It’s been a long, rough year for a lot of people. With increasing challenges related to COVID-19, you may find that you’re carrying a few extra pounds and you’re not as fit as you used to be. You’re not alone in this fight for fitness, either. In fact, 61% of Americans reported undesired weight changes since the beginning of COVID-19, according to Healthline. The changes in weight have been attributed to increased alcohol consumption, poor eating habits, and a lack of exercise or physical activity.
There are a lot of ways to help you improve your fitness level. You can change your fitness level by introducing small adjustments to your routine. To start, you should consider changing your eating habits to maintain a healthy diet, increasing your activity level with exercise and introducing physical therapy to your routine.
How physical therapy can help
Yes, that’s correct. If you’re looking for a way to shed the pandemic pounds and improve your fitness level, you may consider adding physical therapy to your routine. Here are four ways that working with a physical therapist can help you reach your fitness goals:
- Increasing your energy levels — Who doesn’t need an energy boost? Physical therapy can help improve your mood and energy levels, helping you increase your fitness level.
- Reducing your risk for injury — After a thorough evaluation, your physical therapist can work with you and show you exercises to increase your fitness and avoid injury and pain.
- Improving your flexibility — Physical therapy can help you stay fit by increasing your level of flexibility in your muscles and joints. This is typically done through a series of stretching techniques that will help loosen tight muscles and tendons.
- Enhancing your physical performance — If you’re looking for ways to enhance your physical performance, physical therapy can help. Your physical therapist will perform a whole-body evaluation of your movements to pinpoint areas for improvement.
Our physical therapists at Panther Physical Therapy can work with you to create a plan to help you stay fit all year. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.