Posted by Bud Ward on Mon, Jan 04, 2010 @ 09:34 PM
Just a quick message to let you know what's new at Arundel Physical Therapy & Fitness -
We've made some changes and updates to our website. There is now a menu bar on the right with quick links to our newsletter, new patient information, a secure payment page, and other resources. Our new patient intake forms and newsletter archives are now available for download.
We finally have new neighbors in the building! For those of you who have been with us since the beginning, you'll notice that our community now includes many other medical specialtists from areas such as retina/eye care, sleep studies, and primary care.
We've also established social network sites on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Become a fan on Facebook and interact with our staff. Follow us on Twitter and gain access to our posts and retweets of other interesting topics. Check our YouTube site as we continue to add new content and post favorite links!
As always, we strive to improve the lives of our family of patients and fitness clients. Many of you are already taking advantage the website, the social media sites, and our newsletter. For those of you who have not, take the time to check them out. Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding physical therapy, fitness, or your health.
Posted by Bud Ward on Fri, Jan 02, 2009 @ 09:05 PM
A new year usually means optimistic predictions and setting new resolutions. This year might be a little different for many people with the economy in a slump and jobs being lost. Many of us are under a great deal of stress. We all know that stress is bad for us, but it can difficult to avoid. That's why we decided to start the year with a few tips to help reduce stress.
1. Get Organized
A lack of organization can create a great deal of stress. Most of us have many things that we are responsible for doing. These things can include work tasks, family commitments, or any other "things" that we must do. A great place to start is writing down anything that you can think of that you are responsible for doing. If your head is cluttered with all of those "things", it's very difficult to decide where to start. Once you've written everything down, you can set a plan.
In his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen discusses how all of our to-do items can increase our stress level if they aren't managed well. He also presents a great system for getting things under control. For more information about the "Getting Things Done" or "GTD" concept, check out his website at www.davidco.com.
There are many other tools on the market to help you get organized. If you search Google or Yahoo for "GTD applications" for either Windows or Macs, you will find a number of links. Here are a couple of my favorite organization tools:
Things from Cultured Code - Mac only, but offers a free trial version
ThinkingRock from Thinking Rock - Mac or Windows offered free
Highrise, Basecamp, & Backpack from 37signals - offers free & paid versions of their web-based programs
2. Exercise Regularly
Exercise helps to increase blood flow, decrease stress, improve muscle function, and guard against injury. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans gives more information about the types and amount of exercise that is recommended. The key is to find something that you enjoy and do regularly. You can find a link to the 2009 Guidelines on our homepage.
3. Sleep
Getting enough sleep is more important than you might think. When your body is sleep deprived, your blood pressure and stress hormones increase. A good night's sleep gives you energy and makes you more alert. It can improve memory, keep your heart healthy, and help maintain proper body weight. Lack of sleep can cause a deficiency in serotonin which can lead to depression. While you sleep, your cells produce protein that forms building blocks for cells and helps repair damage.
4. Distract yourself
Focusing too much on stressful issues is exhausting and unhealthy. It's good to distract yourself from your daily stressors. Spend time with family, find a new hobby, or learn to play an instrument. It's important to realize that it's okay to put your "to-do" lists aside sometimes.
Posted by Bud Ward on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 @ 10:00 PM
I first heard about Randy Pausch a few months ago when he was the subject of one of Diane Sawyer's specials. For those of you who don't know, he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who passed away last week from pancreatic cancer. Randy was born in Baltimore, MD and spent his childhood in Columbia, MD. He became famous because of the lecture he delivered at Carnegie Mellon's traditional "Last Lecture." During the presentation, he recounted many events in his personal and professional life that highlighted important messages that he wanted to convey. His style is a mix of comedy, honesty, humility, wisdom, and intelligence. He discusses the achieving childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how we might we might do both. Some of his key points include:
Decide if you are "Tigger" or "Eeyore"
Never lose the child-like wonder
Help others
Loyalty is a two-way street
Never give up
How to get people to help you
Show gratitude
Don't complain, just work harder
Be good at something: it makes you valuable
Find the best in everybody; no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it
Be prepared: "luck" is where preparation meets opportunity
Two other ideas that Randy presents are the "brick wall" and the "head fake." Brick walls are those obstacles in life the slow us down from achieving our goals. In his view, they give us an opportunity to show how badly we want something. When you come across a brick wall, you have to decide if you are going through it or if you will let it stop you from achieving your goals.
The "head fake" is indirect learning that happens without our knowledge. Childhood sports are a great example of the head fake. Kids learn how to play the sport as expected, but the head fake is that they also learn about teamwork, leadership, motivation, and other important life skills.
Dr. Pausch has inspired millions of people worldwide. I've included the full video of his lecture below. I hope that you find it inspirational as well. If you would like to learn about Randy Pausch click here.
Posted by Bud Ward on Wed, May 14, 2008 @ 11:40 PM
The meaning of our tagline, "Improve Your Life," might seem obvious since our primary service is physical therapy. One of our primary missions is to delivery physical rehabilitation services that help people recover from injuries and surgeries so they can have improved function and quality of life. Another primary mission of Arundel Physical Therapy & Fitness is to motivate our patients and clients to adopt active lifestyle habits. Physical activity has been shown not only to improve physical function, but also to improve brain function, to
reduce stress, and to
improve mood.
Most people are aware of the research studies and articles that support the link between physical activity and decreased risk for major medical problems. However,
exercise may also fight the effects of aging on the brain. Some studies suggest that physical activity may
improve brain function and cognitive performance
in younger people as well. Check out the links above for more information. A quick search on
Google
or
WebMD
will also give many links to articles about the benefits of exercise.