Consider a NEW Practice - National "Every Kid Healthy" week

Two years ago I began practicing yoga and absolutely love everything about it. If you are my friends or family, I have probably already asked you to come join me for a class. If you have been a patient of mine, I most likely have incorporated some sort of yoga-esque exercise into your rehabilitation. Why? Because these movements, breathing techniques, and forms of meditation work!

My 9 year old daughter, Emma, is exactly like me….running from sun up to sun down. Typical first born - wanting to do everything right and make everyone proud. And I think….oh no! I KNOW that I made her this way! While I admire her goal setting and her determination, I also want to teach her that life is a practice…..not a perfect!

Let’s face it, our kids today are constantly running from one thing to the next. Their days are filled with rushing off to school, after school activities, sports, clubs, homework and late bedtimes. All of which are repeated day after day. Not to mention the pressures that come with academic performance, success in sports and don’t get me started about the inner workings of adolescent friendships!!

Stress kicks in the sympathetic nervous system which leads to an elevation in heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, this constant increase in stress can lead to decreased immune support, low self-esteem, depression and isolation.  Research shows that incorporating a stress related program into a student’s daily routine helps academic performance, self-esteem, concentration and helps emotional balance. This further leads to improving a child’s confidence, goal setting, and overall classroom behavior.

Cue yoga…..

Yoga is a holistic approach to stress management. It gives an individual the opportunity to pause amidst all the chaos of life. To take a deep breath. To BE in the moment. The word Yoga in Sanskrit means “to yoke,” to bring together in mind, body and spirit. Yoga emphasizes the importance of breath, along with physical postures and relaxation methods to strive toward balance and allows the body to reconnect with the mind.

I have taken Emma to yoga with me multiple times. Not only do I love having this special time with my daughter. I love how she tells me she feels after she practices. Don’t get me wrong, part of the reason she loves it is for all the arm balances and crazy poses that only a 9 year old gymnast could hold, but she also tells me how calm she feels after. How relaxed and happy she feels walking out of the studio.

Yoga has benefits for children of every age:

·         Young children (6 and under): Development of body awareness and gross motor movement

·         Children 7-9 years of age: Challenges in strength, agility and endurance

·         Adolescence (10-12 years of age): A place to thrive as their bodies are changing and a safe environment to practice in, as they seek acceptance from peers

·         Teenage years: ”Practice allows for self-study and self-care as well as development of vital intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, such as improved communication skills, which are critically needed at this developmental stage”.

So this month, step out of your comfort zone and take your son or daughter to a yoga class. What a great way to celebrate being healthy with your kids. No judgement. No expectations. Just BE. 

Jen Bazan, PT, DPT

Physical Therapist, and co-owner

TheraCORE, Inc.

Children are always welcome at the yoga classes offered at our Lockport clinic. Classes are every Wednesday evening from 7:30 to 8:30 PM. Namaste!

National Cheer Safety Month

Did you know that March is National Cheer Safety Month?

Let’s face it…if you have daughters’, chances are they love to dance, flip or cheer. Does your son have amazing upper body strength, being able to flip, catch, and balance someone with their hands? Cheerleading used to have a bad rap for high incidences of injuries, however, in January 2016 research showed that cheerleading has the 5^th lowest injury rate of 22 high school sports. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal PEDIATRICS, Dustin Currie, et al., state that using the last five years of data compiled by the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (NHSSRIS), injury rates in cheerleading rank 18^th out of 22 sports, with an overall injury rate of .71 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures.

Do our kids still need to be careful? Absolutely! Common cheer injuries can include: ankle sprains, knee injuries, wrist injuries, low back pain and head injuries (concussions). But these can all be prevented! Do your research!!

Look into the equipment your cheer facility uses. There should be plenty of mats and foam pits to be used when learning new skills.

Research your coaches. Are they experienced? Make sure they are well aware of the current rules and regulations of the sport. There are guidelines, which include restrictions on basket tosses, pyramid heights, and twisting/flipping stunts. Your coaches should be well aware of the restrictions for each age group to maintain overall child safety.

Is your son / daughter healthy? Your child should be healthy both during season and off-season. Make sure a comprehensive well, rounded flexibility and strength program are being implemented year round to avoid overuse injuries. Not sure of where to start? Reach out to our clinic to discuss details further with a licensed physical therapist.

So what happens if your child does get hurt? Or if he or she is complaining of achy pain? That is the perfect time to schedule a complimentary injury screen with one of our physical therapists. We can take your child through a sport specific movement evaluation to determine what movement patterns and functional impairments are present and give the appropriate exercises/stretches to help get them back on track. We will be in constant communication with your coach to help tailor practices to avoid further injury.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding injury prevention and/or rehabilitation!

Give me a T-H-E-R-A-C-O-R-E!

Jen Bazan, PT, DPT

Don't be afraid to TRI Something New!!

So I am assuming if you are following this blog, you may be someone that likes to peruse the internet.

Maybe you are on different social media platforms.

And hopefully, you follow TheraCORE! If you do, you have seen that we are hosting an Indoor Triathlon at Five Seasons Family Sports Club. I am blogging today to encourage you to sign up for this event. DON’T STOP READING HERE!!

I get it, the sound of “triathlon” is daunting. Three events, 45 minutes of activity….the thought may turn you off right away. But that’s why I’m here, to tell you to NOT let it.

Try something new this year.  It’s absolutely OKAY if you have never even thought of doing this in the past. Sign up with friends. Join a team and participate in just one of the events.

Decide today that you are going to be a better you in the upcoming year. Take this step to get into the pool. Swim a lap. Heck, swim ½ a lap. Then be very proud of yourself that you pushed yourself past a point that you didn’t even know you could.

I am always talking to my girls (who are 6 and 8) about trying their best, trying something new, not being afraid of failing. My husband sometimes laughs at me with how much I constantly am saying these things to two little minds that can’t possibly comprehend the magnitude of what I mean. But there is something to be said about repetition. If Emma and Claire have one moment this year when they try something they were afraid to do, maybe it’s introduce themselves to a new student at school. Or maybe it’s trying a new skill on the balance beam. If they try it, and no matter the outcome, are proud of themselves….I did my job.

TheraCORE’s Indoor Triathlon is fun. It’s laid back. It raises money for Ronald McDonald House Charities. It’s going to surprise you. I’ll be there, competing on a team and I truly hope that for even one moment, you consider signing up yourself. You absolutely will not be disappointed.  So go back on your phones and check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/indoortri2017/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel .We are posting ways to begin preparing for the triathlon.

Go to Eventbrite and sign up today https://www.eventbrite.com/e/theracore-indoor-triathlon-benefitting-ronald-mcdonald-house-charities-of-chicagoland-and-northwest-tickets-28127192189!

You got this!!!

Happy Happy Holidays!

Jen Bazan

ACTIVE AGING

What is active ageing? “Active ageing is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. The goal being to extend peoples healthy life expectancies and quality of life as they get older.”

Active ageing does not just mean physical health, but social, religious, civic and economic as well.

I had some experience with active ageing this past week as I just came back from visiting my parents in Florida. Now, although at 60 years old, I consider my parents young, my dad and I took a few minutes to talk about some concerns he had for my mom and him.

First, he was worried about his balance. He has been doing a lot of reading about how balance decreases as one ages. One thing we talked about was trying out some yoga poses. This doesn’t mean running off to try a yoga class that may at first seem intimidating, but we went over a few basic yoga poses (tree pose, warrior I, and down dog) for him to begin working on. He was amazed at how difficult it was to maintain his balance and how tight he felt in his muscles. But after trying these few simple moves a few times, he already felt more confident in the movement patterns, more flexible into the poses and increased his time he could balance. Starting with a slow yoga flow class is a great way to progress these balance challenges and would also lead into increasing his social circle.

The age of individuals in my parents gated community range from 55 – 90 years old. They come from all over the United States and have had so many different careers! One thing my mom and dad started this “summer” is having a monthly pool party. Unlike my parents, (who are completely enjoying their retirement and go to the pool on a daily basis) many of the residents on their street don’t frequent the pool. But these monthly, themed pool parties were a huge hit! Everyone wanted to be a part of it. They were able to socialize and learn about their past experiences over a simple potluck and some water balloons.

My dad also became a part of his homeowner’s association board. He is the treasurer and attends the regular meetings, taking care of the finances for bills for outside home improvement, social functions, etc. This is a great way for my dad to be an active part of the decision making of his community, and keeps his brain working with maintaining the books!

My mom gets together monthly with the “ladies of the neighborhood” as a social gathering, but they also help put together assistance if a neighbor needs someone to look after their house, a spouse is sick, and organizes day trips to see the sites of Florida.

My parents have done an amazing job staying active physically, socially, and developing their sense of community since they have moved full time to Florida. They definitely give me a goal to aspire to!

So there you go….choose a physical activity you have always wanted to try and give it a go. Get together with some neighbors and organize a fun social event in your city. Attend a community board meeting and see how you can make your neighborhood safer….there are plenty of ways to actively age! Have fun!!

-Jen Bazan, PT, DPT

 

Happy Pilates month!!

Let’s face it, there are some days after work when I feel like I can’t do any more. I want to go home, lay on the couch and veg out. And some days, this happens on a Tuesday, my Pilates nights.  So I reluctantly change into my workout clothes, grab my mat, set the mood with some music and begin teaching.

It takes me less than the first minute in to remember why I love Pilates so much and before I know it, I’m revitalized and feeling so much better! This is how I should end every evening!

I have a lot of patients and friends that aren’t even really sure of what Pilates is. You hear of PiYo, Piloxing, hybrid forms of the original version, but the true method of Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates during the first half of the 20^th century in Germany. Pilates is a conditioning routine that focuses on building flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance in the legs, abs, arm, hips and back.  It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core, and improving coordination and balance. Pilates was developed with the intention of strengthening the human body and the mind through five basic principles:

Concentration: Pilates demands concentration. You must concentrate on what your body is doing in order to produce smooth movements.

Control: You must control every aspect of your movement during Pilates practice. All exercises are done with control of the muscles working to lift against gravity, controlling the movement of the body.

Centering: For participants to control their bodies, they must have a starting place: the center. The center is the focal point of the Pilates Method and is referring to the powerhouse: abs, lower and upper back, hips, butt and inner thighs. All movement in Pilates should begin from the powerhouse and flow outward to the extremities.

Flow of movement: Pilates aims for fluidity of movement, transitioning between skills in the Pilates routine. The exercises are intended to flow within and into each other in order to build strength and stamina.  The Pilates technique emphasizes that physical energy exerted from the center should coordinate movements of the arms and legs, moving outwards from a strong core.

Precision: Precision of movement is essential to Pilates practice. Joseph Pilates believed, “"concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all the vital benefits of their value.” The more precise you are with your movement, the more benefit you feel from each time you practice.

Breathing:  Joseph Pilates also concentrates on the importance of breathing and saw value in bringing oxygenated blood to every part of the body. Concentrating on full inhalation and complete exhalation allows the participant to fully cleanse and invigorate the body and help fully engage their lower abdominals and pelvic floor muscles. 

I truly feel refreshed, leaner and longer after my Pilates practice. I encourage all of you to step out of your comfort zone and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed! 

- Jen Bazan, PT, DPT