Kinetic PT - August 2020

Kinetic PT - August 2020

AUGUST 2020

847-515-8970 • www.KineticPTS.com

WE’LL HELP YOU CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN 1 STEP AT A TIME

When I heard that Aug. 1 is National Mountain Climbing Day, I didn’t think of scaling Everest or El Capitan. No, I immediately thought of our patients. We treat people every day who are climbing their own mountains. They may be in pain or are on the road to recovery after an injury or accident. These are real, serious uphill battles, and we have the most rewarding job in the world helping people climb their personal mountains and get back to their lives. I know it can be a daunting climb. Beyond the physical aspect, psychological endurance plays a big role in recovery. In PT school, you take a number of psychology classes. At the time, I wondered how these classes would help me get a patient’s knee functioning again or ease their back pain. It was hard to comprehend at the time just how important the psychological aspect of overcoming an injury is. Then I started treating patients, and I realized that mental hurdles are some of the biggest obstacles to overcome. We’re not just getting a patient’s knee to move; we’re helping them find the motivation and confidence to stick with it and get better. I had to learn this for myself. One of the biggest mountains I faced was starting Kinetic PT Specialists 12 years ago with Emilie. We were both working at clinics at least 45 minutes away from where we are today. We didn’t know any doctors or patients in the area. We also didn’t have a ton of business experience. Oh, and we had a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old at home! There was so much to learn so quickly. We faced a lot of uphill battles figuring out how to balance it all, but we stuck with it. What kept us going was our belief that we could do it. You have to believe you’re going to get there even, or maybe especially, when it gets hard. I always tell my patients that it’s easy to concentrate on where you are

now and feel like you haven’t come very far. But think back to where you were two or three weeks ago. Look at how far you’ve come. You have to take the first step to reach the top. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do right now, focus on your progress. If a climber looks up to the top of the mountain and only thinks about how much farther they have to go, they’ll give up before they even get started. But if they can take the first step, make the first reach for a hold, and then take a second, and third, they’ll get there. It’s my job as a physical therapist to help remind you of that. That’s why you’ll always see us taking notes. They help us track your progress and are proof of how far you’ve come. We’re always doing evaluations to assess your progress. “Remember when you couldn’t get out of the chair without help?” I’ll remind someone. “Or when you couldn’t do a lunge?” It’s easy to lose sight of the progress we make when all we’re thinking about is how far we are from the top. That’s where we come in. We’re here to remind patients of how far they’ve come. We aren’t suggesting you need to go climb Everest. (Although if that’s your dream, by all means, go after it!) Rather, we all have our own personal mountains to climb. We’re here to help you summit. –Mike Ulmer

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Everyone knows how labor-intensive cleaning can be. A long day of scrubbing down your house is a great way to work your muscles and get your blood pumping, so crank up some tunes, grab a mop, and get ready to transform your cleaning routine into a great workout. To get physical benefits from cleaning, you need to turn up the intensity of your methods. Exaggerate your motions, pick up your pace, and keep your abs tight and knees flexed. Nearly any chore can be turned into an exercise, but here are some ideas to get you started. • Vacuum: Vacuum briskly nonstop for at least 20 minutes, switching arms as you go. For an added challenge, do lunges as you vacuum and remember to keep your toes pointed straight ahead and your knees bent at 90-degree angles. • Pick Up: Instead of simply bending over to pick up toys or clothes, do a squat with every item you grab. Remember to use your legs, not your back. You can also do squats while unloading the dishwasher or with any other chore that involves repeated bending. • Wipe Down: Whether you’re wiping windows or scrubbing appliances, do big, exaggerated arm

circles until your muscles start to burn and make sure you’re switching arms as you go. • Cook: It’s not cleaning, but it’s still a chore with useful downtime. While food is simmering or thawing in the microwave, do some pushups, situps, or planks to get your muscles moving. You can implement dozens of exercises to turn mundane activities into beneficial workouts. Some chores will burn more calories than others, but every bit of activity helps. Now’s the time to work your way to a cleaner house and a healthier you.

“I can now back out of a parking space safely! The pain in my neck as I turned to check for oncoming cars was intense, especially if I turned quickly! It was dangerous, and I knew I needed help. I was able to have the

“This was my first experience with physical therapy! Emery made it a personal experience — I felt like I was his only client. Over time, he challenged me with exercises to strengthen my knee. My knee is now significantly better with almost no pain.”

expert therapy from everyone at Kinetic. To fit my schedule, I saw all the therapists, and they truly acted like one, maybe a little different approach, but I’ve reached my goal — pain free!”

–Grant Jahr

–Geri Levine

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Like Mike said on the cover, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the progress we’ve made when we’re focused on how far we have to go. One of the ways to overcome this tendency is to track our progress with tools like journaling. Whether your goal is sticking with your workouts, sticking to healthy foods, or getting some movement in every day, these steps will set you up for success. Step 1: Decide how you’re going to track your progress. Journaling can be a great way to do this. When we write down our experiences and our moods associated with them, it teaches us that our behavior matters. For example, if you work out and feel great after, recording that feeling can help you connect those positive benefits to your actions. The next time you’re tempted to skip a workout, you’ll have that

reminder to fall back on. You don’t have to spend hours on an entry, either. It can be a small daily check- in noting the habit you stuck with and how you felt after. Use a notebook or calendar to keep track of your progress. Step 2: Keep yourself accountable. You’re off to a great start by recording your progress. To keep that momentum going, it’s important to share what you’re working toward with others. This can be especially helpful on days when it’s hard to see any progress. A friend or family member will remind you of how far you’ve come and give you encouragement to keep going. Step 3: Celebrate your success. You stuck to your workout program for three months! That’s something to celebrate! Now that you’ve put in all the time to track your

progress, take a moment to acknowledge your success and accomplishments. Small rewards along the way will help you stay motivated and provide further encouragement. Call a friend so they can celebrate with you. As you continue on your health and fitness journey, we’re here for you! Reach out to the encouraging team at Kinetic PT Specialists with any questions or concerns. If you notice pain or mobility issues during your workouts, we’ll work with you to identify what’s going on and provide the customized treatment to get you back on track with your goals.

Sudoku

World’s Best Vegan Chimichurri

Inspired by Simple Vegan

INGREDIENTS • 1/2 cup oil (extra-virgin olive oil recommended) • 1/4 cup vinegar (apple cider vinegar recommended) • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 4 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp dried oregano • 1/2 tsp salt (Himalayan pink salt recommended) • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper • Cayenne pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS 1. In a bowl, add all ingredients except cayenne and whisk until well mixed. If desired, add cayenne pepper a little at a time until you reach your preferred level of spiciness. 2. Serve immediately or, for an even better taste and texture, refrigerate for 1–2 days. 3. You may increase the batch size, but keep the ratio of oil and vinegar the same — 2-to-1. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months.

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

847-515-8970 www.KineticPTS.com

11920 Oak Creek Parkway Huntley, IL 60142

INSIDE Overcoming Your Personal Mountains PAGE 1

Exercise Your Way to a Clean Home PAGE 2

My PT Story PAGE 2

How Tracking Your Progress Helps You Succeed PAGE 3

World’s Best Vegan Chimichurri PAGE 3

Why We Still Need Travel Agencies PAGE 4

THEY CAN LOWER COSTS. Enlisting the help of a travel agency isn’t as expensive as the average customer might think. Travel advisors receive a small commission from airlines and hotels when they book your trip, which allows them to keep your travel costs down. Every agency charges different fees based on the package you purchase, but on average, you can expect to pay around $75 per traveling person for an agent to book your trip. With all the added experiences and deals they can find, this cost easily pays for itself and then some. THEY SIMPLIFY THE COMPLICATED PROCESS. The No. 1 reason people use a travel agency is because planning a trip can be overwhelming. You have to research the location, book flights, plan ground transportation, secure lodging, discover activities, and find restaurants. If you don’t travel often or are going to a destination you’re unfamiliar with, then tackling everything yourself leaves room for mistakes, stress, and disappointment. A travel advisor makes the entire process as simple as possible so you can enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

Once upon a time, you couldn’t plan a vacation without using a travel agent. They would book your flights and hotels, provide information about local activities, and point you to the best sites to see. But with the advent

of the internet, it seemed travel agencies would become obsolete. However, these services are actually far from disappearing: Nearly 20% of travelers still use an agency. Because the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people travel for the foreseeable future, travel advisors, as they’re now called,

are more valuable than ever. THEY GIVE EXPERT ADVICE.

If you want to get the most out of your trip, then you should talk to someone who knows exactly how to give you that. Travel advisors undergo training and gain experience with different policies, customs, and travel regulations to get where you want to go. They will be your go-to experts for what you should do when you get to your destination, especially if you’re traveling to a foreign country or overseas.

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