Kinetic Physical Therapy Specialists - February 2022

Kinetic Physical Therapy Specialists - February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

847-515-8970 • www.KineticPTS.com

MY VALENTINE KICKED MY BUTT! (And My Pride May Never Recover)

“She swore up and down that she hardly bowled, even as she

kicked my butt in her sticky rented bowling shoes.”

On one of my first dates with my wife, Emilie, I made a big mistake: I asked her to go bowling. It started out innocently enough. A group of my friends from PT school were hitting the lanes and invited me to go along. I called Emilie up and asked her to join us, and she said, “Sure!” Now, I’m not a great bowler by any means. Emilie claimed she was a beginner, too, and the fact that we were evenly matched brought out our competitive sides. “I bet I can beat you!” she told me, and I shot back, “No way can you beat me at bowling!” We

By her third strike, I was staring daggers at Emilie. “You sandbagger!” I thought, “No way are you a beginner!” She swore up and down that she hardly bowled, even as she kicked my butt in her sticky rented bowling shoes. When the dust settled, Emilie had beaten me 200 to 105. It was unbelievable! I couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone else at how ridiculous it looked. To this day, Emilie claims that was the best game of her life, and she’s not kidding. I’ve bowled with her several times since, and while she’s good, she’s not that good. I’m not sure why, but on that date, the bowling

tested the waters one other time when she invited me to go on a run with her, and once again, the joke was on me. Emilie has run an actual marathon, so within 10 minutes, she left me in the dust. I noped right out of there, and since we were still in the dating stage, she agreed to stop and grab coffee instead. (Now that we’re married, she’ll just leave me behind while I shout, “It’s fine, I’ll walk!”) As much as it frustrated me at the time, I don’t really mind my wife kicking my butt. After all, in the grand scheme of things, we’re a team! Her wins are my wins. She’s my best friend and that won’t change no matter how many bets I lose. That said, there’s one place you won’t find us on Valentine’s Day: the bowling alley. –Mike Ulmer

agreed that the loser would pay for dinner.

gods must have been looking down on her and thinking, “How

You can probably guess what happened next.

great would it be if you walked all over him?!”

Within minutes, Emilie made me eat my words! From the very first shot, she was knocking down every pin

Since then, Emilie and I have tried

to stay away from competitive dates. We’re both sore losers, so it’s a recipe for disaster. Plus, she scarred me for life in that college town bowling alley. I never want to compete against her again! I

out there. Our PT school friends started rolling with laughter on the sidelines. I was a bit of a hotshot, so they got a real kick out of watching me lose.

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Love Really Can Be a Drug THE POWER OF LOVE

It’s crazy to think that being head over heels, madly in love with someone can benefit your body in the same way that broccoli can, but it’s true! Science has proven that being in love comes with myriad health benefits. Fewer colds and natural pain control? Yes, please! Love triggers the “feel good” hormone, dopamine. When you first fall in love — and the butterflies are flying uncontrollably — dopamine is at very high levels, and mentally, you’re happy, healthy, and positive. As the relationship matures, oxytocin, also known as the bonding hormone, blends with dopamine and reduces stress. We all know that stress can lead to a number of health complications, so the less stress, the better! New research has found that just being around someone you love can act as a natural pain reliever. Research has also determined that married people complain less about headaches and back pain. When your mind is happy, your immune system is stronger, making you less prone to getting a cold or stomach bug. Some research has even shown that happily

married couples live longer than those who are not happily married. The hormone vasopressin helps to control your blood pressure.

Being in love releases vasopressin into your body, keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level. Both your heart and lungs are also impacted by the love you have for another. If you aren’t in love, you can still reap the benefits through a strong and healthy social support system. When you have friends who bring you joy and happiness, even just a hug may help to release positive hormones and keep your health on track. Take time to invest in positive relationships to keep your heart and body healthy and happy, both literally and figuratively.

So, what are you waiting for? Let the love flow!

PATIENT TESTIMONIALS Getting Confidence Back

“ Thank you, Amanda, for awakening muscles which have been dormant for a long time. Amanda has been wonderful. When I first came to Kinetic, I was limping and couldn’t do normal chores or walk without pain. Amanda showed me exercises to help strengthen my muscles but also

“ It’s been a process that Emery was able to take me through, teaching me how to exercise in a manner that back pain so I can continue to do all that I want to do without a walker or braces but with a strong body.” — Randy Schafernak made me able to manage my

explained why the exercises needed to be done and what muscles they worked. Thank you!” — Sue Markowski

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‘YOU’RE NEVER OUT’ AFTER 4 JOINT REPLACEMENTS, THIS ATHLETE GOT BACK ON THE BIKE

Rehabilitation after an injury or surgery is tough. Sometimes it’s tempting to just give up on PT and resign yourself to life on the couch! In those moments, it helps to look to incredible athletes like Kittie Weston-Knaauer for inspiration.

four surgeries within two years and left the operating room after her last one with a plan: In six months, she would compete in a

come back in; it’s how you come back in that really matters.’”

With persistence and hard work, Kittie made it to her competition! She even pedaled her bike to finish in third place.

national bike race championship. It was a really ambitious goal, but if anyone

Kittie is a lifelong runner and competitive cyclist who planned to

could do it, Kittie could.

stay in the saddle well into retirement. She even placed seventh in a bike racing

“I promised myself I’d get back to the top

“For years, I was afraid that having joint replacements

championship at age 59! But in her early 60s, Kittie got bad news from her doctor: The early-onset arthritis in her hips and knees was getting worse. She needed a total of four joint replacement surgeries — one for each hip and knee. In an interview with Johnson & Johnson, Kittie shared the story of what happened next. She had all

of my game, and I did,” she told J&J.

would set me back. But, in the end, my

There are hundreds of inspiring stories like Kittie’s

surgeries actually fired me up even more,” Kittie told J&J. “During rehab, I’d often ask myself, ‘So, you’re down, but are you out?’ And then I’d quickly answer, ‘You’re never out. You can always

Sudoku website to learn more about how we can help you get back to the sports and activities you love. out there, and with the help of our team at Kinetic PT Specialists, yours can be one of them! Visit our

Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breast

This succulent chicken stuffed with cheese, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes is impressive on the plate but easy in the kitchen! Our recipe makes 2 servings. DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 365 F. 2. Cut a slit lengthwise to create a pocket in the middle of each chicken breast. Place the breasts on a baking sheet. 3. In a medium bowl, combine the 4. Divide the mixture in half and stuff each chicken breast pocket. Using toothpicks, seal the edges of the pockets. 5. Season the chicken with curry, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, basil, and garlic. paprika, salt, and pepper, then bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 F. 6. Remove the toothpicks and serve with rice, potatoes, salad, or roasted vegetables!

INGREDIENTS • 2 chicken breasts • 2 oz mozzarella, cubed • 2 canned artichoke hearts, chopped • 4 tsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped • 10 large basil leaves, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, chopped • 1/2 tsp curry powder • 1/2 tsp paprika • Salt and pepper, to taste

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INSIDE

Mike and Emilie’s Best/Worst Date PAGE 1 Health Benefits of Being in Love PAGE 2

Patient Testimonials: Getting Confidence Back PAGE 2 The Inspiring Rehab Story of a 69-Year-Old Athlete PAGE 3 Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breast PAGE 3 Improve Your Health With Fitness Trackers PAGE 4

Improve Your Health With Fitness Trackers

SLEEP MONITORING

Over the past decade, wearable technology has seen an incredible boom. Wearables like Fitbits and the Apple Watch used to be nothing more than glorified step counters. Since their debut, though, fitness trackers and wearables have gone through various updates that have made them essential to the fitness community as a whole. This is because wearing a fitness tracker can add great benefits to your lifestyle and can even improve your daily life.

Many fitness trackers give you insight into your sleep routine and will even track your movements so you can find out if you were tossing and turning all night. Others go further by detecting your body temperature, heart rate, and energy expenditure. You can use this information to create a sleep

schedule that works for you or make any adjustments to your sleeping conditions if they are preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep.

HEART RATE

A built-in heart rate sensor is possibly the most vital feature available in almost every wearable device and fitness tracker. There are many exercise machines that track your heart rate, but those are only useful if you know your resting heart rate. With a fitness tracker — whether you’re sleeping, sitting, running, or exercising — you will know exactly what your heart rate is and what’s normal for you. This is important because it will help you notice irregularities so you can better understand your heart health.

FUTURE UPDATES

Fitness trackers and wearable devices are still a relatively new technology. Tech companies are continually updating them and introducing additional features. For example, new wearables that are hitting the market can track blood sugar, which could be incredibly beneficial to those with diabetes. Wearable tech will continue to evolve — only time will tell what features and functions companies will unveil next.

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