goals first.
  6. Do provide a written treatment management plan – a treatment session can be information overload. Having something in writing is empowering and allows you to have confidence that your physio has a solid plan for your treatment.
  7. Will want to see you within 48 hours of a new injury – because they don’t want you to get worse and the more time between treatment the more likely this is to happen.
  8. Will put their hands on you – there is so much information to be gained from the hands of a skilled physiotherapist, and so much healing power.
  9. Will seek honesty from you – if you haven’t done your exercises it may be because your physio didn’t build that connection or take into account your life circumstances. A good physio will seek honest answers (not the ones you think they want to hear).
  10. Will remember you (and perhaps your dogs name or your childrens names…)
  11. Are clear and confident with what you should and shouldn’t be doing outside of physio – do you keep going to CrossFit, or have a break? You need to know the pros and cons right?
  12. You will remember their name and you will want to tell your friends and family about them – this really is the kicker…..and there isn’t much more that needs to be said!

So there you have it! I am really proud to be able to put my hand on my heart and say that all of the physios at Enhance Physio have the ‘secret sauce’ ? Keep in mind though that every physio is different and has their own unique personality, background, interests and skillsets – just like you! So it’s always worthwhile making sure that you and your physio are a good fit to get the best outcome.

I hope you found this useful!

Michelle x[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Sugar in Fruit

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2383″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]I can’t think of another word that divides people amongst the food & nutrition world as greatly as sugar. Sugar is a nutrient we can all identify with, mostly because we all have those fond food memories going to the shops as kid or playing sports on the weekend and having your oranges and snakes. We’re all familiar with the tastes and sensations of sugar, and this is very powerful.

However, today we’re going to talk specifically about the sugar in fruit because this presents somewhat of a nutritional oxymoron; a food associated with health and vitality yet still containing this controversial nutrient linked to so much confusion. Firstly, the facts, yes fruits contain sugars, but these are naturally occurring, and the fruit itself also contains many other nutrients with a host of health benefits. Phytonutrients, such as those found in blueberries and mango’s have even been shown to help regulate blood sugar levels! The complete opposite of what you generally associate high sugar foods with. Secondly, whole fruits are a great source of dietary fibre; this is why eating a piece of fruit is really quite satiating which can be brilliant for individuals out there with weight loss goals. Finally, the vitamins and minerals in fruits such as folate, vitamin K and C have a massive variety of positive health benefits in our bodies. So, I think we can agree even though there are some sugars in fruit they’re generally pretty amazing, right!

One question I often receive is whether or not people should be juicing all their fruit? This is certainly a convenient and delicious way to increase your fruit intake, but unfortunately, you’re losing most of the fibre content due to the juicing process. This can be mitigated with certain slow-press juicers, but it would be much easier and cheaper to eat whole fruit. I’m still a big fan of the V8 juice range, these guys do 100% fruit juice (what you should be looking for with all pre-packaged juice) with no added sugars in a variety of different flavours, and it tastes fantastic.

When selecting your fruit, fresh is always best and go with what’s in season, canned/tinned/frozen is perfectly fine also, just try to stick to the ones with no added sugars. Dried fruit is another alternative, although be mindful of portion sizes as they are very easy to over-consume.

I would encourage anyone not to be afraid of the moderate amounts of sugar present in fruit and consume them however best suits your dietary habits. To view fruits as just high in sugar is a reductionist approach and fails to highlight the abundance of nutrition present in all fruits.

If you have any more questions surrounding fruits or any other part of your diet, then book in to see Dylan today by calling 9583 5165.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]