Simple and safe ways you can re-energize and reduce pain naturally.
Staying active is one of the key factors in maintaining long-term health. Fitting exercise and even moderate activity into your daily routine; however, isn’t always easy.
Whether it’s because of a busy schedule, pain, or a health condition, you may find it difficult to get the daily exercise you need. Wellspring Health Center recommends these five easy ways to increase your energy naturally.
1. Prepare simple healthy meals at home rather than ordering take out.
Cooking at home can mean healthier eating when you use fresh (or frozen) organic ingredients without preservatives or artificial flavors. There are loads of healthy recipes that are easy to prepare ahead of time using a Crockpot or Instant Pot Cooker. Prepare extra portions and freeze or eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.
2. Get moving with your pet
Getting a pet, especially a dog, will help improve your overall activity level. You’re more likely to enjoy moving if you have a cat or a dog to play with.
Taking daily walks and spending time with your pet outdoors is a fantastic way to get moderate exercise that is both fun and healthy.
Having a pet (even if it’s just a fish) may also reduce anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
3. Consult with a physical therapist
Physical therapy can help improve long-term injuries that never completely healed and reduce the pain from chronic conditions such as arthritis. Even if you’re in relatively good health, physical therapy can help correct patterns of imbalance, increase flexibility, and joint motion so you can stay active and feel more energetic.
A physical therapist can design a custom plan that can reduce your pain and improve your overall strength, posture, and flexibility. And most health insurance plans cover PT with no doctor referral needed in Minnesota.
Whether it’s athletic improvement or the ability to carry out daily activities with greater ease and endurance, physical therapy can enhance the quality of your life.
4. Get moving during your work breaks
If you have a desk job, you should already know how important it is to get up and periodically start moving around. You can walk the stairs or around the perimeter of your office during lunch breaks.
There are even simple exercises and stretches you can do at your desk. Having a yoga mat nearby makes it easy to slip off your shoes and relax into some basic postures. Adding intermittent stretching and yoga postures into your daily routine reduces sluggishness and chronic pain. You’ll find many free yoga classes on YouTube. We recommend Yoga With Adriene for simple and safe full body stretches, calm breathing, and a wide variety of class options.
5. Go walking!
You probably already know that walking is one of the easiest and best forms of exercise. But are you taking advantage of all your opportunities to walk?
Are you walking up and down the stairs in your home or apartment instead of always taking the elevators or staying seated for long periods of time?
Even walking to the end of the drive each day to get the mail instead of picking it up from the car window can make a difference.
There are a few tips to follow that will encourage you to walk more:
- Listen to motivational music or a podcast. To help you stay motivated on the days you don’t feel like walking.
- Walk with a pedometer. A pedometer is a low tech item that counts the number of steps you take. It’s a fun way to keep track of how far you’ve walked.
- Wear comfortable supportive shoes. If your feet are sore because of shoes that fit poorly, you’ll be less likely to spend time walking. A physical therapist can help you select the best shoes.
- Dress For The Weather. Wearing appropriate clothing for the weather so you can enjoy the walk. Remember there is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices.
Another tip on getting active
The key is to find a fun activity that you enjoy doing and that also fits your current fitness level. If you spend your days hobbling painfully from your bed to your reclining chair and back, the notion of pursuing any kind of vigorous activity may be the furthest thing from your mind.
The truth, however, is that getting active (even starting with something as simple as stretching and breathing for 15 minutes each day) can vastly improve your health, your comfort, mobility, and overall quality of life.
Remember to avoid injuries!
While it’s always important to get active to relieve aches and pains and to improve your health and wellness, it is also important to avoid injuries.
Here are some great ways to avoid injuries while also staying active:
- Using the proper equipment. When engaging in any physical activity, it is important to make sure you have the right equipment. For example, running shoes, hiking boots, helmets, and more can help you avoid injury and stay safe while doing the activities you enjoy. They can make all the difference when it comes to preventing injuries.
- Staying within your abilities. It is important to train and practice any physical activity you’d like to try. Start small in the beginning and build up from there. For example, if you aren’t used to running but you’d like to complete a 5k, don’t start with 3-mile runs. Begin with a half-mile and slowly build up. When you push your body past its current limits, you make yourself more prone to injuries because your body is not prepared for the physical demands being asked of it. A physical therapist can help you understand your body’s limits and can create an exercise plan for you to reach your physical goals.
- Hydrating + Detox Tea. Did you know that your body is over 70% water? Because of this, it requires water to remain supple and function properly. Without adequate water and nutrition, your body’s tissues are more prone to over-stretching and injury. Make sure you drink the recommended amount of 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water a day, and always keep a water bottle with you when you are working out. You can decrease sluggishness and constipation by dropping a bag of herbal detox tea into your water bottle; no brewing necessary. We recommend Traditional Medicinals Daily Detox Tea.
- Stretching + Yoga. Along with staying hydrated, stretching and yoga make a winning team reduce sluggishness and prevent injuries. Your tissues require water to be elastic, and stretching helps to bring water into the tissues. This increases muscle flexibility and prevents them from becoming stiff or tight, thus decreasing the chances of them over-stretching and/or tearing. Yoga incorporates full body stretches with breathing for the ultimate in injury prevention. You’ll find many free yoga classes on YouTube. We recommend Yoga With Adriene for simple and safe full body stretches, calm breathing, and a wide variety of class options.
Ready to get started?
Making a few simple changes in your life can dramatically increase your activity level.
These changes, along with visiting a holistic physical therapist, can improve your health and overall well-being.
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Tags: Wellspring Health Center, health and wellness, physical activity, physical therapist, fitness, physical fitness, physical therapy, Achy or Sluggish, Aches & Pains, Health, Achy, Natural Treatment, Natural Pain Relief
