Recovering From The Holidays

The holidays are over, the New Year has begun and, whether or not you’ve made a resolution to lose weight or get healthier, it’s time to take off those extra holiday pounds & be healthy for 2014! It’s a proven fact that the first Monday after the holiday season people experience depression; often referred to as “Post Holiday Blues.” It’s also a proven fact that exercise (regular movement of any type) can help you feel better, be happier, and of course get healthier.

Even if you’ve been lucky enough to keep your weight managed, most everyone ends up eating a little less healthy and taking time off from exercising during the holidays. Getting back into the swing of things can be exceptionally hard; especially with these frigid temperatures making snuggling inside seem so much more appealing than getting out and hitting a gym or going for a walk. The constant hustle and bustle, the joyous greetings, the laughter with friends and family, all have ended and often leave us feeling empty.

Live Your Life Physical Therapy is here to help you! We offer an array of wellness programs to help you stay active and healthy. Here are some tips to get you healthier, happier, and feeling better in 2014.

• Start Your Wellness for Life Exercise Program

We come to you to help you get up and moving; whether it’s to begin a program to build strength, improve posture, reduce the risk of falling, or prepare you for a sporting event.. Live Your Life Physical Therapy’s goal is to make you healthy, active and pain free in 2014. Our physical therapists will not only customize a program to achieve your goals but will work with you inside your own home or the location of your choice.  Because we design the program around your specific needs and abilities even those who have difficulty moving will not only benefit from, but enjoy our sessions!

• Get rid of any unhealthy holiday leftover goodies

I know it’s often thought of as a sin to throw out food; but the reality is that it’s really a bigger sin to keep it around and continue eating it. Start replacing those unhealthy snacks with a healthy snack that helps satiate our cravings. Look for healthy alternatives and get rid of those unhealthy holiday leftovers. Here are 4 tips to help you get rid of those unhealthy leftovers:

1. If your holiday goodies are packaged and unopened (boxes of candy, purchased holiday cookies, etc.) you can donate them to a local food pantry or shelter.
2. If your unhealthy holiday treats can be frozen, keep them in the freezer and pull them out as a special, portion controlled treat.
3. If you have friends, family, or co-workers who will eat them then give them away! They’ll appreciate the special treats while your body will appreciate a healthier snack.
4. Last choice is to throw it away. We always hate to waste money, and food in the garbage is wasting money; however, unhealthy food is wasting your quality of life by adding weight and doing damage to your body. If worse comes to worse take those goodies and put them in your garbage! By the way, a good tip is to put them deep into that icky garbage bin!

• Get Friends & Family Together for Healthy Gatherings

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean you can’t socialize. Instead of socializing around unhealthy holiday foods, socialize around things that get you up and moving. Invite friends over for a game of charades, some video games (ask your grandchildren to bring over those games that require you to get up and move – challenge them to Wii bowling or tennis. You’ll be surprised how fun it is!), or even get some board games going. If you feel the need to have snacks, no problem, just have healthy snacks available. Go simple with trays of fresh fruits and vegetables or find some healthy recipes that create healthy snacks to share. Take the focus off the food and put it into the fun!

• Find Out What Can Be Making You Feel “Unhealthy”

Live Your Life Physical Therapy can help determine many health issues you could be dealing with. By having one of our experienced and knowledgeable physical therapists provide a comprehensive assessment, we can determine if you have issues that are obvious to our skilled eye. Once we’ve determined if you have any conditions such as weaknesses in a certain area, instability, or a number of other issues we can design a program to help you get on the road to a healthier you!

Dedicated to Keeping You Healthy & Active,

Dr. Eva Norman
President & Founder
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Live Your Live Physical Therapy, LLC