STAYING ACTIVE Newsletter

February 2014

BE MINDFUL FOR YOUR BODY

Understanding mindfulness

Life is busy. You fold the laundry while keeping one eye on the kids and another on the television. You plan your day while listening to the radio and commuting to work, and then plan your weekend. But in the rush to accomplish necessary tasks, you may find yourself losing your connection with the present moment-missing out on what you're doing and how you're feeling. Did you notice whether you felt well-rested this morning or that flowers are blooming along your route to work?

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment-and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness is now being examined scientifically and has been found to be a key element in happiness.

Key Points:

Practicing mindfulness improves both mental and physical health.
Mindfulness involves both concentration and acceptance. Deliberately pay attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment.
It takes practice to become comfortable with mindfulness techniques. If one method doesn't work for you, try another.

If greater well-being isn't enough of an incentive, scientists have discovered the benefits of mindfulness techniques help improve physical health in a number of ways. Mindfulness can:

help relieve stress
treat heart disease
lower blood pressure
reduce chronic pain
improve sleep
alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties

Try some "mindful" exercises this month and let the results speak for themselves. We have provided some exercises below.

Physical Therapy can help you be mindful of your body.

Set an appointment today.

303-757-1554

DID YOU KNOW?

Vitamin D May Reduce Falls Risk

Older adults given vitamin D and calcium supplements may reduce their risk for falls, according to a consensus opinion published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Researchers found that a minimum daily vitamin D supplement of 1,000 international units accompanied by calcium (common calcium dosages ranged between 500 and 1,200 milligrams per day) could help reduce the risk of falls and the severity of injury when falls do occur. The research group supported the recommended daily average of 4,000 international units from all sources, and recommended use of vitamin D2 or D3 as supplements. D2 is appropriate for use by vegetarians.

Authors wrote that "although there is no evidence that age alone is a risk factor for low vitamin D levels, lack of exposure to sunlight in long-term care settings" is associated with the drop. The opinion is based on research that included an extensive review of all meta-analyses published before 2008 on the relationship of vitamin D, calcium supplementation, and falls in older adults, as well as Medline literature reviews for articles published between 2006 and 2009.

PTIS provides education on exercise prescriptions for balance improvement and falls prevention, including group balance classes.

*Article taken from PT in Motion News Now, January 13, 2014.

CLINIC NEWS

Weekly Classes For Your Health

Tai Chi Class - Every Monday at 5:00 pm

Staff Birthdays This Month

Pauline Kemper, February 13th

CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH

How well do you know the PTIS Staff?

Examine the following photos very carefully and see if you can match them to a staff member at PTIS. Not all the staff provided their photo (even after lots of nagging) so that makes this challenge even harder. The answers are on our website here, but don't cheat!

EXERCISE OF THE MONTH

Be Mindful

Hand Awareness Exercise

Grasp your hands really tight and hold for a 5 to 10 seconds, then release and pay attention to how your hands feel. Keep your attention focused on the feeling for as long as you can.

Mental Focus Exercise

Stare at any object and try to remain focused on just that object for as long as possible. Keep a mental watch on when your mind starts to wander, then just bring it back to the object. The longer you can remain focused, the more your mindfulness will increase.

Periodically stop and smile

Become aware of the immediate physiological response in your body.

Notice what one breath feels like

Feel the sensations of one breath flowing into and out from your body. Notice the sensations in your nose, your shoulders, rib cage and your belly.

Undivided Attention Exercise

Do something around the house that you've never done before and do it with utter and undivided attention.

Stop and breathe

Every time you are at a stop light or stop sign, take 2 deep breaths.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more."

Mother Teresa

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Food for Thought

Instead of our usual recipe, this month we are providing you a link to a New York Times article about Mindful Eating. All food tastes better when you take the time to really taste it.

Thank you for your interest in health and wellness. We believe Staying Active is important for WORK.SPORT.LIFE.

From The Entire Staff

Physical Therapy & Injury Specialists

303-757-1554

www.denverptis.com

Give us a call today!

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