Thomas Physical Therapy - January 2019

Thomas Physical Therapy - January 2019

THE THOMAS TIMES

JANUARY 2019

Randy’s Ramblings

REFLECTION AND GRATITUDE

Upon reflection of this season of giving and gratefulness we give thanks to you, our patients!

A GUIDETO EATING SEASONALLY

Your efforts and commitment are inspirational. We experience great satisfaction sharing your victories as you progress with your rehabilitation. It is a wonderful privilege to be able to work with you and get to know you on such a deep level. We have developed many friendships that are both endearing and enduring. The best compliment that we’ve received from our patients is your trust. We are so proud that we’ve created a culture where you feel safe and know that we always have your best interest in mind and heart. Thank you for the wonderful privilege you’ve bestowed upon us. We wish you wonderful times with your loved ones and the healthiest and happiest 2019 imaginable!

What to Buy and CookThroughout the Year

This time of year, many people resolve to eat healthier. It’s a noble goal, but it can’t be accomplished through wishful thinking alone. There are infinite fad diets and eating challenges you can try in order to improve your diet, but more often than not, these methods produce fleeting results. It’s much more logical to transform your diet through simple, actionable steps rather than attempting a complete overhaul based on obscure methodology or marketing gimmicks. Fortunately, one of the biggest steps you can take to improve your diet is also a simple one: Increase the amount of local and seasonal produce in your pantry and on your plate. Fruits and vegetables are the cornerstones of nutritious eating habits, and sourcing from local purveyors guarantees you’ll get your produce at the height of freshness. In addition to the health and taste benefits of eating fresh produce that hasn’t traveled thousands of miles to land on a store shelf, seasonality and locality affect the sustainability and price of your food. “If people are prepared to eat locally and seasonally,” says philosopher and food theorist Peter Singer, “then they probably do pretty well in terms of environmental impact.” On the economic side of things, the shorter the distance between farm and store, the lower the price, which is why you can always find great deals at your local farmers market. To help make 2019 a year of seasonal eating, you’ll need to know what’s at peak ripeness each season. Of course, some of what’s available in your area will vary based on the climate where you live, but the vast majority of this guide will be applicable to the 48 contiguous states.

-Randy Thomas

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WINTER

the pickiest of eaters can get behind. The downside with spring produce is that the season tends to be relatively short, so you’ll have to enjoy these treasures while you can.

Hearty greens like kale and Swiss chard will begin appearing more frequently, as well as unique varieties of carrots and apples. Fall is also the best time of year for foraged mushrooms like oysters and chanterelles. As with the weather, autumnal foods are the bridge between the brightness of summer and the depths of winter. SeasonalFoodGuide.org is a great to tool to find up-to-the-minute lists of what’s in season in your state, from traditional favorites to obscure vegetables you’ve probably never heard of. When it comes to seasonal cookbooks, you can do no better than Joshua McFadden’s “Six Seasons,” which divides the calendar beyond our traditional four quarters for maximum specificity. Here’s to a year of enjoying seasonal, local produce. It will expand your horizons and improve your health — a win-win by any measure. TOOLS FOR EATING SEASONALLY

While you may not expect it, the coldest portion of the year produces a bounty of vegetables that are earthy and subtly sweet. At the top of this list is cabbage, which comes in many varieties and is at its peak during winter. Root vegetables like parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, and kohlrabi are also in abundance. On the fruitier side of things, winter in the warmer parts of the country yields delicious citrus harvests. At no other time of the year will you find such an awesome variety of oranges, lemons, limes, and more. Be on the lookout for exotic varieties like blood oranges and pomelos. Unsurprisingly, spring is when bright green vegetables start to emerge en masse. From asparagus and artichokes to snap peas and fava beans, you’ll find no shortage of delicious veggies to signal the blossoming of a new season. Spring is also the best time to eat strawberries, which is something even SPRING

SUMMER

Variety is at an all-time high during the summer months, but a few categories of produce deserve particular attention. Nightshades, including tomatoes, peppers, chilis, and eggplant, shine during this time of year. In fact, eating a tomato in December is a pale imitation of what you’ll get in July, making it one of the best examples of the stark difference between eating seasonally and grabbing whatever is languishing on the shelves at the grocery store. The same goes for corn and stone fruit like peaches, which are summer-barbecue staples for a reason.

FALL

Think of the Thanksgiving color palette, and you’ll have a good idea of what’s in season.

Sgt. Fieldy Comes Home Reuniting Brothers in Arms

There are around 2,500 military working dogs currently in service, and their efforts help save the lives of countless soldiers and civilians every day. One of these brave military dogs is Sgt. Fieldy, an 11-year-old black lab who was trained to locate the No. 1 threat in Afghanistan: IEDs. Sgt. Fieldy was deployed to Afghanistan with his handler, Cpl. Nicolas Caceres, in 2011. Early in their deployment, their vehicle struck a pressure plate while they were on patrol. Fieldy and Caceres were all right, but one of the other Marines in their company was badly injured in the explosion. The injured Marine could not be evacuated by helicopter until the landing zone was secured. Fieldy found another IED in the area and alerted

Caceres. The bomb was quickly disarmed, and the injured soldier was taken to safety.

Courage Award, and in 2018, he won the American Humane Hero Dog Award for his service. “These dogs are out there with us,” said Caceres when he and Fieldy accepted the Hero Dog Award. “The dangers we face, they face them too. They deserve to be recognized. We ask so much of them, and all they want is to get petted or play with a toy. They’re amazing animals, and Fieldy is just an amazing dog. I can’t begin to express the gratitude I have for him.” If you are interested in supporting our nation’s working dogs or would like to adopt a retired working dog yourself, you can learn more at MissionK9Rescue.org.

This wasn’t the only IED Fieldy found. His sharp nose and dedication helped save thousands of lives. After his deployment, Caceres returned home, but Sgt. Fieldy served several more tours without him. While Fieldy continued to protect soldiers and civilians by tracking down IEDs, Caceres worked tirelessly to make sure he could bring Fieldy home when his service was over. Military working dogs can be adopted by former handlers, law enforcement, or qualified civilians when they retire. After three years apart and a total of four tours served, Sgt. Fieldy was reunited with Caceres. In 2016, Fieldy received the K9 Medal of

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Clinic/ Workshop Upc ming Workshops MARK YOUR CALENDAR We have a schedule full of workshops and clinics that are open to you! GIVE GIFTS TO LOVED ONES If you have children, they will undoubtedly want to keep a few cherished mementos and precious possessions. Deciding who will keep what can be Many homeowners reach a point in their lives when they’re ready tomove from the house they raised their families in to something smaller andmore manageable. While finding the right place can be a challenge, the hardest part of downsizing is often sorting through a lifetime’s worth of possessions. This process, called contents downsizing, is much easier when you follow this four-step system. START WITH THE JUNK Beginning your downsizing with the hardest items will only lead to frustration and inaction. Instead, start by tackling areas of the house that are full of documents, knickknacks, and boxes you haven’t touched in years. These will be the easiest to part with and will put you in the right downsizingmindset. DONATE UNWANTED ITEMS The next category contains items that are no longer valuable to you or your family but may be useful to others. These items can be donated to one of many worthy organizations, such as Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or St. Vincent de Paul. Donations are a way to give back to the less fortunate instead of simply giving or throwing things away. What to Keep, Gift, Donate, &Throw Out A Guide to Downsizing

a sensitive subject, so you’ll need to devise an equitable way to divvy up the goods. Some families engage in the process collaboratively, but there should always be some communication before anything is thrown out. Your kids may value certain items more than you ever realized. If you suspect a certain heirloom could be a source of contention, it’s best to hold on to it andmake it part of your estate plan. ONLY KEEP THE ESSENTIALS After completing the first three steps, you should be left with only those items you actually use and those that have the most sentimental value to you. These are the objects worth bringing to your new home. BONUS TIP: COLOR CODE EACH CATEGORY Odds are that you’ll find junk and valuables stored right next to each other. If you don’t have time to physically separate them at the moment, use different colored Post-it notes to keep everything organized when it comes time tomove.

CITRUS AND AVOCADO SALAD

Ingredients

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1 blood, cara cara, or navel orange, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8-inch thick and deseeded

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1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Clinic & Workshop

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Date

PT

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1 bunch arugula

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1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

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4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Jan 10

Neck Pain

Cheryl Wynn, DPT

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1 avocado, cut into wedges

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Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Jan 22

Low Back Pain & Sciatica

Randy Thomas. PT

1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. In a rimmed baking sheet, toss citrus slices with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast citrus until lightly charred and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes. Let cool. 3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine onion and

lemon juice. Season with salt and let sit for 5 minutes. 4. Add citrus, arugula, andmint to onionmixture. Drizzle with remaining oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss thoroughly. 5. Add avocado, combing very gently to not crush avocado.

Feb 21

Core Strength

Sarah Thomas. PT

Feb 26

Low Back Pain & Sciatica

Randy Thomas. PT

Note: All clinics and workshops are from 5:30–6:30 p.m.

RSVP TODAY 386-257-2672

Recipe courtesy of Good Housekeeping

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Thomas Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy www.ThomasPhysicalTherapy.com

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Randy’s Ramblings PAGE 1 The Value of Seasonal Eating PAGE 1 What Happens to Military Service Dogs? PAGE 2 Why Less Stuff Means More Freedom PAGE 3 Upcoming Workshops PAGE 3 Citrus and Avocado Salad PAGE 3 The Origin of Pilates PAGE 4

BALANCE BORN OUT OF HARDSHIP The Origin of the Pilates System

KNOWLEDGE THROUGH ADVERSITY

Whenmost people think of Pilates, they think of the exercise trend that was the butt of a hundred ’90s sitcom jokes. In reality, this systemof stretches and workouts is a great option for people of all ages looking to stay active, tone their muscles, and improve their balance, all withminimal space and equipment requirements. One need only look at the history of Pilates to understand how this century- old discipline has helped shape exercise science today.

In this internment camp, the system that would eventually become Pilates was developed. Because of the constraints of captivity, Joseph had to devise exercises that didn’t rely heavily on equipment and could be performed in tight, confined spaces. To this day, Pilates remains one of the most flexible, scalable fitness methods around. The techniques first developed by Joseph Pilates are still practiced today, helping thousands of people develop their core postural muscles, gain better fitness, and improve their balance. As a result of his forward- looking techniques and steadfast spirit of personal development, Joseph Pilates remains an inspiring figure in the world of physical fitness.

UNLIKELY BEGINNINGS

LIGHT IN A DARKTIME

The man for whom the Pilates system is named, Joseph Pilates, was no stranger to health challenges. Born in Germany in the late 19th century, Joseph suffered fromboth asthma and rickets, making any formof physical activity difficult. But rather than shy away from exercise, he enthusiastically followed his father into gymnastics, later picking up bodybuilding andmartial arts. Instead of being held back by his body, Joseph made it his life’s mission to help

Joseph became a known quantity in the fitness world, going as far as training ScotlandYard officers in self-defense after moving to England in 1912. Then the FirstWorldWar broke out. Despite having worked closely with English law enforcement, Joseph’s nationality was enough to land him in an internment camp alongside fellowGerman citizens. As the world

was consumed by the bloodiest conflict it had ever seen, the young fitness instructor did what he did best: He helped those around himget stronger and healthier.

himself and others live healthy lives. Eventually, he would begin developing his own fitness theories.

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