February Newsletter
Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure? Do you get out of breath going up a flight of stairs? Your heart is vital to your survival. At the Fitness Lab, our therapists understand how important it is to address underlying issues and create a plan to help prevent injury and disease.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, accounting for one in four deaths each year. Fortunately, most forms of heart disease are preventable by making lifestyle changes, including exercising, practicing good nutritional habits, and reducing stress in your everyday life.
February is American Heart Month. Our team at the Fitness Lab can help improve your heart health by helping you learn how to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, and avoid anything that can cause damage to it.
Request an appointment with one of our specialists to learn how to keep your heart healthy!
5 Tips for Better Heart Health
Taking action and maintaining a healthy lifestyle will assist you in making sure your heart is healthy. When your heart doesn’t get enough attention, significant problems might arise in the artery lining, leading to plaque buildup. Plaque forming in your arteries is the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
Here are 5 simple ways you can make sure your heart continues to perform at its best:
1. Exercise to increase your heart rate
Walking and biking around your area regularly can help you raise your heart rate. Exercising regularly can help you lose weight, reduce your stress and improve your mood.
2. Participate in strength training
Strength training is one of the most effective injury-prevention strategies for the body and heart. Your therapist can help you develop safe strength-training techniques.
3. Maintain mobility of the joints and muscles
Regular stretching and mobility work keeps you active and makes you feel better. The more active you are, the healthier your heart is! Knowing the right workouts and therapies for your joint and muscle health will help you feel better and enhance your overall function.
4. Eat healthy meals
Nutrition plays a huge role in heart health. Plant-based foods, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats like fatty fish and olive oil should all be in your diet. Fried foods, trans fats, processed foods, and added sugar should all be avoided.
5. Manage your stress
Stress can raise blood pressure, so do your best to find daily ways to relax. The less stressed out you are, the less tension and stress you place on your heart. Exercising, getting adequate sleep, stretching before bed, or taking a nightly warm shower are all things that could help with relaxation.
The best approach to keep your heart strong and healthy is to exercise regularly. It’s a natural, safe, and effective way to help improve your heart function! Physical therapy is an excellent method to add additional physical activity to your daily routine.
What to Expect in Physical Therapy
If you’re looking for a safe way to improve your heart health, physical therapy is a great option. At the Fitness Lab, our team of experts can play a leading role in preventing, reversing, and managing heart-related conditions. Our therapists can help you improve your heart health by advising you on lifestyle adjustments that include daily exercises, nutrition, and stress reduction strategies based on your individual needs.
Our team comprises movement experts who have the knowledge and training to evaluate and treat several kinds of acute and chronic pain conditions and abnormal physical function related to an injury, disability, disease, or unhealthy lifestyle.
We perform a thorough evaluation that includes your overall health status to create an exercise plan that ensures you’re getting as much physical activity as you can throughout the day. This will consist of treatments to address any injuries you may have and to help prevent other health issues.
We can guide you through proper exercises and specialized treatments to relieve your joint and muscle pain, increase your strength and flexibility, and improve your overall health by getting your blood flowing and your heart rate up. Participating in regular physical therapy appointments can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, significantly decreasing your chances of cardiac arrest in the future.
Our goal is to incorporate activities to improve your heart health so you can enjoy your life!
Request an Appointment Today
Caring for your heart is just as important as caring for any other part of your body. For American Heart Month, our team at the Fitness Lab can help you get back into shape safely and healthily!
Contact us this month to learn how you can improve your heart health by incorporating more physical activity into your life!
Feel Better by Eating Better!
Garlic Parmesan-Stuffed Mushrooms
These garlic parmesan stuffed mushrooms are a flavor explosion in every bite! Loaded with garlic, cream cheese, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, these mushrooms will be the first appetizer to go at your next gathering.
- 15 mushrooms
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp garlic, chopped
- ½ tbsp kosher salt
- ½ tbsp black pepper
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C). Cut the stems off of each of the mushrooms and finely chop them, setting the mushroom caps aside for later. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Cook the chopped stems with the garlic, salt, and pepper for about six to eight minutes, constantly stirring. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine cooked stems, cream cheese, breadcrumbs, half of the parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper, mixing until evenly combined. Space out the mushroom caps evenly on a baking sheet, upside down. Spoon a generous amount of the cream cheese mixture on top of each mushroom. Top each mushroom with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley, then serve!
Therapeutic Exercise
When you say the words “physical therapy” most people automatically assume you have had surgery. Yet physical therapy goes beyond post-surgical care, restoring strength, endurance, flexibility, and stability to people who have been injured, are in pain, or have experienced an illness. Through therapeutic exercise, it is possible to have your function restored and live a life that is pain-free.
What is Therapeutic Exercise?
The goal of any exercise program is to leave you feeling healthier and stronger than when you began. Therapeutic exercise has similar goals but incorporates a wide range of activities that help you regain or maintain your strength, flexibility, balance, endurance, or stability. Whether you have been injured, experienced an illness, or are simply noticing you are losing your physical abilities, therapeutic exercise can prevent impairment and disability while improving your overall fitness. Typically performed as a part of a physical therapy treatment plan, this type of exercise is prescribed by a physical therapist.
Click below to learn more about Therapeutic Exercise.
Five Indoor Cardio Workouts To Get Your Heart Pumping This February
February might be National Heart Month – but it’s also one of the coldest months of the year. Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures can make it hard to go for a morning jog or hit the gym.
The good news? You still have plenty of options to get your cardio in, no matter what the weather is doing outside! Here are five of the Fitness Lab team’s favorite indoor cardio workouts (that don’t require any expensive equipment):
Jump Rope
- Jump ropes are inexpensive and easy to store. They’re also a simple way to get your heart pumping while improving coordination. If jumping rope feels too intense for you, try bouncing up or down without a rope or perform some high knee marches.
Dance
- Dancing is a fantastic cardio workout that – bonus – doesn’t feel like working out! You can opt for dance fitness videos (like Zumba) or just plug in a high-energy playlist and make up your own choreography.
Body Weight Circuits
- Combine exercises like jumping jacks, mountain climbers, burpees, and high knees into a circuit for a quick, high-intensity cardio blast.
Stair Climbing
- If you have stairs in your home, use them in place of your gym’s stair-stepper machine for an efficient cardio workout. You could also invest in an adjustable step block.
Online Aerobic Classes
- Many studios offer online options (both live and prerecorded) for aerobic classes like HIIT, kickboxing, dance fitness, and more. Try different types until you find one you enjoy.
If you’d like more guidance when planning your cardio routine, schedule an appointment at the Fitness Lab! Our team will help you find the best exercises for your needs. Plus, when the weather’s nicer, you can visit our open gym, which offers a diverse array of workout equipment.
STAFF HIGHLIGHT
Matt Oster
MS, NKT, MEP
Matt has been working in the health and fitness industry for over 7 years. He is committed to understanding every client as an individual, developing a support system, and applying his expertise to make sure his clients feel any goal is attainable. Because of his personal journey, Matt is passionate about helping his clients exceed their wellness and fitness goals. Matt is dedicated to continued education and is energized by the opportunity to share his knowledge in a way that meets the needs of his clients.
A competitive athlete since childhood, playing golf, football and basketball provided access to coaches, training, and a structured approach to fitness. At age 14, Matt found himself surrounded by a team of physicians after being tackled headfirst on the football field. A team of emergency neurologists and orthopedic surgeons came together to make a decision in less than 48 hours on how to save Matt’s leg. It was then that Matt learned that he could function as an athlete but not to the same extent as his childhood dreams.
At the University of Colorado, Boulder, Matt studied psychology and slowly came back to sports; playing on several intramural teams. It was after college that Matt was introduced to powerlifting by a friend. The aspects of science that fueled a good workout and optimum training compelled Matt to compete in powerlifting competitions with record-breaking success. Reinvigorated by a rehabilitation of both mind and body was illuminating and led him to move from being a functional athlete to a much healthier whole being.
He found the changes he made in the gym could be felt in many aspects of his life. This drove his desire to understand the role that mental ability in combination with physical strength plays in performance. Matt enrolled in a Masters program through the University of California, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Biomechanics and Exercise Science with a concentration in injury rehabilitation and performance enhancement.
Meet Our Team
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Dr. Bill Gregoire
Clinic Manager, PT, DPT -
Dr. Spencer Barnes
PT, DPT, OCS -
Dr. Alex Brateman
PT, DPT -
Dr. Alice M Davis
PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT -
Dr. Allison Shane
PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT -
Dianna Cole McNitt
PT, COMT -
Dr. Caroline Marnin
PT, DPT -
Dr. Colton Litle
PT, DPT -
Dr. Laike Damman
PT, DPT -
Dr. Connor Devin
PT, DPT
