Staying Hydrated

Now that we are in the dead of summer heat, it is even more important that we stay hydrated. While we are all continuing our exercise routines, watching our kids or friends with their outdoor sports, or just enjoying the summertime sunshine it is sometimes easy to forget to keep drinking.  Drinking water helps keep us hydrated when we loose water from sweating, or just daily breathing, helps keeps us energized, balances electrolytes, and helps with weight control! With more fluid intake needed in the summer months, it can sometimes get boring to always reach for the regular water; here are some alternatives for hydrating in a tasteful and more exciting way without all the added sugar.

o   Try using the summertime sunshine to brew sun tea! Fill a clear container with water and place any combination of teabags you like (about 8 tea bags per 1 gallon of water).  Let sit in the sun for several hours until the water turns color, pour over ice and add citrus rings for added flavor and some natural sweetness: orange, lemon or lime slices would taste great!

o   Try adding fresh seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs to add natural flavor to your water!

o   Watermelon Cubes with Mint leaves

o   Pineapple Cubes

o   Cucumber and Ginger slices

o   Citrus rings: orange, lemon and lime

o   Apple Slices with Cinnamon Stick

o   Strawberries and Lime Slices

You can also use frozen fruit that will help to chill down your drink and act as a flavorful ice cube or make your own infused ice cubes! 

o   Add blended fruit, vegetables and herbs to ice cube trays and freeze. When you run out of the house needing water, add a few cubes, (one, or any combination!) to your water for an infused water experience. As the ice cubes melt it will slowly infuse flavor into your water. (You could also add these to your sun brewed tea!).

o   For each combinations below blend with 1 ¼ cup water and freeze until solid

o   Juice of 1 lemon (add zest for extra flavor), 1 inch piece of ginger

o   Juice of 2 limes (add zest for extra flavor), 8-10 seeded cherries

o   1 cup Watermelon cubes, ¼ cup mint

o   1 cup strawberries, ¼ cup basil

o   ½ cucumber, ¼ cup mint leaves

o   1 cup cantaloupe, 1 cup honeydew melon

o   1 apple with sprinkle of cinnamon

For any of the combinations, change the proportions based on your taste preference-make them weaker or stronger! Experiment until you find your favorite combination!

- Casey Harms, RD,LDN

To schedule a Nutritional Counseling appointment with Casey Harms, contact your nearest TheraCORE, Inc. clinic.

Burr Ridge (630)590-5409 - Lockport (815)838-5070 - Westmont (630)908-7430

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

http://www.mindfulnet.org/page2.htm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201202/nine-essential-qualities-mindfulness

http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/beginners-guide-to-meal-prep

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise.aspx

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.

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

May Is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

 

It’s May! The weather is improving, school is almost out, and it is becoming appealing to be outside again. It is also National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. This makes May a great time to revisit fitness and activity goals. Our New Year’s resolutions are long behind us. Some of us remain committed to our fitness goals, while others have fallen off. Either way, now is a great time to commit to increased activity in the improving weather. Why shoulder fitness be a priority? Physical activity is important for everyone, no matter what the age.

For children and adolescents – Physical activity can improve muscular fitness, bone health, and heart health. For children, this can be as easy as riding bikes, swimming at the local pool, or impromptu games of tag, kickball, baseball or basketball. Getting children off of their electronic devices and outside in the fresh air is imperative not only to their fitness goals, but their social skills as well. 

Adults – Physical activity can lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. Playing with your children at the playground, family bike rides, or walks can help to improve physical fitness, as well as strengthening family bonds.

Older adults – Physical activity can lower the risk of falls and improve cognitive functioning (like learning and judgment skills). After dinner walks, or trips to a forest preserve or arboretum, as well as visits to the local pools, are excellent ways improve fitness without it feeling like work. Exercise also helps to improve moods and sleep.

There are plenty of ways to incorporate exercise into your day without it feeling like a chore, so get out there with your families and friends and get active!!

Cathy Malooly, PT, MPT

TheraCORE, Inc.

Burr Ridge, IL

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

National Nutrition Month - Healthy School Lunches

In honor of National Nutrition Month, registered dietitian, Casey Harms, is offering up advice to parents on packing a healthy lunch for your kids - that they will actually want to eat!!

Getting kids to eat nutrition dense food can be quite the feat, especially when the same old sandwich gets boring after just the first week of school. Here are a few tips on how to make healthy lunches enticing and provide all the vitamins and nutrients needed to fuel your kids mind and body.

1.      Listen to your kids’ suggestions; let them pick the fruit or vegetable in their lunch box. If they feel like they have a say in what goes in their lunch they are more likely to eat it!

2.      Take your child shopping with you. There are so many exotic fruits and vegetables in the produce isle, let your child get excited about trying new produce! Let them pick the type of whole-wheat cracker or granola bar that goes in their lunch.

3.       Aim to get at least 3 different food groups (protein, grain, fruit, vegetable, dairy) in your child’s lunch.

4.      Make sure there is high quality protein that will help to keep your child focused and feeling full throughout the day.

5.      Choose low sugar beverages that encourage hydration. Choose something like sugar free crystal light varieties, skim milk, low fat chocolate milk, or dilute 100% fruit juice with sparkling water.

Here are some examples of everyday lunches that go beyond the typical PB&J

o   Nitrate free turkey and cheese on whole wheat crackers.  Celery and Red apple with a side of peanut butter for dipping.

o    Greek yogurt with crunchy topping and side of strawberries. Peanut butter and banana wrapped in whole wheat tortilla.

o   Quesadillas with guacamole and unsalted tortilla chips. Side of crunchy red bell peppers and purple grapes. Sugar free chocolate pudding.

o   Make your own pizza: buy wheat pita bread and cut into small individual sized circles, add a container of pizza sauce and shredded cheese with turkey sausage.  Baby carrots and ranch dressing for dipping.

o   Brown rice with crunchy edamame and shredded chicken mixed with low sodium soy sauce. Sliced pears and chocolate covered raisins for dessert.

YUM!

Casey Harms, RD

TheraCORE, Inc.

nutrition@theracorept.com

CPR Certification

Life is crazy! The days are long and the years are short. We are constantly on the go and never really stop to relax. But it can all change in a minute. You never know what is going to happen in the future. That’s why I think we should all be prepared for emergencies. One of the easiest ways to be prepared for an emergency is to be CPR certified.

CPR…what the heck is that?

In case you don’t know what CPR certification is, (but seriously, have you been living under a rock? But seriously—have you?) it is cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It’s a lifesaving technique people use in emergency situations. The most common emergency is when the heart stops beating and you go into cardiac arrest. There are many causes of cardiac arrest including: heart attack, drug use, an irregular heart rhythm and traumatic injury.

Without the heart beating, blood will stop circulating in the body and breathing will stop too. Without oxygen to the body, cells begin to die. CPR will help to keep oxygenated blood flowing through the body to keep vital organs alive until paramedics or other advanced personal can arrive. Amazing!

Why you should be CPR trained?

1.       Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US according to the CDC
2.       No negatives!

I’ve never heard anyone say “I should of never got my CPR training”. It’s like an ace in your pocket if you ever see a medical emergency.  I have never personally had to use it (thank GOD!) but I know how to and feel confident in case an emergency should arise. Most cardiac arrest happens at home so having everyone in the home certified increases the chances of survival. Early CPR is key!

It’s easy and anyone can do it

A lot of people probably decide it’s not for them because there are too many steps to do and what if they forget something or maybe even the fact they don’t want to get involved in case they do something wrong. There are different levels of CPR training for different people.

BLS is Basic Life Support and its designed for healthcare providers both pre and in-hospital: think nurses, physical therapists, athletic trainers, dentists, lifeguards etc.

Heart saver is for the general public: think daycare workers, educators, construction workers, office staff, coaches, grandparents, babysitters etc.

If you still are not convinced to get certified I urge you to at least know about the signs of a heart attack and hands only CPR. Hands only CPR has 2 steps:
1.       Call 9-1-1
2.       Push hard and fast in the center of the chest

There is no mouth to mouth breathing involved. Hands only CPR take one minute (yes—I’m serious!) to learn and you can watch the hand-only CPR video here: Hands-Only CPR

Get certified!
Call your local Red Cross or go to the American Heart Associate website to learn more about CPR or register for a course in your area: www.cpr.heart.org

TheraCORE is offering CPR classes this spring so follow-us on social media to get upcoming dates and times of classes.

Now go on and start saving lives!

Rachael Patera, ATC
Office Manager, TheraCORE - Burr Ridge

Youth Baseball - Pitcher Health

How to Keep Your Pitcher’s Arm Healthy

Are you coaching a youth baseball team and want to make sure you keep your pitcher’s arm healthy?  If you are thinking about it then you are already moving in the right direction.  Since I was a pitcher through college, I thought I knew how to properly take care of an arm, but a lot has changed in 20 years.  Luckily, I know some great Physical Therapists at TheraCORE who have helped me understand how to really take care of a young pitcher’s arm.  It really comes down to just three things.

Warm-up, Workload, Rest

Warm-up - When I played baseball, I always threw a baseball to warm up my arm.  I will talk about total throws next under Workload, but if you don’t want to waste a high percentage of your pitcher’s total throws just to get warmed up, then consider using a dynamic warm-up to get your arm and whole body ready to play.  You can also have your pitchers do band exercises to warm up their arms prior to throwing.

Workload – For a while now, most youth leagues have used pitch counts to limit the workload on a young pitcher’s arm.  I have come to learn limiting the total number of throws a player makes in a game or a practice should be used along with pitch counts in order to maintain a healthy arm.  Youth pitchers should limit their total throws to 125 in a day.  If a 10 year old has a max pitch count of 75, think about how quickly he will get to 125 total throws if you include pre-game warm-up throws, pre-game warm-up pitches, in-between inning warm-up pitches and in-game pitches.  You should also take into consideration the number of throws that will be made if he is playing another position during the same day that he pitches.

Rest – If you are coaching a travel baseball team in the Midwest, then the majority of the games your team plays are in weekend tournaments.  It can be a lot of fun to play 4 to 6 games in 2 days, but it can definitely make it tough for a coach to follow the recommended rest guidelines for a pitcher.  Per the guidelines, if a 7 to 14 year old pitcher throws more than 35 pitches on Saturday, then they should not throw any pitches on Sunday.  Winning a youth baseball tournament should never come before the long term health of a young pitcher’s arm.  Remember, proper rest includes taking at least two months off each year from throwing.  Have your kids play a different sport during this time.  It helps to protect their arm and makes them an overall better athlete.

Recommended pitch count/rest - http://m.mlb.com/pitchsmart/pitching-guidelines/

Brad Goebbert, CFO

TheraCORE, Inc.

Sticking to your Resolutions

                  Making resolutions is an easy process. Most people can identify things that they would like to change within their daily lives to improve the way they feel or the way they function to enhance their personal quality of life. Resolutions can really be anything that is trying to promote positive change ranging from eating healthy, working out more, losing weight, reducing stress, maintaining a clean house, garage, or basement, quitting smoking or reducing the amount you drink, and the list goes on and on. Regardless of what your resolution may be, there is one common denominator: sticking to a resolution is difficult. Below are a few quick considerations to take into account when setting your goal.

Know the “Why”

                Dig deep and figure out why you really want this change. Is it for yourself? Your family? Your friends? There needs to be some intrinsic factor that drives this desire to change and in order you’re your resolution to be meaningful you need to understand your driving force. Once you know this, educate yourself about the subject you are changing to help set realistic and manageable goals.

Accountability

                Make your resolution a priority à put it into your schedule! When something is written down it is much less likely to get forgotten or passed over. To skip this task you would have to acknowledge that you are skipping it as you read over it, which is more difficult. Wanting to change is not enough; you have to act on this desire.

                Utilize an accountability partner or group. Tell people what you are doing. This is also a strategy that makes it more difficult for you to back out of a commitment. Let your friends be friends and help you with this difficult endeavor.

Goal Setting

                Make your resolutions concrete or measureable. Without a way to measure your progress there is no way to ensure that you are heading in the right direction.

                Keep a log or track your progress along the way. A visual reminder is a good way to remind you what you have done and what you need to keep doing to get to where you want to go.

                Have long term goals (resolutions), but also create short term goals that are stepping stones to the bigger milestones.

                Have a deadline. Having an end in sight helps to make your resolution seem realistic. Without an endpoint any goal will seem daunting and unattainable. Make sure you know what you are heading towards!

Wager Something

                Making a bet is another way to hold yourself accountable and competition can help fuel consistency. A bet does not have to be money. You can come up with a funny consequence, a material prize, or just put pride on the line with a friend. Find out what motivates you and put it on the line!

Reward Yourself Along the Way

                When you do hit milestones or goals reward yourself! This is a way to make things fun and keep you interested and motivated along the way. These rewards do not have to be huge or detrimental to your goals. Maybe get that pair of workout shorts you have been wanting or see a movie with friends. Just have fun!

Whatever your resolution may be and the “why” behind your motivation for change, myself and the TheraCORE team truly wish you the best in your endeavors.

Good luck and stick to it!

Kyle Kibler, PT, DPT, CSCS