3 New Year’s Resolutions from your physiotherapist!

3 New year’s resolutions from your physiotherapist….and tips on how to achieve them!

• Make steps to get high quality sleep each night
• Aim to meet the world health organisations goals for physical activity each week
• Address any niggles/aches or pains

Good quality sleep

Here are some tips on how you can get a better night's sleep:

• Maintaining a consistent bedtime routine
• Rising from bed at the same time each day
• Sleeping in a cool and dark environment
• Exercising regularly (but not too close to bedtime)
• Avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed
• Avoiding too much screen use before bed
• Using relaxation techniques for example a warm bath before bed
• Accessing psychological support if worries are keeping you awake

Meeting WHO guidelines for physical activity each week

Adults aged 18-64 should fit in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous -intensity aerobic physical activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in sections of at least 10 minutes duration each time. These durations can be increased for additional health benefits. Muscle strengthening should also be performed on 2 or more days each week.

Here are some tips on how to achieve this:

• Break down your goals – make them SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timed)
• Keep a record of your achievements – if you aren’t meeting your SMART targets then modify your plan
• Organise your schedule so that you can fit in enough time to meet your goals
• Get social support from friends and family – bring them on board with you
• Little changes will lead to big results so don’t be disheartened if you miss one day, pick back up where you left off
• Remember that positive feeling you felt when you achieved your goal and use that positivity to keep you motivated
• Celebrate your success with rewards

Address any niggles/aches and pains

Be proactive with your health…don’t let any small niggles turn into bigger issues. Work on prevention rather than cure. It will save you a lot of money/discomfort and time in the long run to address any issues early on than to wait for them to escalate into bigger problems.

If you have any aches or pains that need addressing, or, if you want a rehab programme to work on alongside your usual training routine then speak to one of our physiotherapists and see how they can help you.

References:

World Health Organisation (last accessed 19.12.19) : https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_adults/en/