How Lifting Weights Will Transform Your Health

lifting weights for better health

Lifting weights is about more than just looking good in a tank top, that muscle you gain has tremendous benefits to your life and longevity.  I’m here to convince you that liftings weights will transform your health and you should start today.

It doesn’t matter your age, gender, or season of life.  There are so many benefits, both physically and psychologically, from strength training that we should all be doing it.  If you have never lifted weights consistently, you are really missing out.

Here are 10 ways that Lifting Weights Will Transform Your Health:

1. You Increase Strength

This is the obvious one, but it’s more important than you might think.  After your mid 30’s you lose strength each year and it accelerates through each decade of life.  If you want your future self to be healthy and independent you must start to put in the work to build strength now.

2. You Boost Your Metabolism

Lifting weights aids in weight loss and maintaining a health body composition.  Building and maintaining muscle requires a lot of energy, so your body is using more calories even at rest when you have more muscle.  Conversely, losing muscle means you are lowering your resting metabolic rate.

3. You Improve Mood & Memory

Pumping iron pumps more blood to your brain. Subsequently, memory and mental focus improve.  It also causes the brain to produce “happy” chemicals that increase energy and optimism. In fact, a reduction in depression and anxiety is demonstrated in many weight lifting studies.

4. You Increase Bone Density

The fact that most women will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime has my 40 something self looking for ways to make my bones stronger.  Putting a heavy load on your body on a regular basis is the best way to improve bone density.  As the muscles you are working pull on the bones they are attached to, those bones also become stronger.

5. You Improve Posture

Do you slouch at your desk most of the day? Improving strength and muscle mass can help support your spine in an upright posture.  In addition, as you train with resistance it will become easier to stand or sit for extended periods of time.

6. You Decrease Arthritis Pain

Strength training will not change the wear and tear that occurs in our joints over time. Science is still working on ways to do that. However, strong muscles surrounding a joint will decrease pain, stiffness, and slow down the progression of degeneration.

7. You Sleep Better

Resistance training is shown in studies to improve sleep quality.  In addition, it’s easier to fall asleep when you are physically active during the day.  But remember, it is important to avoid any type of training too close to bed time though.

8. You Stabilize Blood Sugar

Muscle is a storage tank for glucose and using your muscles help glucose be used most effectively.  This prevents sugar from staying in the blood stream too long, increasing insulin production, and too much being stored in the liver.  Studies show strength training increases insulin sensitivity and can decrease risk for type 2 diabetes.

9.  You Decrease Inflammation

When muscles are used in strength training activities they produce myokines, a substance that helps counteract inflammation and boosts the immune system. Since low level inflammation is linked to a wide range of chronic health conditions, we shouldn’t pass up the anti inflammatory effects of exercise.

10. You Live the Life you Love

Having strong muscle and bone, power, and agility as we age allows us to continue to participate in the activities we love most.  Whether that is traveling, pickle ball, gardening, golf, or chasing kids on the playground; strength training will give us the freedom to keep moving and keep living.

We encourage you to get started with a weight lifting routine today.  If you don’t feel confident with resistance training or have an injury that you need to work around, get professional help to ensure you are safe and effective.  Contact us today for a movement screen and a personalized anti aging exercise prescription.  Inquire about availability of our Doctors of Physical Therapy HERE.

Lastly, go slow and enjoy the process. It can take a few weeks for your body to adjust to a strength training routine, but it won’t be long before you wonder why you waited so long to get started.

Healthier Together with Fall Family Fitness

10 ideas for fun fall family fitness

In these days of grab and go meals, hours spent sitting at desks, and full schedules of extracurricular activities, families need to work at being healthier together. This tends to hit especially hard in the back to school and fall season in our home.  But as parents, it is our responsibility to teach our kids the importance of taking care of our bodies and making fall family fitness a priority.

Exercising together as a family is proven in research to develop children who will grow up with this healthy practice deeply ingrained. In addition, when your family shares time together, regardless of the activity, it also secures and reinforces emotional bonds that yield endless health benefits.

Family fitness is always going to more effective if it is fun, so be creative and resourceful when it comes to the activities you plan.  The number one key though is planning.  We have to be intentional about making movement a non negotiable habit for our families.

Here are 10 ways you can have fun staying healthier together with fall family fitness.

1. Bike Riding

If your bicycles are gathering dust in the garage or shed, get them cleaned and tuned up. Then, plan a family bike ride twice each week. Mornings may be best for hot days, or after dinner may be a more convenient time for you.

2. Alternate Walking and Running

Sure, a family walk is a nice, leisurely activity. But what if you changed it up a bit and alternated walking 3 minutes with a 1 minute run. Most kids love a race and will happily run to the next light post if it’s a competition.

3. Yoga or Tai Chi

It’s nice to have some ideas for indoor fitness activities in case of a rainy day. You Tube provides an endless supply of yoga and tai chi options for a variety of skill levels. Start with short sessions to keep the interest of young kids.

4. Dance Party

One of the most enjoyable fitness activities to do with your kids is dancing. After all, who doesn’t love a party? Turn up the music and get moving in the kitchen or while cleaning up. Older kids may even be interested in trying some salsa lessons or a hip hop dance class together.

5. Rake Leaves

Grab your rakes and get active right in your own backyard. To make it feel like less of a chore, rake leaves into a maze to follow or piles to jump in before bagging them up.  Perhaps you even have a prize for the family member who rakes the tallest pile.

6. Join a Community Fun Run

Check city Facebook pages for an upcoming 5k run or 1 mile walk. Train together, set some goals, and join in the theme of the event – Halloween and Thanksgiving both provide fun opportunities to dress up.

7. Family Zoo Trip

An afternoon spent walking the The Memphis Zoo or attending Zoo Boo is a great way to do more moving and less sitting. Give your kids the map and to navigate to their favorite animals.  You can even throw in a few “I’ll race you to the giraffes” to get the heart rate up.

8. Visit a Local Hiking Trail

Detox from the electronics by enjoying the outdoors together. Hike a new trail and explore the new environment. Take it to the next level with a nature scavenger hunt with a list of leaves, plants, bugs, or wildlife you may spot on the way.

9. Outdoor Obstacle Course

Build a backyard fitness challenge with simple objects like hula hoops, cones, ladders, chalk, or rope. No equipment is required for crab walks or bear crawls that may be a bigger challenge for the adults.  Time each other to see who completes the course the fastest.

10. Play Ball

Whether it’s soccer, baseball, football, or dodgeball, outdoor games involving a ball require extra skill. Make the game a friendly competition, make up your own family rules, or invite neighbors to join in to make this a fun Sunday afternoon or after dinner tradition.

The goal is to demonstrate that fitness is fun, challenging and invigorating. We all know forcing our kids to exercise would result in resistance, so help them develop their own real excitement about staying active. The younger they are the better!

When you educate your children from a young age about fitness and the advantages of staying in shape, these lessons will endure for their whole lives. We know this can be challenging when discomfort in your body or fatigue keep you from participating in many of these activities yourself.  What better gift to give your family than to get help to feel your best so you can stay active with them.

Speak with a Doctor of Physical Therapy about your health and fitness goals today for free by clicking HERE. Our Functional Nutrition Specialist and Integrative Health Coach may be a good resource for you as well.  You can find more about those services at www.amandainspires.com.

Increasing Protein to Meet Spring Health Goals

Preparing protein

As winter comes to an end, we want to move more and feel renewed in our body.  That makes spring an ideal time to focus on optimizing your fitness, performance, and health. No matter your age, stage, or season of life, we are going to challenge you in increasing protein to meet your spring health goals.

If you are like most of our clients, you want to get stronger, move better, lose body fat. Your goal may be to say good-bye to a nagging health condition (perhaps an autoimmune disease, osteoporosis, pre diabetes, or long COVID). When we sit down to discuss these goals, we often find that clients are not meeting their minimum protein requirements. Increasing protein is necessary to fuel the body in achieving these goals.

Why do we care about protein intake as physical therapists?

Protein is required for muscle growth and repair.  Subsequently, healthy muscle mass is required for a healthy metabolism, bone mass, blood pressure and more. In addition, a lack of protein can result in an impaired immune system and increased inflammation.

You may be low on protein because you just don’t consume enough quality protein.  It may be that your need is higher than average because you are healing or under a lot of physical stress. Or you may not be able to break down or absorb the protein you are consuming adequately. In any of these cases, the result will be a difficult time healing from injury, illness or workouts.  You may have not have levels of hormones and neurotransmitters necessary to feel your best, produce energy, stabilize your mood, build muscle, and lose body fat.

Can we agree that one of your spring goals should be meeting your body’s protein needs? Now, let’s figure out how to do that in the midst of a busy schedule.

1. Start Your Day with Protein.

Your first meal of the day is important for your metabolism, sustained energy, and to curb cravings for less healthy foods later in the day.  A well balanced meal also sets the stage mentally for making healthy choices as the day goes on.

2. Space your intake throughout the day.

The body can only process so much protein at one time, so there is no reason to eat your days worth of protein at dinner. Instead of focusing only on your daily protein goal, be sure you are getting adequate amounts at each meal.  For most people this will be 20-30 grams.

3. Drink plenty of water, but not with your meals.

Hydration is important to keeping the body – especially digestion and detoxification – running well.  However, drinking too much water with your high protein meals can decrease the digestive enzymes in your stomach necessary to break down the food properly for absorption.

4. Be mindful with your protein.

Hitting macronutrient targets is important but if you aren’t absorbing the nutrients you are consuming it doesn’t do you much good.  The biggest trigger for gut health issues and poor absorption is stress.  So focus on enjoying your food and take a few deep breaths before your meal if you feel like your mind is racing.

5. Read food labels.

Marketers know that “protein” is a buzzword, but you must check the label for quantity and quality.  That protein bar with 5 grams of protein is not a “high protein” snack.  In addition, you should avoid poorly absorbable or highly inflammatory proteins like casein and soy.

6. Supplement with protein powders.

When you need a quick protein boost a shake may be your best option.  Check labels for artificial ingredients, flavorings, and sweeteners that can cause more harm than good.  Be sure the product has at least 20 grams of quality protein (from multiple sources like hemp and rice if vegan and grass fed if a whey protein).

These are six simple ways you can optimize your protein intake and better absorb it.  Remember, if you are recovering from an illness or injury, training hard, or over the age of 40, you may need more protein than you think.  The RDA (recommended daily allowance) does not take into account these instances of increased need or situations where absorption may be altered.

If you are interested in identifying your unique protein targets to meet your health goals, Integrative Health Coaching may be your next best step. Schedule a Free Discovery Visit to find out if a personalized plan and support through coaching is the solution you are searching for.  Click HERE to reserve your spot.

Preventing Sports-Related Injuries

With the start of a New Year, it’s a good opportunity to remind anyone participating in sports of some simple things you can do to prevent some common injuries. Take these 5 steps to prevent injuries so you can stay in the game — and whether you’re 15 or 105, you can use us for preventative help for new or re-occurring injuries.

“Sport injuries generally occur for two different reasons: trauma and overuse,” says Dr. Andrew Cosgarea, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert. “And while traumatic sports injuries are usually obvious, dramatic scenes, like when we see a player fall down clutching their knee,” continues Cosgarea, who is also the head team physician for Johns Hopkins University Department of Athletics, “overuse injuries are actually more common.”

Overuse injuries often occur when the body is pushed past its current physical limits or level of conditioning — but poor technique and training errors, such as running excessive distances or performing inadequate warm-ups, frequently contribute. To help keep you or your young athlete from experiencing a sports-related injury, Cosgarea provides the following prevention tips:

Set realistic goals.

“I am a strong advocate for setting goals and working hard to achieve them,” Cosgarea says, “but it is crucial that our goals are realistic, achievable and sustainable.” Whether your goal is to swim more laps, lift a certain amount of weight or run a specific distance, set an obtainable goal and gradually work to improve.

Plan and prepare.

If you plan to begin exercising regularly or want to begin a new program, you should meet with your primary care provider first and discuss your options. Also, take the time to learn the proper techniques required for your sport or program. Working with a personal trainer or signing up for a class are often safe and enjoyable ways to start a new activity, Cosgarea suggests.

Warm up and cool down.

It is important to warm up before physical activity because research has shown that a heated muscle is less likely to be strained. To accomplish this, Cosgarea recommends some light walking or jogging before you start your exercise and then again afterward to help your muscles cool down slowly. Another important way to prevent injury is to increase your flexibility. This can be done by stretching before and after a workout, Cosgarea suggests, but it is best to do so once the body is already warm.

Take your time.

Don’t push yourself too hard too fast. Getting in shape or learning a new sport takes time. “We need to allow for adequate time to gradually increase training levels so that our bodies have time to adjust to the stresses on our bones, joints and muscles,” Cosgarea says. For instance, when running, increase mileage gradually and give yourself plenty of time to recover between workouts.

Listen to your body.

Adjust your activities if your body is showing signs of too much stress. “While a mild and short-lived muscle ache is generally considered ‘good pain,’ pain in your joints is not normal and is a sign that you should cut back,” Cosgarea warns.

We encourage you to remain injury free at whatever level you play your sport. At Peak Potential PT, we offer personalized care to address your specific needs. Schedule your appointment today at 901.316.5456 or find us on our Facebook page.

Reference: [https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/sports-injuries/5-tips-for-preventing-sports-related-injuries]

How to do Strength Training Without Joint Pain

Strength training plays an important part in your health and fitness, but you may be concerned about injury or painful joints. By concentrating on proper technique, you can tone your muscles, enhance your posture, and actually reduce discomfort and stiffness in your joints.

From people who strength train, we often hear the following:

“I can’t lift anything overhead because of my shoulder pain”

“I stopped squatting because of my bad knee”

“I have been living on pain killers for weeks now because of this hip”

Moving around and building up supporting muscles slows down the deterioration of your joints that often comes with age. A sound exercise program may even enable you to postpone or avoid joint replacement surgery and other invasive procedures.

Try these guidelines for protecting your joints and staying safe while lifting weights.

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Need physical therapy? 3 key questions your PT will ask

If you are new to physical therapy, you may not know what distinguishes an excellent clinic from others. There are several factors, but one of the first you can assess and evaluate comes in the questions the physical therapist will ask you. This article gives you an idea of the main questions you should expect: 

Sports injury? Frozen shoulder? Knees not behaving as they once did? Your healthcare team may suggest physical therapy to help treat these issues.

So now you’re heading for physical therapy, ready to do the exercises prescribed to help ease pain and restore function. Be prepared to answer questions, too; your physical therapist will want to know a lot more than just where you have pain. You can expect three main questions.

1. What are your limitations?

To determine a treatment plan, your physical therapist needs to know how pain is limiting your ability to carry out activities. “It’s critical to understand the problem impacting a person’s quality of life, so that everything we do is meaningful to them. They don’t care about their degree of shoulder flexion (range of motion); they care about getting a cereal bowl from the cabinet. We figure out what’s driving the problem so we can help them return to what they want to do,” says David Nolan, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Your answer about limitations will also help guide the initial physical therapy assessment that measures range of motion, muscle strengths and weaknesses, or joint restrictions. “Maybe you say you can’t clean the house because of knee pain. After an evaluation, I may determine that you have pain because of weakness in the gluteal muscles and tightness in the quadriceps or hamstrings, and that informs what we need to do to alleviate pain,” Nolan says.

2. What are your goals?

Tell your physical therapist if you have a goal in mind — like going on a hike with friends, running around a tennis court, or playing outdoors with your kids. “There may be specific things we need to do to reach that goal, so I’ll need to know about it,” Nolan says.

For example, if a knee injury is keeping you from playing tennis, the plan will focus on more than just reducing pain. Yes, you’ll likely strengthen and stretch muscles that support the knee (the quadriceps and hamstrings in the thigh, the gluteal muscles in the buttocks, and the abdominal muscles). You’ll also work on improving balance and agility, so you can navigate the tennis court safely, as well as improve upper body strength and shoulder range of motion, so you can swing a tennis racquet.

3. Are you committed to this plan?

Your ultimate success depends on your willingness to stick to the program during the course of physical therapy (which can last weeks or months) and long afterward. “If you’re only doing the work when you’re in the clinic, then it probably won’t be enough to have a lasting effect,” Nolan notes.

Does that mean you’ll have to continue doing special exercises every day or on most days of the week, for the rest of your life? Probably not. “Once you’ve regained strength and reduced pain, you may not need to do the exercises with the same frequency, but you’ll need to make some lifestyle changes to prevent pain from coming back,” Nolan explains.

If you don’t feel committed to the plan, be up front about it. “Give all the information you can as far as what you can do and what you’re willing to do,” Nolan says. “Let’s share decision-making so I can make the plan as relevant to you as possible and you’ll be more likely to comply with it. That way, you’ll have a better outcome.”

When you come to Peak Potential, we will not only want to get to know as much as we can to offer the best solutions and treatments for you, but we will want to answer all of your questions as well. We genuinely care and want to be there for you. Call us to learn more at 901.316.5456 or find us on our Facebook page.

Reference: [https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/need-physical-therapy-3-key-questions-your-pt-will-ask-202106072470]

Top 10 Foods For Exercise Recovery

Man and Woman Sitting, Talking at the Gym

A little soreness with a workout is bearable. . . maybe even pleasant if it’s a reminder of how hard you worked the day before.  However, some aches and pains that are more intense or don’t seem to go away quickly enough. This can limit both your ability and motivation to train.

Many clients tell us they don’t take pain medication because of the side effects, they don’t have time for a massage, and the ice bath that the trainer recommended is just unbearable.  So, the question that follows is . . . how else can I help my body recover after I exercise so I feel my best and reach my goals?

The answer may be found in your refrigerator . . .  the foods you eat.

Not just post workout, but how you fuel your body on a regular basis. Your muscles and immune system must be ready to take the hit of training and bounce back with ease.

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10 Tips to Easily Maximize Exercise Recovery

What you do after the gym matters just as much as what you did during your workout. That’s because the post workout recovery period is a time when your body builds lean muscle mass and repairs any damage.

If you shortchange yourself, you could wind up decreasing performance, increasing injury risk, or even gaining body fat. And all these things are counterproductive to the reason you exercise in the first place.

The good news it, you can ensure your workouts deliver the results you want without causing any collateral damage. Add in a few of these suggestions after you exercise to encourage maximum recovery and restoration.

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Do I Really Need to Stretch After My Workout?

I know we are all short on time and taking 10 minutes to stretch at the end of a gym session, long walk, or tennis game can seem like a waste.
We believe the gains made to improve our cardiovascular system, muscular strength, and agility are during the workout . . . right?
The truth is, strength and performance gains are made during recovery as your body rebuilds what was broken down during your workout.
And stretching is an integral part of the recovery process.
It improves blood circulation to deliver nutrients to the muscles that “feed” them as they recover.

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