Friday, July 28, 2017

Back To School - the unconventional student




Congratulations! If you are reading this blog it means you have already overcome a huge obstacle on your path to furthering your education; deciding to go back to school.  Let me first start out by defining the “unconventional student.” This is typically an adult student.  As an adult, there are a variety of different responsibilities other than school that will have to have time and energy devoted to them; such as, children, maintaining a home, marriage, and work. Starting or going back to college can be both physically and emotionally draining. It can be terrifying to change careers, intimidating to enter a classroom after many years. How could I forget about student loan debt! Don’t panic! I have been an unconventional adult student for four years and will graduate this August from Lewis University with a Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training. From there, I am preparing to further my education in Physical Therapy School.  With this blog I will hopefully relieve your fears and give you some tips and tricks to accomplish your goal of higher education. 


First, I want you to ask yourself “Why am I going back to school?” You could be working toward an increase in salary, pursuing a dream or goal that was put on the back burner, or simply making a shift in careers. This question is important because if you are not 100% motivated to take this step, it will be much harder to tolerate the stress. As for me, I enlisted in the army right out of high school and spent seven years working as an infantryman in a special operations unit.  Unfortunately, I was injured on a deployment and ended up medically retiring.  This injury led me to my passion of helping others in the field of Athletic Training and Physical Therapy, as I relied heavily on physical therapy to be able to walk again. I can honestly say that I would not have been able to finish my undergraduate training if I did not truly enjoy what I was studying.  I also have a wife, a child, three dogs and a new home.  I work part time and the majority of my schooling requires unpaid clinical rotations and an internship.  As you can imagine, sometimes I feel as though I am stretched pretty thin.  Luckily, I have learned to prioritize.  Obviously, coursework is a priority, but it cannot consume your whole life.  You have to make time for your kids and significant other.  One thing I have found to be helpful is a good schedule and a routine.  A few tips for this are to register and enroll early.  Adjust your work schedule to your class schedule and block in study and homework time. I tried to leave a one-hour break between classes to finish homework.  I usually leave either all of Saturday or all of Sunday dedicated to family time and do not do any coursework during that time.  Sometimes, a break is necessary to regain motivation. Wake up at the same time, leave your house at the same time, and go to bed at the same time.  In addition to keeping a good schedule and routine, keeping physically active and following a nutritious diet is essential.  I played hockey for three years of my college career, and being active 5 times a week helped keep my energy up and gave me a release from stress.  I recommend doing what you enjoy, walking, jogging, yoga, interval, HIIT, cycling swimming or sport participation.  Being active 30-minutes a day for four to five days a week can help keep your head in the game.  Many people get bogged down by diet.  Don’t count calories or macronutrients. I found you will not have time.  Develop a diet of “clean eating” with a balance between proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  Meal prepping will be vital to staying on track.  My wife makes my lunch, so I get some assistance in this area.  Diet is important because poor food choices or not eating enough will lower your energy and may affect your ability to be successful. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water will further assist a healthy diet.  For me, coffee was necessary and so drinking plenty of water to offset the dehydrating effects of caffeine was helpful.

           
No matter how motivated and organized you are, sometimes the stress of life wins and its okay.  I have had many instances where I could not sleep, could not focus on coursework and was neglecting my family because I was not able to handle being pulled in multiple directions.  I was still accomplishing things but I was just going through the motions. One thing that really helped me is a technique called “mindfulness.” This technique teaches you to focus on breathing to put yourself in the moment. It teaches you to recognize when your mind wanders and to get your focus back on the present. I have found this to be very beneficial, although, it did take some time and effort to really recognize the positive effects.  With that being said, I believe that having a strong support system is the most beneficial thing you could have. Having my wife, family, great coworkers and friends to seek advice from or just vent to is a great way to alleviate any stress or doubt.  Sometimes you need to be vulnerable and ask others for help. Think about who you have on your team and make sure they know how much you appreciate their help.

           
Remember to love what you are doing, develop a scheduled routine, stay active and eat well, utilize various techniques to combat stress and take advantage of your support systems.  Everyone has their own methods and techniques, so do what works best for you.  I have just tried to give you some pointers that have benefitted me on my path.  Below I have provided several links to help you on your way.  You will do great things!



-Brad Hojek

Aide at TheraCORE Physical Therapy


















Friday, July 14, 2017

Can kids be physically active during screen time?




As my boys reach their teen years, it seems to be a constant battle keeping them off their phones and video games.  With all the extra hours at home this summer, getting them off the couch isn’t as easy as it used to be!

It is recommended that kids get at least 60 minutes of vigorous play each day to stay healthy.  Regular exercise in nature is proven to improve children’s physical and mental health.  Outdoor activity helps kids maintain a healthy weight, boosts immunity and bone loss, lowers stress and improves self-esteem.  It is also recommended that screen time be limited to less than 2 hours a day.  That’s TV, video game, computer, phone and iPad total time less than 2 hours/day!  I don’t know about you, but I find that to be nearly impossible. 

So, what about creating ways to be physically active with screen time?  Pokémon Go had the right idea and got my kids up and walking around, but they outgrew that game. Here are some other ideas I have used with my boys…

·         When watching morning cartoons or an afternoon movie on a rainy day, see how many push-ups you can do or how long you can hold a plank at the commercial breaks.  Make it a contest between you and your kids!
·         Allow them to create a private (only those you share the video with can see it) You Tube channel where they can create and post videos of themselves doing something active.  My boys will make a highlight video of themselves doing tricks on our trampoline, or dunking on the basketball hoop, or doing skateboarding tricks and set them to music.  They turn out pretty impressive!
·         Play a game on your phone together.  We like Heads Up where you hold the phone on your forehead and try to get your partner to say the words that pop up on the screen.  Even though it’s a talking game, we are always up jumping around acting out the word!
·         We still have a blast playing Wii sports together. Whether it be baseball, tennis or golf, the competitions get pretty intense.  And, they get a good laugh out of how bad I am. Just Dance or Outdoor Challenge are other fun active video games.


Of course, the goal is always getting outside with my kids hiking, biking, kayaking or just a good old game of one-on-one in the driveway.  Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and if getting them active with screen time is the best I can do some days, I’ll take it!

Amy Goebbert, PT, DPT
Co-owner & Physical Therapist - TheraCORE, Inc.

Monday, July 10, 2017

Outdoor Adventures


It’s Summer! Round of applause!!!

You complained all winter about the dreary weather and now that hibernation season is over, why are you still Netflix binging on the couch?! The sun is out and the weather is as good as it will be all year, so why not give the great outdoors some love?

As you’ve likely heard, exercise has loads of evidence on positive health benefits. Let’s spend a little time elaborating on a couple of my favorites: hiking and kayaking.

Hiking



While you won’t find a large mountain to climb in IL, you will find several local and not so local parks and canyons to explore.



To name a few:

  • Starved Rock
  • Matthiessen State Park
  •       Shawnee National Forest
  • Giant City State Park
  •       Fern Cliff State Park
  • Rock Cut State Park

Health Benefits of Hiking
  • Fight off heart disease. Those who do not exercise are twice as likely to have coronary heart disease.
  • Lower your blood pressure. Physical activity lowers BP 4-10 points. Regaining a normal body weight can lower it 5-20 points.
  • Manage and prevent diabetes. Exercise can reduce the amount of insulin needed and can potentially reverse the course of the disease for those with Type II.
  • Improve your cholesterol levels.
  • Lose and maintain a healthy weight.
  • Decrease your risk of colon cancer.
  • Fight stress. Walking releases adrenaline thus helping to decrease tension and anxiety.
  • Increase bone density and slow the rate of calcium loss responsible for osteoporosis.
  • Manage osteoarthritis. Motion is lotion! Walking is a low impact activity good for assisting with maintaining strong, healthy bones and muscles.

Kayaking




Pick a lake. Burn calories. Rest. Enjoy scenery. Repeat. All while getting tanned and toned. Who can argue with that?

Health benefits of Kayaking
  • Take in extra Vitamin D necessary for healthy bones.
  • Improved breathing efficiency and cardiovascular endurance.
  • Decreased fat and increased lean muscle mass. Think strong arms, legs, back and core.
  • De-stress. Being by water is shown to assist with relaxation and with the endorphins from exercise, it is a win-win!



Take home: regular exercise has been proven to have a positive effect on lengthening and improving the quality of our lives. You want to be around to complain about next winter right? So, what are you waiting for? Get outside!

Katie Green, PT, DPT