Changing routine is never easy and sticking to a new one is even harder. Whether you’re recovering from an injury, surgery or having Physiotherapy treatment for any acute or chronic condition, your Physiotherapist will prepare a home exercise program for you based on your own specific goals and needs.
However, due to work, personal commitments or stress specially due to the current Covid-19 pandemic it can be difficult to find the time and keep yourself motivated to follow your home exercise plan regularly.
So if you are not seeing the results that you expect and due to any reason struggling to do your home exercises, we are here to help and guide you to achieve your best results.
But firstly, it is crucial to address and understand the importance of a regular home exercise routine as the time you spend with your Physiotherapist in clinic is often restricted to once or twice per week and sometimes even longer. Therefore, the work you do at home is as important as the work we do together during face to face sessions.
Consistency is the key. The more you exercise the stronger you become and the faster you recover.
Below are three tips to help you stick to your home exercise plan:
- Set meaningful goals : Whether you’d like to return to horse riding, playing your favorite sport, be able to walk up to 5K pain free or do a 100 kg deadlift; setting both short-term and long-term goals will help you stay motivated. Even if its something as small as being able to do a 15 minute bike ride pain free, it will help you feel accomplished and encourage you to stay focused towards your recovery. Keeping track of your progress in a diary or apps like Physiapp is a great way to monitor and review your progress.
- Limit your sitting : Due to the current restrictions many of us are staying at home most of the time and either because of work or boredom it is very easy to get into a habit of sitting in front of our TV or Laptops for longer periods of time. One tip that works is to set reminders on your phone and get up every 40 min to an hour for short breaks. You will be surprised how easy it is to do two sets of your prescribed exercises in those 5-10 minutes than to sit continuously and not exercise at all.
- Find your favorite exercise : If you enjoy doing it, you will stick to it. Choose the exercises that you enjoy doing and when you meet us in clinic we can modify those exercises and add progressions as per your recovery requirements. And, if you don’t enjoy doing them at all for any reason, think of the benefits of regular exercise in improving your overall health and well being. Once you prioritize your health and recovery, the exercises won’t seem like an unenjoyable task.
Most importantly, if you are struggling to do your home exercises do not feel guilty or frustrated as you are not alone. Let your Physiotherapist at Whittlesea Physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates know and we can help you identify those barriers and plan new strategies so that you can achieve the best outcome.