Willow PT_Improve Health and Fitness

NEWSLETTER Health &Wellness

Improving Your Health, Energy, & Fitness In The New Year

ALSO INSIDE KETO RECIPE • NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW YOU! EXERCISE OF THE MONTH PATIENT SPOTLIGHT

NEWSLETTER Health &Wellness www.willowpt.com

Improving Your Health, Energy, & Fitness In The New Year

Did you follow through with your summer fitness goals? Did you set a goal to lose weight, exercise more, eat better and increase your activity level? What about your New Year’s resolutions? Remember those? Unfortunately, such declarations often fail after a month or two. This can often be attributed to two things: a lack of readiness to actually change bad habits and a pattern of setting unrealistic expectations. So what types of resolutions can we make that we’ll actually stick to? If you want to improve your health and increase your energy, here are some simple ways to change your lifestyle for the better. 1. Begin the day with protein. Eating protein for breakfast helps curb your appetite throughout the day and tends to improve your overall diet as well. While you may wind up consuming the same number of calories over a day’s time, you’ll be less tempted by high-fat snacks around dinnertime. Keep in mind that there are plenty of plant-based proteins available,

including hemp seeds, black beans, almonds, edamame, and pumpkin seeds among them. 2. Limit your drinks. By this, we aren’t only referring to alcohol. Instead, try to cut back on the calorie-laden drinks popular this time of year. Concoctions such as sweetened coffee drinks, sodas, diet sodas and energy drinks can be detrimental to a healthy diet. Focus on a higher consumption of water during the day and to make it easy have a glass by your desk or carry a bottle around with you. 3. Try wearable technology. Research shows that people who use wearable technology, gadgets such as Fitbits, Garmin, and Withings, tend to stick to their exercise routine more faithfully than those who don’t. With many of them, you can track your heart rate, steps per minute, sleep cycles, and more. (CONTINUED INSIDE)

Are you letting pain hold you back? Call to schedule your appointment today! 907-456-5990

IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH, ENERGY, & FITNESS (Continued)

5. Reduce fatigue. As anyone who has tried and failed at establishing a regular exercise routine can agree, fatigue is the number one enemy. To help combat this, drink beet juice. Studies show that it can increase stamina by up to 16 percent. Furthermore, listen to music that keeps you motivated. Listening to the right music can actually expand your blood vessels by 26 percent. Work on a schedule routine that ensures you get enough rest, exercise, and activity. 6. Switch it up. If you’ve been plugging through the same fitness routine day after day, you may notice a reduction in strength gain. To avoid this, try differentexercises, working outatdifferent timesof day, using different repetitions, or lifting different weights. Consider ways to add healthy decision-making to your lifestyle. Remember that putting things off doesn’t get you to where you want to be. We are here to help you reach your goals and achieve a healthy, pain-free lifestyle.Talk to your physical therapist at our practice today, or schedule a free 30 minute consultation to make your 2020 the healthiest yet. Do you want to improve your health, energy, and fitness this year? We can help! Call to schedule your appointment today! 907-456-5990 www.willowpt.com

4. Increase Your Range of Motion. Avoid shortcuts when it comes to exercising. Strive for using the greatest range of motion. This may include making longer lunges, stretching arms more while jumping rope, or leaning over further during yoga. Whatever the case, doing so helps your muscles do more work per rep, which results in breaking down more tissue by the end of your workout. If you have difficulty reaching a full range of motion, or have discomfort, consult your physical therapist.

KETO Recipe Garlic Butter Meatballs With Zucchini Pasta

• 4 cloves garlic, grated + 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1/2 tsp red crushed chili pepper flakes (optional) • 3 tbsp butter • 4 medium zucchini, spiralized • lemon juice

Ingredients • 1/2 lb ground turkey meat • 1/2 lb ground pork meat (optional) • 1/2 cup shredded cheese • 1 crumbled bouillon cube (optional) • 1 tbsp hot sauce • 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro, divided • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions For turkey meatballs: Combine ground turkey and ground pork, cheese, grated garlic, Italian seasoning, bouillon cube, red chili pepper flakes, chopped cilantro and black pepper in a bowl. Mix well with your hands or fork to form medium balls. Arrange the turkey meatballs on a plate and set aside. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the turkey meatballs for 8-10 min on all sides until cooked through. While cooking, baste the meatballs with the mix of butter and juices. Remove to a clean plate and set aside. For zucchini noodles: In the same skillet, melt remaining 1 tbsp of butter; then add lemon juice, hot sauce, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add zucchini noodles and cook for 3-4 min, stirring regularly, until zucchini is done but still crisp and juices have reduced a bit. Garnish with more cilantro or parsley. Push zucchini on one side of the skillet and add the turkey meatballs back to the pan and reheat for about a minute. Serve the garlic butter turkey meatballs with lemon zucchini noodles immediately with a lemon slice on the side.

Try this movement if you are experiencing pain. EXERCISE OF THE MONTH

Peroneal Nerve Slider Lay on your back with your leg elevated and one knee at a 90º angle. Slowly straighten your knee while simultaneously bending your foot up. Bend your knee back down, while also pumping your ankle downward and inward as if pressing the brake in a car. Repeat 6-10 times on each leg.

New Year Means A New You! Let Willow Physical Therapy Help You Reach Your Health & Fitness Goals This Year! The professionals at Willow PhysicalTherapy will help you regain lost motion, strength, balance and coordination resulting from pain in your shoulders, back, neck, hips or knees. Start the year off with a safe and conservative treatment that gets results, we can help to strengthen and increase your mobility, while decreasing pain. Ourgoal is toempoweryou toactivelymanageyourpain, increase your range of motion and get you moving again. We will get you back to living the life you deserve.

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

Patient Spotlight

“My personal experience with Willow Physical Therapy has been extremely relieving! I came in for treatment of a condition that was producing an immense amount of stress in my daily life. I worried about my future and the permanent damage that was inevitable, and that I would no longer be able to participate in the physical activities that I enjoy. After a few months of physical therapy, I am happy to say that my mobility has returned, the pain that I was feeling almost seems forgotten, like it never existed!” - C. Wilbur “I am happy to say that my mobility has returned!”