Life can get crazy during the holiday season, and if you’re busy running around and getting ready to visit family, it’s easy to see how some obligations can fall by the wayside. More often than not, it’s things like daily exercise and healthy food choices that end up getting left behind during the holiday, but another area of your life that can get overlooked during the holiday season is your physical therapy routine. In today’s blog, we share some tips for keeping your physical therapy routine on track through the holiday season.
Sticking To Your PT Routine During The Holiday Season
Like anything during the busy time of the year, in order to stay on top of your schedule, you need to prioritize your day and plan ahead. Now, we’re not saying that you should head to your physical therapy session instead of picking up your kids from school, but if you plan ahead, you should be able to make it to both obligations. Before you leave your physical therapy session, schedule your next meeting at a time you know will work. If something comes up, don’t leave it to the last minute to change your appointment. Planning ahead and accounting for potential issues as soon as they come up is very important if you want to stick to your physical therapy routine.
Other things you’ll want to do to help you stick to your physical therapy routine include:
- Finding a Healthy Sleep Pattern – Go to bed at a reasonable hour so that you can get up early if need be to account for extra daily activities. Many clients do their at-home physical therapy sessions first thing in the morning, but if you’re tired and groggy from the night before, it’s easy to push it off in favor of more sleep, and who knows if you’ll have time later in the day. Prioritize sleep so that you’re ready to meet tomorrow with energy and willingness to work.
- Avoid Alcohol In Abundance – If you’re ringing in the holiday with some spirits, avoid overdoing it. Alcohol can inhibit some physical warning signs and affect your balance, and this can cause problems for your recovering structures. There’s also the possibility that alcohol could react negatively to any medications you are taking. Alcohol can also inhibit healthy sleep and leave you feeling less than enthused about going through your physical therapy routine the next day.
- Create A Daily Schedule – Many patients find it helpful to keep a calendar on hand to make sure their day is on track and PT sessions don’t conflict with other duties. If you have a smartphone, consider using the calendar app to keep track of appointments and obligations during the holiday season, because they can stack up in a hurry. When there’s a conflict, your PT session oftentimes draws the short straw, so make it easier on yourself by keeping a calendar on hand during the holidays.
- Ask For Help – If you’re decorating for the holidays or preparing to host family or friends, make sure that you don’t try to do everything on your own. Overdoing it and overstressing your body can undo all the progress you’ve made in physical therapy, so set some limits and share the workload. You can also ask your spouse or a family member to help remind you to do your home therapy routine every day. People are more likely to follow through on something if someone else is also holding them accountable, so ask for help with staying on track during the holidays.
For more tips on how to keep your physical therapy progress on track during the holidays, or for help with injuries and rehab, reach out to OrthoRehab Specialists today.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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