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10 Tweets to Motivate You Today

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Sitting… Is It Really THAT Bad For You?

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Sitting… Is It Really THAT Bad For You?

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I bet you’re sitting down while reading this…

Whether you’re sitting in a coffee shop, you’re at work at your desk, lounging on your sofa after a long day, or sat up in bed, you’re probably sitting comfortably while reading this.

And I don’t blame you – sitting has become so ingrained in our daily lives that most of us (myself included), spend more time in a chair every day than we do sleeping.

Let me ask you this: Did you know that the average person spends 9.5 hours a day seated, and around another 7 asleep?

Well, if this sounds like you, you’re not alone – after all chairs are almost everywhere we turn…
From the seats in our car, to the office chair, to the sofa where we watch TV. Sitting seems like the most natural thing to do in the world, I’m sure you’d agree? However, what if I told you that sitting was actually worse for you than you thought? What if sitting all day brings on far more health issues than you could imagine? Just think about your typical daily routine for a second…

How many hours did you count that you spend sitting in a chair? If it’s 9, (or more), then you may want to consider making some small changes to reduce the risk of unwanted health problems creeping up on you. Here’s why – simply, our bodies are not designed to sit.

If you think about it, hundreds and thousands of years ago we spent most of our time standing. We were either hunting, gathering or traveling, and although we’re very lucky that times have changed and we no longer have to hunt for our food, a few modern ‘conveniences’ have actually made things harder for us.

Sitting is one of those conveniences that can cause all sorts of problems to our body when it’s done in excess (also known as the typical ‘sedentary lifestyle’).

When we spend a long time sitting down, this puts a lot of pressure on our lower back. While you might not realize it, as hours of sitting time gradually build up, and can result in health issues such as bad backs, tight and tense shoulder muscles and even painful, swollen knees.

As well as unwanted aches and pains, too much sitting can also weaken your muscles, can give you bad posture and even leads to weight gain.

So how can we fix this problem you might be wondering?… Well, if we could all work with a standing desk that would certainly help, but I realize that’s not (always) going to be possible so one thing you can start doing today, is to get up every 30 minutes.

Set a timer on your computer, or keep an eye on your clock and get up and move. This could be a quick walk around the office, a walk to the printer or to grab drink of water. Simply get up and move! Any extra time spent being active is a bonus.

One of our clients, Stephanie, had a really great idea, she goes for 20 minute walk each morning before heading to work which makes all the difference, and she even tells me it makes her feel more productive for the day!

So to sum it up – we’re creatures of habit, and our bodies are a result of those habits – getting up and moving more might feel hard at first, but do it enough and it’ll soon become second nature, you’ll feel healthier, more active and reduce the risk of back pain too.

Trupti Mehta, PT, MS, OCS
Manual Medicine, Spine & Sports Physical Therapy
Email: mmssphysicaltherapy@gmail.com
P: 202 670 8874
(Located Inside Mint Health Club)

Free Physical Therapy Discovery session END OF SUMMER – FREE OFFER

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END OF SUMMER – FREE OFFER

Got Neck, Back, Shoulder, Knee or Ankle Pain??
Get back to the Gym… Working out WITHOUT missing days, WITHOUT living in fear and WITHOUT taking Painkillers!!
Get a FREE 30 minute Discovery Physical Therapy Session, ONLY 5 Slots remaining!

Hello Mint Members,

It’s Trupti here… from Manual Medicine Spine & Sports Physical Therapy at MINT Downtown.

I’ve got something exciting to share with you today especially as Summer is almost coming to an end. I’ve had several members coming in to check in with me, lately. Some have finally wanted to address some past injuries/ailments that they have put off being examined as their Summer was packed with travel/ family time. Others have been coming in to address injuries/ailments they have developed from being active during the Summer.

Therefore, I’ve put together a special FREE offer on getting a 30-minute Free Discovery session at my clinic in MINT downtown this week (September 12-16, 2016).
The Discovery session offers you a chance to get me to assess and evaluate that knee or back or neck or shoulder issue that has been affecting your ability to work out in the gym, lift weights or go out running or attend your spin class. If you are having difficulty sitting or standing at your computer because of neck or back trouble, this is your chance to get a free assessment. You will also walk away with some healthy tips to set yourself on the right path to recovery.

(Perfect way to get yourself some answers so you can quickly get back to being active and mobile again!)

Anyways, here’s the deal…

This special offer for this week is exclusively going out by email, and as you’re reading this today, I don’t want you to miss out.

There’s only 5 spaces available…

So if you’d like to finally get back to an active and mobile lifestyle without that knee or back or neck/shoulder pain stopping you from doing what you enjoy, or even has been keeping you from moving forward out of fear, email now at mmssphysicaltherapy@gmail.com, OR give us a call on (202) 670 8874 where you can leave a message – and I’ll save a space in my calender for you!

Call or email soon! These spaces fill up QUICK!

Trupti☺

P.S. These discovery sessions are very helpful…

I have already helped a good number of MINT members get back to a better and more active lifestyle with some great tips on injury prevention and staying active and mobile through the Summer.

Email or Call ASAP – the first 5 people get to save a space!

Trupti Mehta PT, MS, OCS
Manual Medicine, Spine & Sports Physical Therapy
Owner/Physical Therapist
1001 16th St NW
Washington, DC 20036
P: (202) 670-8874.
mmssphysicaltherapy@gmail.com
Value added care for personalized and exceptional results

PERSONAL TRAINING GIVE AWAY!

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We have allocated 25 Personal Training sessions to be given away in September. If you’d like to be introduced to MINT Training, please email condition@mintdc.com and tell us briefly why you would like to participate. Please note that preference is given to those who have never trained with us before.

The Importance of Setting Goals

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What drives you to get to the gym? What are your motivations? Have you ever taken a step back from your workout and thought about what you’re inspired by the moment you set foot in the gym? Perhaps your goals are related to an upcoming race, sporting event, or competition. Or maybe there is a specific movement or task that you want to accomplish that requires you to train in a specific pattern. Whatever it may be, goals are a great way to hold yourself accountable for your work, allow you to objectively measure progress, and to strive for success in the fitness setting.
Leading group fitness classes and participating in individual workouts is something that has been a huge part of my life over the past 10 years. Despite constant visits to the gym and countless group exercise classes taught, I had never really taken time to determine what my personal drivers were. I always hoped to teach successful, challenging and fulfilling classes for my participants but I myself, was only driven by the “feel good” factor when leaving the gym. Let me point out, that the “feel good” factor that you get upon leaving the gym, is a great motivation – as I believe many people work out for this reason. The question is however, are you capable of more? Could setting objective and measurable goals for yourself influence the feeling that you get when you leave the gym, and/or influence how excited you are to get your workout going? For me, setting goals has made all the difference.
A few months ago I decided, “I want to do a pull up.” I don’t want to use assistance, bad form/mechanics, or feel unsuccessful. I want to successfully pull myself up from a bar and be able to control my weight downward. It seemed frightening and unachievable at first. In fact, I often wanted to avoid even attempting the movement pattern as it was intimidating how difficult it felt. But I decided to put that aside, and incorporate the achievement of this new movement into my weekly work outs. I started with a lot of help – both physically (whether my boyfriend’s assistance lifting me up, or the weight assist of a machine) and mentally (words of encouragement and self-talk). Initially, movements just focused on grip strength involving holding myself up at the top of the bar and trying to maintain an isometric hold. From there, I began practicing the art of eccentric control – lowering myself down in a slow and controlled manner (again, with assistance initially, progressing to less and less assistance). Finally, the concentric part of the motion (the actual pull up aspect) was incorporated. As I became more successful with these movement patterns, I started to increase my range of motion through the pull up and increase the amount of repetitions I was doing. And now, I can successfully say that I can officially do a pull up – in fact, multiple pull ups, with good form and control.
Now this post is by no means written to tell you about the journey to do a pull up or boast about success I achieved in the gym. It is intended to inspire you. It is intended to motivate you to create goals and go after them. It is intended to make you go after things that may seem unachievable or confronting and put your best effort forward. In creating goals, you have the ability to enter and exit the gym with a purpose, and with the ability to achieve new and exciting movement patterns and activities. So give yourself a break from all the craziness of your day and write down one to three goals you have for yourself from the fitness perspective. Hold yourself accountable and go after them. You can do it, and you will feel great!
Melanie Rubin is a Physical Therapist in DC and a group fitness instructor at MINT.
Melanie Rubin is a Physical Therapist in DC and a group fitness instructor at MINT.