The Impact of a Sedentary Lifestyle
In the past, humans were a very active species by necessity. We routinely relied on our physical fitness to hunt and catch every meal, to sustain ourselves and our families in a battle of survival of the fittest.
However, the human race evolved and was greatly driven and impacted by industrialization. We discovered ways to make our lives easier, from hobbies and activities to transportation, working and eating.
Work began to consume more of our lives and we were soon mass producing our food. Physical activity started to slip down the list of priorities. And in the last few years, you may have even cut that short walk to and from the office out of your day, replacing it with spending more time working from home during COVID-19.
This lack of physical activity naturally results in most people spending more time sitting. You may have heard fitness experts and others deem sitting the new smoking, in terms of its pervasiveness and negative impact on our physical health.
Most people spend much of their day sitting at a desk, then heading home and sitting down to dinner before moving to the couch to watch TV or play on various devices. As a result, they're not working off the same number of excess calories as they would were they leading a more physically active lifestyle.
The results of this show when we step onto a scale or later feel depressed, become obese or are diagnosed with a serious illness such as diabetes or heart disease — just a few of many common risks. People who fall into the habits that make up sedentary lifestyles may also experience stiff, sore joints due to infrequent exercise.
Pair Sports Injury Prevention & Nutrition Services to Help Improve Your Health
Breaking the habits that contribute to a sedentary lifestyle and replacing them with achievable ways to tackle physical inactivity are important. For many of our clients, sports injury prevention and treatment is a major component of their physiotherapy program.
Whether you're a recreational athlete, masters-level athlete or returning to your favourite sport after some time away, you don't have to get sidelined by injuries. With pre-season preparation and post-season assessments, our Orleans physiotherapists can help you stay healthy and in the game by developing a physiotherapy program tailored to your needs.
Our Orleans physiotherapists can help you design a physiotherapy program tailored to your needs. In this post, we'll explain how we can help you improve your health and get you back to physical activity.
Learn About Healthy Lifestyles
Before you lace up your shoes for a run or pick up a pair of weights, you'l need to work on gradually reintroducing physical activity to avoid injury (or aggravating old injuries) and acquire new, healthy habits to support a healthy lifestyle.
A physiotherapist can design a program and timeline to assist with this, and tailor it to suit your needs. You may also choose to work with a registered dietician to create an action plan to meet your unique dietary and lifestyle requirements, based on a detailed assessment of your dietary, medical and social history.
Whether you're interested in learning about one or a combination of topics including managing a chronic disease, weight management, healthy eating or other topics, the team at our physiotherapy clinic in Orleans is here to help. Here are some specific measures we can take to help you improve your health through physiotherapy and nutritional counseling.
Gradually Reintroduce Physical Activity
Maybe you'd like to get physically active again but aren't sure where to begin. Our physiotherapists can help. Our specialities include the assessment and restoration of movement and dysfunction, along with disease and injury prevention. Part of our role is to help improve mobility and quality of life by:
- Reducing and managing pain
- Developing a personalized, goal-oriented therapeutic exercise program
- Helping to increase strength and range of motion
- Optimizing balance and coordination
- Educating clients on how to manage and prevent injuries
If you'd like to return to physical activity to counteract a sedentary lifestyle, our physiotherapists can help you overcome injury or pain so you can enjoy working out again.
Your physiotherapist can conduct a thorough individual assessment to identify the cause of your pain or dysfunction, then develop a personalized treatment plan to help you accomplish your goals.
Practice New Habits & Routines as Part of Your Physiotherapy Program
While many people find it exciting to commit to new exercise routines, once the shine wears off, it can be difficult to stay motivated and on track with your physical therapy routine - especially if you're attending multiple times a week and are slowly but gradually progressing.
That's why it can be helpful to communicate openly with your physiotherapist about how to make sticking to those new habits and routines easier, including discussing your interests and building your nutritional and exercise programs around these (and making necessary tweaks as you gain experience) to increase your chances of success.
For example, perhaps you're into walking in nature, so daily strolls would work well. Or, like many people you may carry stress in your back and shoulders, so your physiotherapist may recommend exercises you can do at your desk to prevent soreness and stiffness.
No matter the finer details, your goal should be to feel fulfilled, tired and content at the end of each session. In addition, never hesitate to bring your questions or concerns to our team. We are here to help.
Physiotherapy & Nutrition Services at Motion Works Physiotherapy Orleans
Nutrition and sports injury treatment and prevention physiotherapy often go hand in hand in terms of health and disease prevention for people who need to implement new habits, and break old ones that become entrenched due to living a sedentary lifestyle.
By pairing our Nutrition Services with a customized physical therapy program, we can often help clients resolve physical function, mobility and acute and ongoing health issues, and get back to enjoying a high quality of life.