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Keep Your Kids Exercising This Fall
 Recent statistics show that roughly a quarter of children participate in zero physical activity outside of school! Read on to learn evidence of the positive impact of exercise on children's developing brains. Studies even show that better fitness has been correlated with higher IQs.
Fall is officially here, which means apple picking, planning Halloween costumes and raking leaves. Read on for important tips to avoid injury when raking so you can enjoy your apple pie!
Michelle
Michelle Collie, PT, DPT, MS, OCS
The care at its best E-Newsletter is designed to provide ongoing fitness, injury and disease prevention tips to help you stay healthy. In addition, program, community and staffing updates will be available. Please feel free to email me directly with comments and suggestions. |
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Legislative Open House
On September 22nd, Performance Physical Therapy hosted a legislative open house. The gathering provided an opportunity for constituents to greet candidates running for state offices as well as candidates for mayor and general assembly of Pawtucket and East Providence.
Peter Gilmartin, candidate for Governor, and Elizabeth Roberts, Lt Governor, discuss health care issues in Rhode Island. Past and present patients attended the forum to learn how the federal health care overhaul might affect the Rhode Islanders in the gubernatorial election this year.
Individuals in attendance included: Elizabeth Roberts for Lt. Governor, Ken Block for Governor, Robert Rainville for Attorney General, Gina Raimondo for General Treasurer, Catherine Taylor for Secretary of State, Peter Kilmartin for Attorney General, Robert Healy for Lt. Governor, Todd Giroux for Governor, Kevin McCarthy, Thomas Clupny, Mary Messier and Stephen Gerling for general assembly.
For further details about this event please click here. |
Performance PT Food Drive Performance will be collecting non-perishable food Items for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank in all 6 of our locations! We will be taking donations from now until mid to late November. To see a list of the Food Bank's most needed items please click here. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
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All You Need to Know About Raking Leaves
Many of us spend hours raking leaves in the fall. It is actually a great way to get some exercise and enjoy the brisk and colorful fall days. However, beware: while raking can be good exercise, too much twisting, reaching, bending, lifting and carrying bags of leaves can place excessive load on the spine which results in pain and injury. Follows these tips to avoid a trip to your physical therapist!
1. Hold the rake handle close to your body to help maintain good posture.
2. Keep one hand near the top of the rake to increase leverage and one foot in front of the other so you can shift your weight forward and back as you rake.
3. Try an ergonomic rake, which is available at garden stores; it places less stress on hands and wrists.
4. Change sides frequently and avoid twisting from the waist.
5. Pace yourself. Section off larger yards so the job can be completed in stages that take about 30 minutes rather than all at once.
6. When bagging leaves, lift manageable loads. Keep your back straight; use your legs; do not twist; keep loads close to your body; and tighten your stomach muscles to support your back.
7. Don't pile too many leaves into one bag, especially if they're wet. It will be heavy and awkward to lift.
When finished for the day, take a 5-10 minute walk then head inside to enjoy some warm apple cider! |
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Aerobic Exercise Essential for Our Children
 In a recent study, researchers recruited school children ages 9 and 10 and asked them to run on a treadmill. The researchers were hoping to learn more about how fitness affects the immature human brain. Researchers sorted the children, based on their treadmill runs, into highest and lowest-fit categories. Both groups completed cognitive challenges as the children's brains were scanned. The study showed that fitter kids generally scored better on the tests. They had significantly larger areas of the brain that aide in maintaining attention and the ability to coordinate actions and thoughts crisply. Another study found fit kids had a larger hippocampus, and yet another shows long term fitter kids have higher IQs.
So the message is clear: kids need exercise not only for physical health but also for their developing brains. Another unpublished study on the cognitive impact on young people of 20 minutes of running on a treadmill, compared to 20 minutes of playing sports-style video games at a similar intensity, showed that running improved test scores immediately afterward. Playing video games did not.
For more information please click here.
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How Much Do I Need?
 Research shows that fruits and vegetables are critical in promoting good health, yet most people do not currently get the recommended amounts each day. How many fruit and veggies do you need? Click here to find out!
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