Many people believe that an exercise program is only for those who want to lose weight. Quite the contrary, as Exercise or Fitness Programs comes in many packages. One of the most important packages is the continuation of a Rehabilitation Program after an injury, with an Exercise Program. Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Institute has a famous quote, “Fitness is a journey, not a destination. It must be continued for the rest of your life.”
One common injury that sends many people to Physical Therapy is the ankle. Inversion injuries are the most common cause of ankle sprains. These injuries result in stretching or tearing of the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Depending on the degree of injury a prescription for Physical Therapy is written for up to fifteen sessions. So what happens after the fifteen sessions? It would be wonderful to say the ankle is completely healed, but remember this is a journey not a destination. This is where an Exercise Program becomes extremely important. Not only do you want to have that ankle completely healed, but that ankle must be strengthened to avoid any future injuries. By incorporating a well rounded exercise program into your life, you will strengthen not only your ankle, but you will also be strengthening all your muscles, gaining flexibility and obtaining better balance. By strengthening your muscles, one will decrease the chance of osteoporosis or a possible hip replacement. Obtaining better balance will decrease your chance of falling and possibly fracturing an arm, wrist, shoulder or hip.
An Exercise Program after Physical Therapy is your prescription to live a better, balanced life. Studies have shown that exercise is the prescription to relive the pain, stiffness and swelling of the joints in arthritis. By incorporating an exercise program that includes range of motion exercises, this will help maintain joint movement and reduce stiffness. Endurance or aerobic exercises will improve the cardiovascular system and yes, this will help control weight, because muscle burns more calories than fat. Aerobic exercise could be walking, jogging, swimming or riding a bike.
The benefits of exercise may sound too good to be true, but scientific research has shown that exercise improves health and can extend your life. By adding as little as 30 minutes a day can help you avoid serious ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, breast and colon cancers. A regular exercise program will also help you sleep better, reduce stress, feel better, sharpen your mind, improve you mood and your sex life.
A Functional Fitness Exercise Program will put the function back into your life. This type of program trains your body how to handle real life occurrences and situations. A Functional Program is the next step to have a happy, healthy life. This type of exercise program teaches the all the muscles to work together, rather that isolating one group of muscles. You are teaching your muscles to work as a team to give you optimum results.
An example of a Functional exercise for the ankle may be, standing on one foot, with three to five pound weights in each hand, doing a bicep curl. Not only are you strengthening your ankle, you are building strength in your arms and strengthening your core, which is the key to balance and a better quality of life.
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