All posts in Fitness

5 Fitness Resolutions You Need To Make For 2015

5 Fitness Resolutions You Need To Make For 2015

Ah, New Year’s. A time where we’re encouraged look back on the year that was and make some changes for the year that is coming. Did you know that the most commonly-made New Year’s resolutions have to deal with you health and fitness? Regardless of where you are on the fitness spectrum, all of us could benefit from some renewed goals and amplified commitment. Today one of our health and wellness experts, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT is sharing 5 fitness resolutions that you should make for 2016 to make it the healthiest yet!

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5 Tips To Stay Active This Winter

5 Tips To Stay Active This Winter

Well, it’s that time of the year again. The Christmas tree has been taken down and New Year’s party preparations are in full swing. Along with the New Year’s celebrations typically come New Year’s resolutions – this is a time for us all to pause and reflect on our lives and things we want to do better in the upcoming year. Inevitably the most-made resolution is to “lose weight” or “be more healthy” – but rarely do people come up with a concrete plan on how to make that happen. One of the best ways to improve your fitness is to increase your daily activity and make this change permanent. I know sometimes it’s difficult to get in some activity in the winter months, but it certainly doesn’t have be! Today on the Fit Stop Blog one of our exercise specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is sharing 5 of the absolute best ways to increase your daily activity even when the weather outside is frightful! Keep reading for more!

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How to treat frozen shoulder

How to treat frozen shoulder

Today on the Fit Stop Blog I would like to discuss one of the most painful conditions that I see regularly – the dreaded, miserable, absolutely debilitating – frozen shoulder (FS), (AKA adhesive capsulitis).  Now, FS is truly a painful son of a gun.  Growing up as the son of a physical therapist, I used to observe my father from time to time in the clinic.  I remember watching him work with these poor patients who had FS, and they would be in tears from the stretching.  I used to think to myself, well, that doesn’t look like a whole lot of fun, for either patient or therapist!  I wondered if the field of PT was really for me after observing some of those treatments.  Well, fast forward a few years later, and here I am blogging about this all-too-common condition.  FS is a very interesting condition, and actually not very well understood.  Today, I will discuss what it is, and why we think certain people actually get it.

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10 Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

10 Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Did you know that the average American gains 5 pounds between November and December? With the parties, the appetizers, the drinks, and all the delicious holiday desserts, it’s no wonder that “Holiday Weight Gain” is a very real thing. Well today we’re combating holiday poundage and taking back our health on the Fit Stop Blog! We have one of our fitness experts, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT here to discuss 10 simple tips you can try out this year to stay fit and active through the holidays! Try them out! Keep reading for more…

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Best physical therapy treatment

Best physical therapy treatment

Four keys to maximize your physical therapy visits to recover faster and more completely!

For over six years now, I have been practicing physical therapy (PT) at the Fit Stop in our Heber City location.  I love my job.  I think that we as physical therapists have one of the most important and gratifying jobs out there.  We are able to play a pivotal role in decreasing pain and improving our patient’s function and quality of life in a very safe and non-invasive way.  One of the best aspects of my job is being able to see my patients get better. The majority of musculoskeletal injuries out there respond very well to PT treatment. However, sometimes it doesn’t quite work out that way.  Sometimes, a patient does not improve as much as he/she hoped.  This can be very frustrating for both therapist and patient, especially since nowadays the cost for care is generally  quite expensive for the patient.  Most patients have significant deductibles that need to be paid off before their insurance will even pay a dime for the PT.  Then, even after the deductible is met, ever increasing co-pays can deter a patient from even seeking care in the first place.  Considering these factors alone, it is understandable that a patient could get discouraged if progress with PT is not perceived to be meeting expectations.

So what can be done to give you the best chance possible of reaping maximum benefit from your PT?  From my experience over the last few years, successful PT patients generally share a few of the following common characteristics…

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How Often Should I Exercise?

How Often Should I Exercise?

One of the questions that we often get asked as physical therapists is “how often should I workout”? Most of the time this question comes from patients/people who are either just starting to workout or else have desires to start to workout more regularly. Well today one of our fitness specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT is sharing his thoughts about exercise frequency – what’s the recommended amount of activity you should be getting and how often should you be working out. Keep reading for more…

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How to fix chronic pain

How to fix chronic pain

We’ve all been there before. You have an injury that, for some reason, is hanging around a lot longer than it should. You’ve “tried everything” including ice, ibuprofen, rest/taking time off, and every rub/salve/pain patch you can find, and yet your pain persists. What gives? How come you just can’t heal like when you were younger (we get that question A LOT!)?? Well chances are you’re doing a lot to treat the SYMPTOMS of your pain, but nothing to address the CAUSE of your pain. Today one of our specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is discussing why you might be hurting for longer than necessary and what you can do to start to feel better. Keep reading for more!

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10 Exercises To Get Ready For Ski Season

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Are you ready?

The weather has definitely taken a turn here in Utah! Like the fall leaves the temperatures are dropping as winter is fast-approaching. In fact I woke up the other day and, while driving my 8 and 6-year-olds to school, noticed there was some snow up on the mountain tops. They perfectly summed up my feelings about the upcoming season when they literally replied in unison… “SNOW!!! Dad can we go skiing?!?!”

While there may not be enough white stuff to shred just yet, we know that it is coming! Are you ready?! Some of the most-common injuries we encounter through the winter are skiing/snowboarding related. Fortunately, many of these injuries can be avoided with the proper strengthening in key muscle groups of your legs, hips, and core. Today on The Fit Stop Blog, one of our outdoor recreation specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is sharing 10 of the best exercises you can do to get ready for the upcoming ski/snowboard season. Get started right now to ensure an entire season of fun, healthy shredding!

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Physical therapy for neck pain

Physical therapy for neck pain

What a pain in the neck!

At some point in life, your neck will likely cause you pain.  Neck pain is right up there with pain related to the low back as far as how common it is.  According to some sources, the burden placed on the economy because of neck pain, is second only to low back pain.  In fact as many as 54% of individuals have experienced some neck pain in the past 6 months.  Once this neck pain comes, it is very likely to stay for a long time and to come back again after it has initially resolved.  So you can see that neck pain truly is a pain in the neck for a lot of people (including myself).  My job as a physical therapist is a physically active job, requiring physical exertion at times that puts a bit of stress on my upper back and neck.  By the end of my work week, I go home with a pretty tired, and sometimes outright painful neck.  So what is the deal?  What is typically causing our neck pain and why is it so common after all?

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6 Ways To Improve Your Cardio Workout

6 Ways To Improve Your Cardio Workout
 Ever felt frustrated with your lack of results from exercising?
Did you know that as physical therapists we do a lot more than injury rehab? While pain is the most common issue that we treat, oftentimes people will come to us looking for exercise advice as well. Frequently we hear a story similar to “I’ve been working out for a couple of months now and at first the progress was great. However recently the results have started to slow down. Any idea why?” If you’ve ever felt this way you’re not alone! Luckily, we have the solution! Today one of our exercise and activity specialists, Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT, is sharing 6 ways that you can enhance your workout efforts and start seeing great results again!
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