Canyon Sports Therapy. Stay Flexible!

Wellness Expert Newsletter

• Stay Flexible! How to Improve Your Health with 4 Easy Stretches

• Exercise Essentials • Patient Results • Healthy Recipe

Stay Flexible! How to Improve Your Health with 4 Easy Stretches

Many common aches and pains stem from tight muscles and poor movement. We were made to move and today’s lifestyle of sitting in the car, at work and at home, means tighter muscles. In addition, as we age our connective and muscle tissues naturally become stiffer. Therefore, the older you get, the more important a daily stretching routine becomes.

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Stay Flexible! How to Improve Y

The key to good health is to keep your body flexible. This helps your circulatory, respiratory, lymphatic, and musculoskeletal systems. When your tissues are flexible, normal blood and lymphatic fluids circulate the body easier, oxygenating your tissues properly. This helps you feel energized, relieves pain, and allows you to perform daily tasks without feeling tired. Improving Mobility and Motion: Motion is essential to your quality of life. Whether it is an everyday task such as emptying the dishwasher, a sports activity like golf, or an essential activity such as performing their job, a physical therapist can help you experience improved mobility and function. Physical therapists also help prevent injuries and promote a healthy lifestyle by improving strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. A Plank A Day Keeps the Doctors at Bay A plank is a simple exercise that anyone can do to improve their core strength. This exercise helps you strengthen so many of your muscles, guiding them to work together. Your core muscles are vital to the health of your low back and spine. If you suffer from an achy back or neck, then try doing this exercise to feel better.

ur Health with 4 Easy Stretches

How to do a plank (If you are unsure about doing this exercise, call us first) 1. Start by lying face down. You may want to put a pillow under your abdomen if it is uncomfortable to lie flat. 2. Bring your elbows underneath you, then gently rise up onto your elbows and knees, so that your abdomen is off the floor. 3. Keep your abdomen tucked gently in so that your body is straight without sagging. 4. Try to hold this for 30 seconds if you can. You may feel your muscles shake a little while doing this, which means they are working! 5. It is important to start off with small increments and build over the course of a week as you become stronger. 6. To advance the plank and make it more difficult, lift your knees off the ground, keeping your body straight. 7. Ideally, you should be able to hold this position for 2 minutes. 8. You may have some soreness the next day as you are using muscles that have not been worked that way in a while. For a healthy spine, keep doing your exercises and remember our physical therapists need to see you for a check-up. You see your dentist every 6 months to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Why not your PT? Your physical therapist is the mechanic for your whole body to keep your spine and extremities moving like they should. Detecting a problem early can lead to a simple treatment solution that can save you a lot of pain, and financial burden down the road. Call us today to speak with your therapist about your problem before it becomes a PROBLEM. You see your doctor every year, your dentist twice a year, when was the last time you saw your physical therapist?

OUR MISSION “To restore physical ability and bring out your inner athlete.”

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Patient Results

“I felt like all the care I got for my knee really made a big difference.” “I fell when one ski pre-released. I tore my meniscus and shoulder. Dr. Libre said to just keep doing everything and they would heal. They didn’t. I came to see Danny because he was recommended by a number of friends. Right from the start I felt taken seriously and cared for. I was given exercises to do at home and began building strength. Danny, Jess, and Megan all helped me understand how to do the exercises correctly. It made a lot of difference. I also got ideas on how to walk more efficiently and to activate muscles I had gotten in the habit of ignoring. Exercise time was well balanced with relaxing treatments and manipulation. Whenever I brought up something new it was directly addressed. I realized that I didn’t have big expectations for PT, but as I slowly got stronger and was directed to use muscles that were weak, my knee pain decreased. I tried out skiing and had a great time – no pain or soreness. I felt like all the care I got for my knee really made a big difference. My knee is healed and I can now do the things that were taken away by the original injury. The atmosphere here is friendly, helpful, and relaxing. I thank everyone for their help and patience. If I ever need PT again, I’ll come here and will also recommend you all to friends. Thank you!” - A.H.

Exercise Essentials Try this simple exercise to keep you moving...

Swan Dive Relieves Back Pain

Lay on stomach with your arms overhead. Press your chest upwards, keeping the muscles in your trunk and legs relaxed. Repeat 6 times.

Exercises copyright of

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Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.

Healthy Recipe: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

INGREDIENTS • 1 head of green cabbage For the Filling • 3/4 cup brown lentils • 3 cups water • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa • 1 cup vegetable broth • 1 small onion, diced • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar • 2 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tsp smoked paprika For the Sauce: • 1 (28 oz) can tomato puree • 1 tbsp maple syrup, or sweetener of choice

• 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar • salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS Begin boiling the cabbage in 3 in of water until the leaves peel off easily (about 20 min). When done, allow them to cool. While cabbage is simmering, bring lentils to a boil in a separate small saucepan. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 35 minutes, adding water to the pot as needed. Drain any excess liquid. While lentils simmer, place broth into another saucepan, add quinoa, and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20 min until all of the water is absorbed (about 20 min). Cook onion with oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft and translucent (about 5 min). Add 1 1/2 cups of the cooked lentils and 1 cup of the cooked quinoa, along with red wine vinegar, soy sauce, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Make sure ingredients are mixed before removing from heat. Preheat the oven to 350°. Stir all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, then distribute about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of 9 x 9 inch baking dish. After peeling leaves off of the cabbage head, roll about 3-4 tbsp of filling into the center of each leaf until all filling is used. Place each roll into the baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over the rolls, cover and bake for 1 hour. Let the rolls cool before serving.

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