New year… new you?
How to actually stick to your new year’s resolution
Minutes leading up to midnight on December 31st, there was a promise that echoed all over the nation: “this year I’ll be healthy and fit!” According to data compiled by Google, the #1 New Year’s resolution for Americans is health related. Some gym chains report that they see a 40% spike in their gym traffic during the month of January. However, gyms also report a sharp decline by the first week of February. In fact, according to U.S. News, approximately 80% of all new year resolutions fail by February.
To help you avoid becoming part of the statistics, our sports medicine experts at OrthoNOW want to share 4 tips to help you stick to your New Year’s resolution.
- Set specific goals— The best way to achieve a goal is by setting specific milestones throughout the journey. If you want to lose weight, set some expectations for every month. If you want to challenge your strength and endurance, register for a fitness event and train for it! It doesn’t matter if it’s a 5K or a triathlon, the idea is to set an achievable goal.
- Listen to your body— It’s imperative to recognize when the body has aches and pains. While starting a new fitness routine will inevitably make your body ache, you must recognize when the ache can be a sign of future injury. Before beginning your routine, make sure to warm up and stretch as it helps prepare your body for the workout it’s about to get.
- Strengthen to avoid injury— Many people are gearing up to begin a new fitness regimen and there are some common injuries such as ankle sprains, knee injuries and shoulder injuries, that should be kept in mind when designing your fitness plan. After all, you don’t want an injury to be the reason to end your resolution. To prevent such injuries, our experts recommend focusing on strength conditioning. It’s important to incorporate exercises, such as balance exercises, that strengthen the muscles that protect your ankles, knees and shoulders.
- Get help! — If you haven’t exercised in a long time, you probably don’t even know where to begin. The main purpose of a goal is to achieve it, so take the first step and seek consultation from professionals that can help you along the way. The OrthoNOW physical therapists and assistants are trained to teach you proper techniques that are appropriate for your individual stamina – and OrthoNOW’s orthopedic clinicians can provide expert consultation about exercising with a preexisting condition, old injury, or any proneness for repeat injury.
While resolutions are often forgotten a few weeks into the new year, some determination and proper guidance can be the keys to success. Contact OrthoNOW’s at 855-447-6784 for help. To access locations and services visit www.orthonowcare.com or download our award-winning mobile app at www.orthonowmobileapp.com.
Happy New Year!
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About OrthoNOW
OrthoNOW®, the nation’s only orthopedic care franchise, is focused on assessment and treatment of a range of orthopedic and sports injuries, chronic conditions, and preventative protocols – all on a walk-in basis. Specialties include anything related to the foot, ankle, knee, hip, wrist, hand, elbow, shoulder and spine.
Every OrthoNOW® is equipped with digital imaging equipment and offers the latest techniques and treatments by a team of orthopedic clinicians and orthopedic specialized ancillary providers including Neuro Muscular Therapy which dramatically alleviates acute and chronic pain and expedites recovery time from surgery.
OrthoNOW® recently launched the mobile app v2.0 for iPhone users which features a revolutionary feature called On My Way NOW® which allows patients to notify an OrthoNOW® Center that they are in route, the reason they’re coming and what time they expect to arrive. The recently released upgraded app now includes integration with Uber. OrthoNOW’s flagship center is in Doral, Florida, with franchised Centers in Florida, Georgia and other locations coming soon.
Sources:
http://kxan.com/2016/12/28/gym-memberships-spike-and-then-sharply-decline-after-new-year/
https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-athletes-stretch-before-they-work-out
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